Sec. 07.02.13.02. Definitions

A. In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated.

B. Terms Defined.

(1) "Administration" means the Social Services Administration.

(2) "Adult adoptee" means an adult adopted individual:

(a) Whose adoption decree was issued by a Maryland court;

(b) Who is 21 years old or older; and

(c) Who does not have a biological sibling younger than 21 years old who has the same adoptive parents.

(3) "Child placement agency" means a:

(a) Local department of social services; or

(b) Private agency that:

(i) Engages or engaged in the placement of children in homes or with individuals; and

(ii) Is or was licensed by the Social Services Administration under Family Law Article, §5-507, Annotated Code of Maryland.

(4) "Confidential intermediary" means an individual or child placement agency qualified by the Director of the Social Services Administration for the purpose of providing contact, search, and reunion services.

(5) "Consent form" means a signed, notarized form:

(a) Issued by the Social Services Administration;

(b) Completed by the registrant for the Search, Contact, and Reunion Services Program or the Maryland Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry;

(c) Verifying the registrant as an adult adoptee or a birth parent, and giving information about the birth and adoption of the adoptee; and

(d) Providing the following information:

(i) The name of the child placement agency that placed the child for adoption if known; and

(ii) The persons or agencies to whom identifying information may be released.

(6) "Director" means the Executive Director of the Social Services Administration.

(7) "Disclosure veto" means a signed, notarized document completed by a birth parent or an adopted individual 21 years old or older or a sibling prohibiting the disclosure of any identifying information concerning that parent, adoptee, or sibling that is contained in agency, birth, or court records for adoptions finalized on or after January 1, 2000.

(8) "Fee" means the amount of payment established by the Director that may be charged for services related to the Registry or the Search, Contact, and Reunion Services Program.

(9) "Local department" means the department of social services in a county or Baltimore City or the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

(10) "Match" means the positive comparison of information contained in Registry affidavits indicating familial relationship between registrants and confirmation of the relationship by the child placement agency, local department, vital statistics, or court records.

(11) "Member of the adoptive family" means an adoptive parent, grandparent, brother, or sister of an adopted individual whether the familial relationship is based on blood or marriage.

(12) "Notarized" means an individual commissioned by a state as a notary public has verified the identity of the signatory of a document, witnessed the signature, taken the signatory's oath, affirmation, or acknowledgment if called for by the document, completed any notarial certificate on the document, signed, dated, affixed the notary public's seal of office and commission expiration date to the document, and recorded the notarization in the notary public's register of official acts.

(13) "Out-of-home placement" means placement of a child into foster care, kinship care, group care, or residential treatment care.

(14) "Registrant" means an individual accepted for registration with:

(a) The Maryland Mutual Consent Voluntary Registry; or

(b) The Maryland Search, Contact and Reunion Services Program.

(15) "Registration form" means a form issued by the Social Services Administration, completed and signed by the individual who is registering, providing information known to the registrant about the adoptee and the birth parent.

(16) "Registry" means the Maryland Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry where birth parents, adoptees, and birth siblings may register to have identifying information released to each other.

(17) "Relative" means a parent, grandparent, brother, or sister of an adopted individual whether the familial relationship is based on blood or marriage. In the case of a minor in out-of-home placement who was adopted through a local department, “Relative” means an individual at least 21 years old who is related to the minor by blood or marriage within five degrees or consanguinity or affinity under the civil law rule.

(18) "Search, contact, and reunion services" means the program that provides services to adult adoptees and their birth parents and siblings and to minors in out-of-home placement through the use of a confidential intermediary to:

(a) Identify, search for, and locate adopted individuals, birth parents, siblings, and relatives and members of the adoptive family as specified in Regulation .08B of this chapter;

(b) Assess the mutual desire for communication or disclosure of information among the adoptees, birth parents, siblings, and relatives and members of the adoptive family as specified in Regulation .08 of this chapter and permit the communication of the information to the appropriate parties;

(c) Provide counseling, or referral to counseling, for adoptees, birth parents, siblings, relatives, and members of the adoptive family; or

(d) If a sibling of a minor in out-of-home placement was adopted through a local department, contact the sibling to develop a placement resource or facilitate a family connection.

(19) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Department of Human Services.

(20) "Service agreement" means a written agreement made between the confidential intermediary and the registrant.

(21) "Sibling" means a brother or sister of the whole or half blood who:

(a) Is 21 years old or older; and

(b) Has been adopted.

(22) "Waiver" means the reduction of a fee based on the individual's written request and verification of family income if family income is less than the national poverty level.