HBA-AMW H.B. 590 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 590 By: Goodman Juvenile Justice & Family Issues 2/11/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE After the removal of a child from a situation involving abuse, neglect, or other factors, termination of parental rights, and adoption of the child, additional siblings of the adopted child may become available for adoption. Providing the adoptive parents the right to be considered first for adoption of that child's siblings may allow the siblings to remain together as a family unit. House Bill 590 sets forth provisions relating to the notification of adoptive parents of a child of the birth of any subsequent siblings, the authority of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services to refuse to notify an adoptive parent, the right of the adoptive parents to be considered first for the adoption of an additional sibling, and the inclusion of certain adoptive parents in the adoptive parent registry. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services in SECTION 1 (Section 162.307, Family Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 590 amends the Family Code to require the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (department), in providing postadoption services, to inform the adoptive parents of any subsequently born biological sibling of the child who is available for adoption. The bill requires the department to make a good faith effort to locate adoptive parents who are not receiving postadoption services to inform the parents of the availability for adoption of a subsequently born biological sibling of the parents' adopted child. The bill provides that a parent contacted by the department has the right to be considered first for the adoption of a child who is the sibling of the parent's child. The bill also authorizes the department to refuse to inform a parent only for a reason permitted under criteria adopted by department rule. The bill requires the department to include in the adoptive parent registry the names of adoptive parents who are willing to accept placement of a subsequently born sibling of the parents' adopted child and to provide notice to the parents if a child is available for adoption. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.