New York Public Health Code § 4138-C

Adoption information registry
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§ 4138-c. Adoption information registry. 1. There shall be established\nin the department an adoption information registry operated by employees\nof the department specifically designated by the commissioner. Access to\nall records and information in the registry shall be limited to such\ndesignated employees and such records and information shall be kept\nstrictly confidential except as specifically authorized by law. The\ncommissioner shall establish rules and procedures designed to keep such\nrecords and information separate and apart from other records of the\ndepartment and kept in a manner where access to such records and\ninformation is strictly limited to such designated employees and shall\npromulgate regulations designed to effectuate the purposes of this\nsection. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of the domestic\nrelations law or any other law to the contrary, the commissioner shall\nhave access to the information authorized to be released pursuant to\nthis section contained in birth and adoption records of any agency,\ncourt or department having appropriate records which will enable the\ncommissioner to effectuate the purposes of this section and may require\nthe cooperation of such agency, court or department in providing the\ninformation authorized to be released pursuant to this section,\nprovided, however, that the commissioner shall not have access to the\nactual adoption records of any agency, court or department maintaining\nsuch records.\n  1-a. For the purposes of this section, "adoptee" shall include: those\npersons born in this state, and those persons born in any other state\nwithin the United States or in the District of Columbia whose adoption\noccurred within this state.\n  2. Upon application for registration by an adoptee not born in this\nstate, or by a birth parent or biological sibling of such an adoptee,\nthe department shall, to the extent practicable, determine whether the\nadoptee's adoption occurred within this state. If the department\ndetermines that the adoption occurred within this state, it shall\nregister the applicant if he or she is otherwise qualified and make\nappropriate notifications pursuant to subdivision four of this section.\nThe registry shall accept, at any time, and maintain the verified\nregistration transmitted by an agency pursuant to section forty-one\nhundred thirty-eight-d of this title, or of the birth parents of an\nadoptee who was born in this state. The registry shall neither accept\nnor maintain the registration of an adoptee sooner than eighteen years\nafter the adoptee's birth, or in the case of registration by a\nbiological sibling of an adoptee, no sooner than the longer of eighteen\nyears after the biological sibling's birth or eighteen years after the\nadoptee's birth. Any person whose registration was accepted may withdraw\nsuch registration prior to the release of any identifying information.\nThe adoptee registrant, and the biological sibling registrant, shall\ninclude as part of the registration the identification, including the\nname and address, of known biological siblings of the adoptee. The\nadoptee may upon registration, or any time thereafter, elect not to have\nrelease of information by the authorized agency involved in such\nadoption. The department shall establish an authorized agency fee\nschedule for search costs and registry costs and services provided by\nsuch agency in gathering and forwarding information pursuant to this\nsection. The fee schedule may also include costs for disseminating\ninformation about the registry and the adoption medical information\nsub-registry to the public. Such publications or brochures may include\ninformation as to identifying and non-identifying information, how to\nregister and fees charged to the registrants, and any other information\ndeemed appropriate.\n  3. For the purposes of this section, the term "non-identifying\ninformation" shall only include the following information, if known,\ncon

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