Legislature(1993 - 1994)
04/28/1994 04:20 PM Senate JUD
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATOR TAYLOR brought CSSSHB 128(FIN) (EARLY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PATERNITY) before the committee as the next order of business. RENEE CHATMAN, staff to Representative Bettye Davis, stated non support of children has become a national epidemic, with one-fourth of the children in the United States now living with a single parent, and an estimated 60 percent spending at least part of their childhood in a single parent home. In almost half of these cases, the absent parent does not pay child support. Many of these children are born out of wedlock and paternity is established in only 30 percent of such cases. HB 128 requires that the state prepare a paternity acknowledgement form to be used at the time of birth. The form is signed by both parents; it will list the father's name and social security number; and it will have to be notarized by a notary public. The bill also lays out specific responsibilities of hospitals or midwives should the birth occur outside a hospital setting. In addition, the State of Alaska is required to give full faith and credit to a determination of paternity made by another state regardless of the method in which the paternity is established. Another component of the bill provides for procedures to allow a default order to be entered in contested paternity cases upon showing that process was served on the defendant in accordance with state law. Ms. Chatman pointed out that as of December 1993, there were 39,969 cases pending in the Alaska Child Support Enforcement Division, and 7,192 of those cases are directly related to paternity verification. SENATOR HALFORD asked if there is an acknowledgement of paternity, is there any way that later on this person can get a blood test. PHIL PETRI, Operations Manager, Child Support Enforcement Division, clarified that the presumptive evidence provided for in the bill brings it in line with current state statute, AS 25.020.050, which states that the punitive father acknowledges in writing being a parent of a child. He added that they still have the right to go into court, they still have the right to get blood tests, and the judge can overturn it. There was general discussion on the use of the terms "conclusive evidence" and "presumptive evidence." SENATOR TAYLOR stated he thought that "presumptive" was more than a sufficient standard to accomplish the purpose. SENATOR LITTLE moved that CSSSHB 128(FIN) be passed out of committee with individual recommendations. Hearing no objection, it was so ordered.
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