BILL NUMBER: SB 1758 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 20, 2006
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 6, 2006
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 28, 2006
INTRODUCED BY Senator Figueroa
FEBRUARY 24, 2006
An act to amend Sections 8623, 8625, 8636, and
8638 of, to repeal Section 8635 of, and to add Section 8632.5 to, the
Family Code, relating to adoption.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1758, as amended, Figueroa Adoption facilitators.
(1) Existing law provides a comprehensive
scheme regarding adoption regulation, and also provides for the
regulation of adoption facilitators, as defined. Existing law
requires a person, prior to engaging in the business of or acting in
the capacity of an adoption facilitator , to obtain a
business license in the appropriate jurisdiction and be bonded in the
amount of $10,000.
This bill would instead require a person to post a bond in the
amount of $50,000, executed by a corporate surety admitted to do
business in this state, with the State Department of Social Services.
The bill would also require a person, whenever there is recovery
from a bond, to file a new bond before that person may conduct
further business as an adoption facilitator. The bill would require
the adoption facilitator to notify the department in writing within
30 days when a surety bond is renewed, and provide the department
with changes in personal information, as specified.
The bill would also require the State Department of Social
Services to establish and adopt regulations for a statewide
registration process for adoption facilitators and to establish and
adopt regulations to ensure that adoption facilitators comply with
the requirements of posting a bond. The bill would authorize the
department to adapt the process it uses to register adoption service
providers in order to provide a similar registration process for
adoption facilitators. The bill would also require an adoption
facilitator, when posting a bond, to file with the department a
disclosure form containing specified information about the person's
educational background and identity, including fingerprint cards.
Certain of these requirements would extend to staff members who
provide direct adoption services. The bill would authorize the
department to impose specified fees for covering the costs of
processing fingerprint cards, maintaining a statewide registration
system, and processing bonds of adoption facilitators.
The bill would also require the State Department of Social
Services to post on its Internet Web site information that shows if
an adoption facilitator is in compliance with the
registration and bond requirements and to draft an adoption fraud
manual, to be made available on the department's Web site and at
county adoption orientations, as specified. The bill would also
require the department to create a task force to study the activities
of adoption facilitators and make recommendations for future
legislation.
Existing law provides that a person or organization is an
adoption facilitator if the person or organization is not licensed as
an adoption agency by the State of California and advertises for the
purpose of soliciting parties to an adoption, locating children for
an adoption, or acting as an intermediary between parties to an
adoption.
This bill would revise that provision to include offering adoption
consulting services.
(2) Existing law prohibits an adoption
facilitator from misleading a person into believing that the adoption
facilitator is a licensed adoption agency or representing to a
person that he or she is able to provide services for which the
facilitator is not properly licensed.
This bill would also prohibit an adoption facilitator from making
use of photolisting to advertise minor children for placement in
adoption and from advertising specific information about particular
minor children available for adoption.
(3) Existing law authorizes a person
aggrieved by a violation of the provisions regarding adoption
facilitators to bring a civil action for damages, rescission, or any
other civil or equitable remedy.
This bill would revise that provision to specifically authorize a
person to bring a civil action for injunctive relief. The bill would
also provide that if the court finds a person has violated those
provisions, it shall award actual damages plus an amount equal to
treble the amount of the actual damages or $1,000 per violation,
whichever is greater. The bill would also authorize the Attorney
General, a district attorney, or a city attorney to bring a civil
action for injunctive relief, restitution, or other equitable relief
against the adoption facilitator in the name of the people of the
State of California. The bill would further authorize any other
person claiming a violation of those provisions to bring a civil
action for injunctive relief on behalf of the general public.
(4) Existing law also authorizes a party, in
any action to revoke or enforce a contract with an adoption
facilitator, to recover reasonable attorneys' fees and costs.
This bill would expand that provision to apply to all civil
actions regarding adoption facilitators. The bill would also set
forth related findings and declarations.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares the
following:
(1) The sharp rise in the number of adoptions, and a significant
increase in adoption fees, has created an expanding industry for
adoption facilitators in California.
(2) Adoption facilitators are not licensed as adoption agencies,
but are adoption intermediaries who are required to hold a business
license, be bonded in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000),
and are regulated by California law in the areas of disclosure and
advertising.
(3) Recent accounts of fraudulent practices by adoption
facilitators demonstrate that current regulations are not strict or
extensive enough to safeguard birth parents and prospective adoptive
parents from fraud.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that
ensures the protection of birth parents and prospective adoptive
parents in dealing with adoption facilitators.
SEC. 2. Section 8623 of the Family Code is
amended to read:
8623. A person or organization is an adoption facilitator if the
person or organization is not licensed as an adoption agency by the
State of California and engages in either the following activities:
(a) Advertises for the purpose of soliciting parties to an
adoption, locating children for an adoption, acting as an
intermediary between the parties to an adoption, or offering adoption
consulting services.
(b) Charges a fee or other valuable consideration for services
rendered relating to an adoption.
SEC. 3. SEC. 2. Section 8625 of the
Family Code is amended to read:
8625. An adoption facilitator shall not:
(a) Mislead any person into believing, or imply by any document,
including any form of advertising or by oral communications, that the
adoption facilitator is a licensed adoption agency.
(b) Represent to any person that he or she is able to provide
services for which the facilitator is not properly licensed.
(c) Make use of photolisting to advertise minor children for
placement in adoption.
(d) Post in any advertising specific information about particular
minor children who are available for adoption placement.
SEC. 4. SEC. 3. Section 8632.5 is
added to the Family Code, to read:
8632.5. (a) The department shall establish and adopt regulations
for a statewide registration process for adoption facilitators. The
department shall also establish and adopt regulations to ensure that
adoption facilitators comply with the requirements of posting a bond,
in accordance with this chapter.
(b) The department may adapt the process it uses to register
adoption service providers in order to provide a similar registration
process for adoption facilitators. The process used by the
department shall include a procedure for determining the status of
bond compliance by adoption facilitators, a means for accepting or
denying organizations seeking inclusion in the adoption facilitator
registry, and an appeals process for those entities denied inclusion
in the adoption facilitator registry.
(c) Upon the establishment by the department of a registration
process, all adoption facilitators that operate independently from a
licensed public or private adoption agency or an adoption attorney in
this state shall be required to register with the department.
(d) An adoption facilitator, when posting a bond, shall also file
with the department a disclosure form containing the adoption
facilitator's name, date of birth, residence address, business
address, residence telephone number, business telephone number, and
the number of adoptions facilitated for the previous year. Along with
the disclosure form, the adoption facilitator shall provide all of
the following information to the department:
(1) (A) Proof that the facilitator and any member of the staff who
provides direct adoption services has completed two years of college
courses, with at least half of the units and hours focusing on
social work or a related field.
(B) An adoption facilitator and any member of the staff subject to
this paragraph may waive the educational requirements by satisfying
all of the following requirements:
(i) He or she has over five years of work experience providing
direct adoption services.
(ii) He or she has not been found liable, and has no pending
lawsuits, in connection with providing adoption services.
(iii) He or she provides three separate letters of support
attesting to his or her ethics and work providing direct adoption
services from any of the following:
(I) A licensed public or private adoption agency.
(II) A member of the Academy of California Adoption
Attorneys Lawyers .
(III) The State Department of Social Services.
(2) Proof of a minimum of three years of experience employed by a
public or private adoption agency or adoption attorney who assists in
bringing adopting persons and placing parents together for the
purpose of adoption placement.
(3) A valid business license.
(4) A valid, current, government-issued identification to
determine the adoption facilitator's identity, such as a California
driver's license, identification card, passport, or other form of
identification that is acceptable to the department.
(5) Two classifiable fingerprint cards of the adoption facilitator
and all staff members, for purposes of submitting to a criminal
background check.
(e) The department may impose a fee upon applicants of no more
than three dollars ($3.00) for each set of classifiable fingerprint
cards that it processes pursuant to subparagraph (5) of subdivision
(d), except that it shall not charge a fee for those submitted into
an electronic fingerprint system using electronic fingerprint
technology.
(f) The department shall post on its Internet Web site information
that shows if an adoption facilitator is in compliance with the
registration and bond requirements of this chapter. The department
shall ensure that the information is current and shall update the
information at least once every 30 days.
(g) The department shall draft an adoption fraud manual, which
shall include recourse information for victims of fraud by adoption
facilitators. This manual shall be made available in electronic
format by a link that may be accessed from the department's Internet
Web site and shall also be made available in written format at county
adoption orientations.
(h) The department shall develop the disclosure form required
pursuant to subdivision (d) and shall make it available to any
adoption facilitator posting a bond.
(i) The department may charge adoption facilitators an annual
filing fee to cover the cost of maintaining a statewide registration
system and processing bonds of adoption facilitators.
(j) The department shall create a taskforce to study the
activities of adoption facilitators and make recommendations for
future legislation.
SEC. 5. SEC. 4. Section 8635 of the
Family Code is repealed.
SEC. 6. SEC. 5. Section 8636 of the
Family Code is amended to read:
8636. (a) Prior to engaging in the business of, or acting in the
capacity of, an adoption facilitator, any person shall (1) obtain a
business license in the appropriate jurisdiction, and (2)
shall post a bond in the amount of fifty thousand dollars
($50,000), executed by a corporate surety admitted to do business in
this state, with the department in accordance with Section 8632.5.
(b) The surety bond required by subdivision (a) shall be in favor
of, and payable to, the people of the State of California and shall
be for the benefit of any person damaged by fraud, misstatement,
misrepresentation, unlawful act or omission, or failure to provide
the services of the adoption facilitator, or the agents,
representatives, or employees of the adoption facilitator, while
acting within the scope of that employment or agency.
(c) Whenever there is a recovery from a bond required by
subdivision (a), the person shall file a new bond in accordance with
subdivision (a) before that person may conduct further business as an
adoption facilitator.
(d) An adoption facilitator shall notify the department in writing
within 30 days when a surety bond required by this section is
renewed, and of any change of name, address, telephone number, or
agent for service of process.
SEC. 6. Section 8638 of the Family Code is amended to read:
8638. (a) Any person aggrieved by any violation of this chapter
may bring a civil action for damages, rescission, injunctive relief,
or any other civil or equitable remedy.
(b) If the court finds that a person has violated this chapter, it
shall award actual damages, plus an amount equal to treble the
amount of the actual damages or one thousand dollars ($1,000) per
violation, whichever is greater.
(c) In any civil action under this chapter, a prevailing party may
recover reasonable attorneys' attorney's
fees and costs.
(d) The Attorney General, a district attorney, or a city attorney
may bring a civil action for injunctive relief, restitution, or other
equitable relief against the adoption facilitator in the name of the
people of the State of California.
(e) Any other person who based, , based
upon information or belief, claims a violation of this chapter
has been committed, may bring a civil action for injunctive relief on
behalf of the general public.