2019 -- H 6252

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LC002913

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO REVIEW AND PROVIDE

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RHODE ISLAND

PARENTAGE ACT

     Introduced By: Representatives McEntee, Craven, Caldwell, and Shekarchi

     Date Introduced: June 25, 2019

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island's parentage statutes were last updated in the 1970s; and

     WHEREAS, There is an urgent need for revision of these outdated laws in order to

ensure that all children have access to legal parentage and to ensure that the state's laws are fair

and constitutional for all Rhode Island families; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created

consisting of eleven (11) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the Rhode Island

House of Representatives, not more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by

the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the Chief Judge of the Rhode Island Family

Court, or designee; one of whom shall be a GLAD referred lawyer, to be appointed by the

Executive Director of GLAD Legal Advocates & Defenders; one of whom shall be the Executive

Director of the Alliance for Children, or designee; one of whom shall be the CEO and Executive

Director of Adoption Rhode Island, or designee; one of whom shall be a staff member in the

Rhode Island Office of Vital Records, to be appointed by the Director of the Rhode Island

Department of Health; one of whom shall be an attorney with the Rhode Island Department of

Human Services, Office of Child Support Services, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House;

one of whom shall be a guardian ad litem, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and one

of whom shall be a pediatrician, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House.

     In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory

commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly

resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu

of a legislator.

     The purpose of said commission shall be to review the current "Uniform Law on

Paternity" and provide recommendations for revisions that would construct and establish a

comprehensive "Rhode Island Parentage Act" that stipulates procedures for establishing

parentage including, but not limited to, a legal bond between child and parent within various

family relationships, and for children conceived through various methods including, but not

limited to, genetic testing, surrogacy agreements and assisted reproduction.

     Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at

the call of the Speaker of the House and organize and shall select a chairperson.

     Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.

     The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

     All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information,

documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or

desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution.

     The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provide suitable quarters

for said commission; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

House of Representatives no later than May 20, 2020, and said commission shall expire on June

19, 2020.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO REVIEW AND PROVIDE

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RHODE ISLAND

PARENTAGE ACT

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     This resolution would create an eleven (11) member special legislative study commission

whose purpose it would be to review and provide recommendations for the establishment of a

Rhode Island Parentage Act, and who would report back to the House no later than May 20, 2020,

and whose life would expire on June 19, 2020.

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LC002913

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