2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 45a - Probate Courts and Procedure
Chapter 803 - Termination of Parental Rights and Adoption
Section 45a-744 - (Formerly Sec. 45-68b). *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) Legislative policy.

It is the policy of the state of Connecticut to make available to adopted and adoptable persons who are adults (1) information concerning their background and status; to give the same information to their adoptive parent or parents; and, in any case where such adult persons are deceased, to give the same information to their adult descendants, including adopted descendants except a copy of their original birth certificate as provided by section 7-51; (2) to provide for consensual release of additional information which may identify the biological parents or relatives of such adult adopted or adoptable persons when release of such information is in the best interests of such persons; (3) except as provided in subdivisions (4) and (5), to protect the right to privacy of all parties to termination of parental rights, statutory parent and adoption proceedings; (4) to make available to any biological parent of an adult adopted or adult adoptable person, including a person claiming to be the father who was not a party to the proceedings for termination of parental rights, information which would tend to identify such adult adopted or adult adoptable person; and (5) to make available to any adult biological sibling of an adult adopted or adult adoptable person information which would tend to identify such adult adopted or adult adoptable person.

(P.A. 77-246, S. 1; P.A. 80-476, S. 158; P.A. 87-555, S. 2; P.A. 95-179, S. 2; P.A. 96-130, S. 22.)

*Note: On and after July 1, 2015, this section, as amended by section 6 of public act 14-133, is to read as follows:

“Sec. 45a-744. (Formerly Sec. 45-68b). Legislative policy. It is the policy of the state of Connecticut to make available to adopted and adoptable persons who are adults (1) information concerning their background and status; to give the same information to their adoptive parent or parents; and, in any case where such adopted or adoptable persons are deceased, to give the same information to their adult descendants, including adopted descendants; (2) to provide for consensual release of additional information which may identify the biological parents or relatives of such adult adopted or adoptable persons when release of such information is in the best interests of such persons; (3) except as provided in subdivisions (1) and (4) to (6), inclusive, of this section, to protect the right to privacy of all parties to termination of parental rights, statutory parent and adoption proceedings; (4) to make available to any biological parent of an adult adopted or adult adoptable person, including a person claiming to be the father who was not a party to the proceedings for termination of parental rights, information which would tend to identify such adult adopted or adoptable person; (5) to make available to any adult biological sibling of an adult adopted or adult adoptable person information which would tend to identify such adult adopted or adult adoptable person; and (6) to make available to any adult adopted person eighteen years of age or older or such adopted person’s adult child or grandchild a copy of an original birth certificate, as provided in section 7-53 or 45a-751c.”

(P.A. 77-246, S. 1; P.A. 80-476, S. 158; P.A. 87-555, S. 2; P.A. 95-179, S. 2; P.A. 96-130, S. 22; P.A. 14-133, S. 6.)

History: P.A. 80-476 replaced alphabetic Subdiv. indicators with numeric indicators; P.A. 87-555 deleted references to Secs. 17-57a and 17-431(a) and added reference to Sec. 46b-124, deleted “adult persons whose genetic parents were removed as guardians and adult persons whose genetic parents’ rights to custody were removed” and added “in any case where such adult persons are deceased, to give the same information to their adult descendants, including adopted descendants, except as provided by section 7-51”, added “or relatives” after “genetic parents”, and deleted “removal of custody, removal of guardianship” in Subdiv. (3); Sec. 45-68b transferred to Sec. 45a-744 in 1991; P.A. 95-179 added Subdivs. (4) and (5) re availability of identifying information to genetic parent and adult biological sibling of an adopted or adoptable person and added exception to Subdivs. (4) and (5) in Subdiv. (3); P.A. 96-130 changed “intent” to “policy” and made additional technical changes, including changing “genetic” to “biological” and added specific exemption of a copy of original birth certificate; P.A. 14-133 amended Subdiv. (1) by replacing “adult” with “adopted or adoptable” and deleting provision re exception for copy of original birth certificate, amended Subdiv. (3) by replacing reference to Subdivs. (4) and (5) with reference to Subdivs. (1) and (4) to (6), amended Subdiv. (4) by making a technical change and added Subdiv. (6) re copy of original birth certificate, effective July 1, 2015.