Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: February 26, 2009
Sen. Steve Russell
Full Senate Supports Bill to Require Full Disclosure of Adoption
Fees
State Senator
Steve Russell has won support in the Senate for a bill to
create more uniformity in adoptions and ensure full disclosure
of fees. Senate Bill 1029, by Sen. Steve Russell, was approved
unanimously Thursday. Russell, R-Oklahoma City, is an adoptive
parent, and said the measure could actually result in lower costs
for private adoptions.
Russell noted that a grand jury investigation had exposed instances
of financial exploitation of Oklahomans who were seeking private
adoptions.
“While specific medical and attorney fees are legal and
appropriate, a 2006 Grand Jury stated that it was ‘appalled
at the nature and types of items allowed to be purchased on behalf
of a birth mother’ which included ‘cars, television
sets, and vacations,’” Russell said. “Prospective
parents could be vulnerable in the language of our current law
without a requirement for an itemized accounting of all fees.
My bill would change that.”
SB 1029 would also ensure parents have a full disclosure of all
state laws dealing with adoption as well as regulations impacting
the adoption of children of Native American ancestry.
“Requiring a complete accounting of what every fee is for
means there will be far less opportunity to extract money from
adoptive parents for inappropriate items. They also will have
a far better understanding of exactly what the law requires when
it comes to either private or public adoption.”
Russell’s legislation now moves to the House of Representatives
for further consideration.
For more information contact:
Sen. Russell's Office: 405-521-5618
