00 CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 322(JUD) am 01 "An Act relating to infants who are safely surrendered by a parent shortly after birth." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03  * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 04 to read: 05 SHORT TITLE. This Act may be known as the Safe Surrender of Infants Act. 06  * Sec. 2. AS 11.81 is amended by adding a new section to read:  07 Article 4A. Prohibition on Prosecution.  08 Sec. 11.81.500. No prosecution for safe surrender of infant. A parent may 09 not be criminally prosecuted for surrendering a child of the parent if the child 10 (1) is an infant who is less than 21 days of age; 11 (2) is surrendered in the manner described in AS 47.10.013(c); and 12 (3) is not the subject of a court order affecting custody of the child. 13  * Sec. 3. AS 47.10.013 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 14 (c) A parent who is immune from prosecution under AS 11.81.500 and 15 chooses to surrender an infant shall surrender the infant in the manner described in this 01 subsection. Surrendering the infant in the manner described in this subsection 02 constitutes abandonment for purposes of this chapter. An infant's parent is considered 03 to have abandoned the infant safely, and, notwithstanding AS 25.20.030 and 04 AS 47.10.120, the parent's legal duty to support the infant is extinguished if 05 (1) the parent, without expressing an intent to return for the infant, 06 leaves the infant in the physical custody of a person who the parent reasonably 07 believes is a peace officer, a physician or hospital employee in a hospital or hospital 08 emergency room, or a volunteer with or employee of a fire station or emergency 09 medical service who is performing activities within the scope of the volunteer's or 10 employee's fire services or emergency medical services duties; and 11 (2) there is no evidence the infant has been physically injured prior to 12 abandonment. 13 (d) A person to whom an infant is abandoned safely within the meaning of (c) 14 of this section shall 15 (1) act appropriately to care for the infant; 16 (2) inform the parent that the parent may, but is not required to, answer 17 any questions regarding the name or identity of the infant or the parents of the infant 18 unless the parent chooses to contact the department under (3) of this subsection; 19 (3) ask the parent if the parent wishes to relinquish the parent's 20 parental rights and release the infant for adoption; if the answer is affirmative, the 21 person shall contact the department so that the parent can discuss that option with the 22 department. 23 (e) An individual, agency, facility, or entity that receives an infant abandoned 24 safely under (c) of this section is not liable for civil damages for failure to discharge 25 the duties listed in (d) of this section. 26 (f) A record regarding the surrender of an infant under (c) of this section is 27 confidential and not subject to public inspection or copying under AS 40.25.100 - 28 40.25.220.  29  * Sec. 4. AS 47.10.086(a) is amended to read: 30 (a) Except as provided in (b), (c), and (g) [(b) AND (c)] of this section, the 31 department shall make timely, reasonable efforts to provide family support services to 01 the child and to the parents or guardian of the child that are designed to prevent out-of- 02 home placement of the child or to enable the safe return of the child to the family 03 home, when appropriate, if the child is in an out-of-home placement. The department's 04 duty to make reasonable efforts under this subsection includes the duty to 05 (1) identify family support services that will assist the parent or 06 guardian in remedying the conduct or conditions in the home that made the child a 07 child in need of aid; 08 (2) actively offer the parent or guardian, and refer the parent or 09 guardian to, the services identified under (1) of this subsection; the department shall 10 refer the parent or guardian to community-based family support services whenever 11 community-based services are available and desired by the parent or guardian; and 12 (3) document the department's actions that are taken under (1) and (2) 13 of this subsection. 14  * Sec. 5. AS 47.10.086 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 15 (g) The department is not required to make reasonable efforts of the type 16 described in (a) of this section if the department took emergency custody of an infant 17 under AS 47.10.142 after the infant was abandoned safely within the meaning of 18 AS 47.10.013(c). 19  * Sec. 6. AS 47.10.990 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 20 (32) "infant" means a child who is less than 21 days of age.