2005 Legislative Session
Pursuant to statute section 44-1101, the legislature shall assemble at the seat of government at twelve o'clock noon on Monday the 10th of January of 2005.

2004 Legislation

Arizona Open, a then fledgling grassroots organization founded in February 2004, began monitoring the 2004 legislative session. No official position was taken on the following bills, as our membership began to grow.

HB 2200 vital records; public health statistics
Status: Governor Signed 04/19/04
Bill Text

HB 2517 - consent to licensed agency or division; attorneys; affidavits
Status: Failed to pass the Human Services Committee for reconsideration on 03/02/04.
Bill Text
Provisions - Would have prohibited a person not acting on behalf of a licensed adoption agency or who is not an attorney in this state from introducing, arranging, or facilitating employment or engagement for compensation for the purpose of placing or locating a child for adoption.

HB 2680 - great-grandparents; adoption
Status: Governor Signed 04/26/04
Bill Text

2003 Legislation

Passage of SB 1090 fueled the outrage that founded Arizona Open.
Adoptees lost their right to non-identifying information and attorneys were allowed to destory their adoption file, while they are still minors.

SB1090 adoption; release of information
Governor Signed 05/09/03
Bill Text

Section E 1

1. obtain identifying AND NONIDENTIFYING information about the child and the consenting birth parent on reaching twenty-one years of age. The agency, division or attorney shall inform the birth parent at the time of obtaining the notarized statement that the decision to grant PERMISSION or withhold permission may be changed at any time by filing a notarized statement with the court and the agency, division or attorney that obtained the original notarized statement. THE MOST RECENT NOTARIZED STATEMENT SHALL OPERATE AS CONSENT FOR THE COURT TO GRANT OR WITHHOLD IDENTIFYING AND NONIDENTIFYING INFORMATION.

Provisions
- Clarifies that non-identifying information, in addition to identifying information, about the adoptee and the consenting birth parent may be obtained by the adoptee if a notarized statement granting permission is obtained from the birth parent.

- Lowers the age at which an adoptee can obtain information and give consent for the release of information from 21 to 18.

- Eliminates the requirement of filing a subsequent notarized statement that permits or withholds permission for information to be obtained by the adoptee with the adoption agency, DES or the attorney.

- Clarifies that the most recent notarized statement shall operate as consent for the court to grant or withhold information.

- Specifies that the original or subsequent notarized statement operates as consent for the court granting or withholding identifying and non-identifying information.

- Eliminates the provision of being informed of the death and related information of the adoptee.

- Allows files belonging to an attorney to be destroyed after a seven year period instead of 99 years.

- Authorizes a person to notify a birth parent of the death of that birth parent's adoptee.

- Clarifies this section does not prohibit a person from notifying a birth parent of the death of a child that the birth parent has placed for adoption.

- Requires all adoption documents to be transmitted to the Arizona State Library 100 years after the adoption order.

- Makes technical and clarifying changes.