Committee advances bill tightening access to adoption birth records while preserving sealing process

Representative Ward presented House Bill 333 as a targeted set of clarifications to last year’s adoption-records law (House Bill 129), and the Judiciary Committee voted to advance the measure to the House floor.

The bill narrows three technical ambiguities in the 2025 law, Ward said: it allows a birth parent to petition a court to keep a closed-adoption file sealed before the adopted child turns 18 (rather than only at age 18); it requires redaction of parents’ physical addresses before a birth certificate is released to an adoptee; and it clarifies that the prior law’s implementation was intended to take effect now rather than 18 years in the future. “If a parent of a closed adoption felt that they would be injured or at some kind of risk, they could petition the court to keep that record sealed,” Ward said, describing the petition as an existing protective process.

Representative Acton asked whether a released birth certificate would name the parents. Ward confirmed the birth certificate is the adoptee’s record and “does state the parents’ names,” but that the bill would redact parents’ physical addresses. Ward also reiterated that if a parent successfully obtains a sealing order, the adoptee would not be able to obtain the sealed record.

Representative Miller moved to favorably recommend HB 333 to the House floor; the committee conducted a roll call and the motion passed unanimously. The committee also added the bill to the consent agenda.

The committee record shows the changes were requested by the state vital statistics office to prevent unintended disclosures while preserving adoptees’ access to their own birth records and the court process for parents to seek additional sealing. The bill now proceeds to the full House for consideration.