What's happening
This bill allows adopted adults in New York to access information about their adopted natural siblings if those siblings consent.
Why it matters
Empowers adopted adults to connect with siblings. This bill creates a legal process for adopted individuals age 21+ to learn the identities and last known addresses of their adopted natural siblings—if those siblings are also adults and expressly consent—potentially enabling meaningful family relationships that were previously inaccessible.
Protects privacy and natural parents’ anonymity. The legislation strictly prohibits any disclosure that would reveal the identity of the adoptee’s natural parents, balancing the adoptee’s right to information with the privacy of birth parents who may not wish to be contacted or identified.
Establishes a consent-driven, court-supervised process. The law requires the court to contact the sibling(s) and obtain explicit written consent before releasing any information, ensuring that no sibling is contacted against their wishes and that sensitive records are carefully reviewed by a judge before disclosure.
Limits repeated requests and respects sibling wishes. If a sibling refuses contact, the applicant cannot reapply for their records, ensuring that individuals’ decisions are respected; if there is no response, reapplication is only allowed after one year, preventing harassment while allowing for future reconsideration.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Adopted Siblings Connect
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
19 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to judiciary
- Referred to judiciary
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Let Adopted Siblings Connect
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor Kenneth P. LaValle
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2767
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ZEBROWSKI, WEPRIN, JAFFEE, GOTTFRIED, ORTIZ, ROSENTHAL, TITONE, BUCHWALD, COLTON, BUTLER, RAIA, SEPULVEDA, SKARTA- DOS, SKOUFIS, RIVERA, JEAN-PIERRE, GRAF, BRABENEC, GALEF, ARROYO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, DINOWITZ, HEVESI, JOYNER, LUPAR- DO, MURRAY, PAULIN, STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the domestic relations law, in relation to disclosure of information relating to natural siblings of adopted persons
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The domestic relations law is amended by adding a new section 114-a to read as follows:
§ 114-a. Records of adopted natural siblings. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other inconsistent provisions of law, a justice, surrogate or judge of the court in which the order of adoption was made shall, upon written ex parte application by a person at least twenty-one years of age who, as a child, had been legally adopted grant an order directing the clerk of the court who is custodian of the papers, records or files pertaining to such adoption to submit them to the court for physical unsealing to permit in camera review, by the court alone, of the information contained therein on the identification of the applicant's adopted natural sibling or siblings. Prior to such review, the court shall send a letter to the last known addresses of the adopted natural brothers or sisters over twenty-one years of age of the applicant stating that an adopted natural sibling is attempting to contact them. The letter shall contain a method for the adopted natural brother or sister to consent or reject such contact. The consent must be received by the court within one hundred twenty days in order to proceed. Upon receiving consent from the natural brother or sister and the review of the records have concluded that disclosure would not in any way reveal the name or names of the natural parent or parents, the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07799-01-7
A. 2767 2
court shall disclose to the applicant for the order of review the names and all last known addresses of the natural brothers and sisters over the age of twenty-one of the child who was adopted, and the clerk of the court shall reseal and return the papers, records or files to the clerk of the court re-filing thereof. If contact has been denied, the applicant may not reapply to the court to obtain records of the natural brother or sister who explicitly rejected contact. An applicant may reapply, no sooner than one year after the previous application, for such records if the natural brother or sister did not respond to the letter of consent.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.