ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PARENTAGE                                                               H.B. 5510:

                                                                               SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL

                                                                                                         IN COMMITTEE

House Bill 5510 (as passed by the House)

Sponsor:  Representative Kenneth Kurtz

House Committee:  Families, Children, and Seniors

Senate Committee:  Families, Seniors and Human Services

Date Completed:  10-1-14

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Acknowledgment of Parentage Act to provide that an acknowledgment of parentage form would be valid and effective if the mother's and father's signatures were both witnessed by a disinterested, legally competent adult.

Under the Act, if a child is born out of wedlock, a man is considered to be the child's natural father if he joins with the mother and acknowledges the child as his by completing a form that is an acknowledgment of parentage.

An acknowledgment of parentage form is valid and effective if signed by the mother and the father and each signature is notarized by a notary public. Under the bill, the signatures could be either notarized or witnessed by one disinterested, legally competent adult. The witness would have to be an employee of a hospital, publicly funded or licensed health clinic, pediatric office, Friend of the Court, prosecuting attorney, court, county health agency, county records department, Head Start program, local social services provider, county jail, State prison, the Department of Human Services, or the Department of Community Health. The witness would have to sign and date the form and provide his or her printed name, address, and place of employment.

A completed original acknowledgment of parentage form must be filed with the State Registrar, who must review the form and file it in a parentage registry if it appears to be properly completed and notarized. The bill also would refer to a form on which each signature was witnessed.

The bill would take effect 90 days after it was enacted.

MCL 722.1003 & 722.1005                                              Legislative Analyst:  Julie Cassidy

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

                                                                                    Fiscal Analyst:  Steve Angelotti

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.