SB 248 — Birth Certificates for Persons Adopted.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 S 21 SENATE BILL 248 Judiciary Committee Substitute Adopted 4/29/25 Short Title:

Senators Johnson, Lazzara, and Daniel (Primary Sponsors).

Rules and Operations of the Senate March 10, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO MAKE ACCESS TO NEW BIRTH CERTIFICATES FOR PERSONS ADOPTED SIMILAR TO PERSONS THAT ARE NOT ADOPTED.

The State Registrar shall and county registers of deeds may provide certified typed copies or abstracts of the new certificate of birth of an adoptee prepared pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to the adoptee, the adoptee's children, the adoptive parents, and the adoptee's spouse, brothers, and sisters.

For purposes of this subsection, "parent", "brother", *S248-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 and "sister" shall mean the adoptee's adoptive parent, brother, or sister and shall not mean a former parent, brother, or sister.

*S248-v-2* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (d) At the time of preparing the new birth certificate pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the State Registrar shall notify the register of deeds or appropriate official in the health department in the county of the adoptee's birth to remove the adoptee's birth certificate from the records and forward it to the State Registrar for retention under seal with the original certificate of birth in the State Registrar's office.

The State Registrar shall not issue copies of new birth certificates for adopteestoregistersofdeeds.OnlytheStateRegistrarshallissuecertifiedcopiesofsuchrecords,adoptees and these copies shall be prepared as prescribed in subsection (c) of this section.The State Registrarshall provide registers ofdeeds with access to adoptee birth certificatesin the electronic birth registration system so that registers of deedsdeeds. may issue certified copies or abstracts in accordance with subsection (d1) of this section.

(d1)Only Thethe State Registrar or register of deeds in the countycountyof of the adoptee's birthbirth. shall provide certified typed copies or abstracts of the new certificate of birth of an adoptee prepared pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section to the adoptee, the adoptee's children, the adoptive parents, and the adoptee's spouse, brothers, and sisters upon their request.

ForThis purposescopyshall ofreplace this subsection, "parent," "brother," and "sister" shall mean the adoptee's adoptiveoriginal parent,birth brother,certificate. or sister and shall not mean a former parent, brother, or sister.

(d2)Upon Ifrequest, athe registerState ofRegistrar deedsshall receivesmay aissue requestcertified pursuantcopies to subsection (d1) of thissuch sectionrecords, forand anthese adopteecopies birthshall certificatebe forprepared aas personprescribed born in theirsubsection countyand(c) that record has not been digitized in the electronic birth registration system, the register of deedsthis maysection. request that the State Registrar digitize the record.

(e) The State Registrar shallmay fulfillby theserule requestsprescribe withinrequirements twofor businessreports days.of adoptions from other states." SECTION 2.

(e)This Theact Statebecomes Registrareffective mayOctober by1, rule2025, prescribeand requirementsis forintended reportsto apply to new birth certificates of adoptionspersons fromadopted otherbefore, states.on, or after that date.

(f)Page Registers2 ofSenate deedsBill shall248-First notEdition add adoptee birth certificates to their files or indexes.

(g) Adoptee birth certificates shall not be open to inspection or examination under G.S.

130A-99.

(h) The State Registrar shall not charge any fee under G.S.

130A-93.1(a)(1) to a register of deeds who issues an adoptee birth certificate for a person born in their county pursuant to subsection (d1) of this section.

(i) Registers of deeds and their staff who issue certified copies of adoptee birth certificates as provided in subsection (d1) of this section shall complete annual training provided by the State Registrar on adoptee information privacy." SECTION 2.

G.S.

130A-99 reads as rewritten:

"§ 130A-99.

Register of deeds to preserve copies of birth and death records.

(a) Except as provided for in G.S.

48-9-107, all of the following apply:

(1) The register of deeds of each county shall file and preserve the copies of birth and death certificates furnished by the local registrar under the provisions of G.S.

130A-97, and shall make and keep a proper index of the certificates.

(2) These certificates shall be open to inspection and examination.

(3) Copies or abstracts of these certificates shall be provided to any person upon request.

(4) Certified copies of these certificates shall be provided only to those persons described in G.S.

130A-93(c).

…." SECTION 3.

This act becomes effective January 1, 2026, and applies to adoptee birth certificates available in the electronic birth registration system before, on, or after that date.

Page 2 Senate Bill 248-Second Edition