the registrant to a participating State registry 
and transmitted by that State registry to the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(D) EFFECT OF CERTIFICATE.—A certifi-
cate of search issued under subparagraph (B) 
shall serve as evidence of efforts by the eligible 
party who requested the search to locate a pos-
sible father in order to provide those possible 
fathers identified in the certificate with notice 
of a proceeding. 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL
EDUCATIONAL
CAMPAIGN.—The 
Secretary shall establish a nationwide responsible father-
hood and responsible father registry educational campaign 
that is designed to inform possible fathers, unwed moth-
ers, possible adoptive parents, and eligible parties of the 
existence of the National Responsible Father Registry, the 
advantages of possible fathers registering either in the Na-
tional Responsible Father Registry or a State Responsible 
Father Registry, or both, the rights and responsibilities 
of possible fathers, unwed mothers, possible adoptive par-
ents, and eligible parties with regard to a proceeding, and 
the role of the National Responsible Father Registry and 
a State Responsible Father Registry in a proceeding. 
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‘‘SEC. 442. AGREEMENTS WITH STATES TO PROMOTE RE-
SPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use all rea-
sonable efforts to encourage States to enter into an agree-
ment with the Secretary to become a participating State 
under this subpart. Such agreements shall— 
‘‘(1) require that the State comply with the re-
quirements for State Responsible Father Registries 
under section 443; 
‘‘(2) require that the State provide for a proc-
ess under which a registered possible father will re-
ceive notice of a proceeding at the most recent ad-
dress he provided to the registry, within State deter-
mined guidelines and time limits; 
‘‘(3) require the State to provide annual reviews 
and reports to the Secretary on the State Respon-
sible Father Registry, including such information as 
may be necessary to measure compliance with the 
requirements under this subpart; 
‘‘(4) require the State to, in accordance with 
standards prescribed by the Secretary, cooperate 
with other States and the Federal Government to 
assist individuals and governments in their efforts to 
locate and provide notice to possible fathers; 
‘‘(5) encourage the State to establish or des-
ignate a single organizational unit within the State 
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that meets such staffing and organizational require-
ments as the Secretary may prescribe to administer 
the State Responsible Father Registry; 
‘‘(6) encourage the State to enter into coopera-
tive agreements between the State and appropriate 
entities, such as those specified in section 443(e)(2), 
to assist the organizational unit established or des-
ignated to administer the State Responsible Father 
Registry; 
‘‘(7) encourage the State to amend its long-arm 
jurisdictional statute to ensure that personal juris-
diction is established in a proceeding for a father 
registered in the National Responsible Father Reg-
istry; 
‘‘(8) encourage States to develop, establish, and 
operate programs that are designed— 
‘‘(A) to improve the protection of the 
rights of possible fathers in a proceeding; 
‘‘(B) to assist mothers in making respon-
sible plans for their children’s future; and 
‘‘(C) to protect the privacy and safety of 
possible fathers and of birth mothers, including 
those who have been the victims of violence, by, 
among other things, enabling birth mothers to 
proceed with an adoption or placement plan 
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without being required to disclose her sexual 
partners; and 
‘‘(9) encourage States to enact laws and regula-
tions to address the pre-birth abandonment of a 
child by the biological father and abandonment of a 
child by the biological father subsequent to birth. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE FATHER-
HOOD.—An agreement with a State that meets the re-
quirements of subsection (a) may include a grant to the 
State as provided for under section 444. 
‘‘SEC. 443. STATE RESPONSIBLE FATHER REGISTRIES. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
each State that is a participating State under this 
subpart shall provide assurances to the Secretary 
that the State has, or will establish, and will main-
tain an automated responsible father registry that 
meets the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(2) EXISTING
STATE
RESPONSIBLE
FATHER 
REGISTRIES.—A State that has a responsible father 
registry in existence on the date of enactment of this 
subpart and desires to enter into an agreement with 
the Secretary under section 442 shall provide assur-
ances to the Secretary that the State will, not later 
than 180 days from the last day of the first regular 
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session of the State legislature that begins after the 
date of enactment of this subpart, modify the reg-
istry to the extent necessary for the registry to meet 
the requirements of this section with respect to re-
sponsible fathers who register with the State on or 
after that day. For purposes of the previous sen-
tence, in the case of a State that has a 2-year legis-
lative session, each year of the session is considered 
to be a separate, regular session of the State legisla-
ture. 
‘‘(b) REGISTRATION WITH THE STATE RESPONSIBLE 
FATHER REGISTRY.— 
‘‘(1) 
SUBMISSION
OF
INFORMATION.—The 
State shall establish procedures under which the 
possible father of a child may submit the informa-
tion described in subsection (c) to the State for the 
purpose of including the information in the State 
Responsible Father Registry. Such procedures shall 
provide that, in order for the possible father to be 
entitled to notice of any proceeding, the possible fa-
ther must submit information for inclusion in the 
State Responsible Father Registry within State-de-
termined time limits. 
‘‘(2) VERIFICATION.—The procedures estab-
lished under paragraph (1) shall require the possible 
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father to verify by submission of a sworn statement 
or such other means as the State, in consultation 
with the Secretary, determines appropriate that the 
information submitted is his own personal informa-
tion and that it is true and correct to the best of 
his knowledge. 
‘‘(c) CONTENTS.—With respect to a child, the State 
Responsible Father Registry shall contain information suf-
ficient to identify the possible father, which may include 
(but is not limited to)— 
‘‘(1) the name of the possible father (including 
any other names by which he may be known); 
‘‘(2) the date of birth of the possible father; 
‘‘(3) the Social Security number of the possible 
father, if any; 
‘‘(4) the State of issue and driver’s license 
number of the possible father, if any; 
‘‘(5) the address provided by the possible father 
at which he requests notice; 
‘‘(6) all known telephone numbers for the pos-
sible father; 
‘‘(7) the name and address of the employer of 
the possible father, if any; 
‘‘(8) the name of the mother (including any 
other names by which she may be known); 
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‘‘(9) the most recent address of the mother, if 
known; 
‘‘(10) the date of birth of the mother, if known; 
‘‘(11) the Social Security number of the moth-
er, if known; 
‘‘(12) the State of issue and driver’s license 
number of the mother, if known; 
‘‘(13) the city and State where possible concep-
tion took place; 
‘‘(14) the date or estimated date (or range of 
dates) of possible conception; 
‘‘(15) the birth date of the child or the approxi-
mate delivery date, if known; and 
‘‘(16) the name and gender of the child, if 
known. 
‘‘(d) COLLECTION
OF STATE INFORMATION
AND 
TRANSMISSION TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE FATHER 
REGISTRY.— 
‘‘(1) COLLECTION.—The State shall collect the 
information described in subsection (c) submitted by 
the possible father and enter such information into 
the State Responsible Father Registry. 
‘‘(2) TRANSMISSION.—Not later than the date 
that is 3 business days after the date on which any 
information described in subsection (c) is entered 
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into the State Responsible Father Registry, the 
State shall furnish such information to the Sec-
retary, in an electronic format designated by the 
Secretary, for purposes of including the information 
in the National Responsible Father Registry. 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENT.—The procedures estab-
lished under subsection (b) (1) shall include a means 
by which a possible father is informed that the reg-
istry may be used to establish an obligation to sup-
port a child or children. Except as provided in sub-
section (g), registration shall not constitute an ad-
mission of guilt to any crime under Federal or State 
law. 
‘‘(e) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
REGISTRATION
CEN-
TERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The State shall establish 
centers in various locations throughout the State so 
that registration forms for the State Responsible 
Father Registry are easily accessible to possible fa-
thers. 
‘‘(2) SITES.—The sites of the centers described 
in paragraph (1) may include (but are not limited 
to) the following: 
‘‘(A) State and local hospitals. 
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‘‘(B) Courthouses in which family courts 
are located. 
‘‘(C) State departments of motor vehicles. 
‘‘(D) State welfare agencies. 
‘‘(E) State health department offices. 
‘‘(F) State vital records offices. 
‘‘(G) State probate courts. 
‘‘(H) State-operated or -sponsored websites 
for each center established in accordance with 
this subsection. 
‘‘(f) METHOD OF SUBMITTING REGISTRATION.—The 
State shall permit a possible father to submit information 
to the State Responsible Father Registry electronically, in 
person, or by mail. The State shall not charge a fee for 
registering in the State Responsible Father Registry. 
‘‘(g) PENALTIES FOR SUBMISSION OF FALSE INFOR-
MATION.—A State shall have in effect a law that provides 
that any person who knowingly submits false information 
to a State Responsible Father Registry shall be guilty of 
the highest class of misdemeanor under State law. 
‘‘(h) ACCURACY OF DATA.—A possible father is solely 
responsible for the accuracy of the information contained 
in his registration and he shall be responsible for updating 
the information, if needed to keep it accurate. The infor-
mation contained in the registration is presumed accurate. 
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Notice regarding a proceeding shall be deemed received 
by the possible father if sent or delivered to him at the 
most recent address he provided in subsection (c)(5). 
‘‘(i) PRIVACY SAFEGUARDS.—The State shall estab-
lish procedures to ensure that the information maintained 
in the State Responsible Father Registry is subject to 
same the privacy safeguards as the privacy safeguards re-
quired under section 454(26). 
‘‘SEC. 444. GRANTS TO STATES TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE 
FATHERHOOD. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS TO STATES.—The Secretary may make 
a grant to a State that enters into an agreement with the 
Secretary pursuant to section 442 to become a partici-
pating State for purposes of— 
‘‘(1) modifying an existing State Responsible 
Father Registry to the extent necessary for the reg-
istry to meet the requirements of section 443; or 
‘‘(2) establishing a State Responsible Father 
Registry that meets the requirements of section 443. 
‘‘(b) CONDITION.—As a condition for receiving a 
grant under this section, a State shall agree to— 
‘‘(1) maintain an automated State Responsible 
Father Registry in accordance with the requirements 
of section 443; and 
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‘‘(2) support the nationwide responsible father-
hood and responsible father registry educational 
campaign established under section 441(b). 
‘‘(c) AMOUNT.—A grant made under this section 
shall be in such an amount as the Secretary determines 
appropriate. 
‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds received under a grant 
made under this section may be used to reimburse a par-
ticipating State in whole or in part for costs incurred to 
modify an existing State Responsible Father Registry or 
to establish a State Responsible Father Registry, and to 
reimburse the State in whole or in part for costs incurred 
to satisfy the conditions specified in subsection (b). 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary for fiscal year 2013 and each fiscal year thereafter 
for purposes of making grants to States under this sec-
tion.’’. 
Æ 
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