reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MN Stat § 259.27 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.27 — Notification Of Death Or Terminal Illness.

 259.27 MS 1992 [Renumbered 259.53] 259.27 NOTIFICATION OF DEATH OR TERMINAL ILLNESS. Subdivision 1. Death notification. (a) An agency authorized to place a child for adoption shall inform parents who adopt a child on or after August 1, 1987, that they must notify the agency if the child dies. The agency also shall inform the adoptive parents that the adoptive parents of an adopted child under age 19 or an adopted person age 19 or older may maintain a current address on file with the agency and indicate a desire to be notified if the agency receives information of the death of a birth parent. The agency shall inform birth parents who are entitled to notice under section 259.49 that the agency will notify them of the child's death and the cause of death, if known, provided that the birth parents desire notice and maintain current addresses on file with the agency. The agency shall inform birth parents entitled to notice under section 259.49 that they may designate individuals to notify the agency if a birth parent dies and that the agency receiving information of the birth parent's death will share it with adoptive parents, if the adopted person is under age 19, or an adopted person age 19 or older who has indicated a desire to be notified of the death of a birth parent and who maintains a current address on file with the agency. (b) Notice to a birth parent that a child has died or to the adoptive parents or an adopted person age 19 or older that a birth parent has died shall be provided by an employee of the agency through personal, confidential contact, not by mail. (c) Adoptive parents residing in this state whose child was adopted through an agency in another state shall, if the child dies, notify the agency of the child's death. Subd. 2. Terminal illness notification. An agency authorized to place a child for adoption shall inform the adoptive parents and birth parents of a child who is adopted on or after August 1, 1987, that the birth parents, the adoptive parents of an adopted person under age 19, or an adopted person age 19 or older may request to be notified if a birth parent or the child is terminally ill. The agency shall notify the other parties if a request is received under this subdivision and inform them that upon their request the agency will share information regarding a terminal illness with the adoptive or birth parents or an adopted person age 19 or older. History:  1987 c 173 s 1; 1994 c 631 s 31
MN Stat § 259.29 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.29 — Protection Of Best Interests In Adoptive Placements.

 259.29 MS 1992 [Renumbered 259.59] 259.29 PROTECTION OF BEST INTERESTS IN ADOPTIVE PLACEMENTS. Subdivision 1. Best interests of the child. (a) The policy of the state of Minnesota is to ensure that the best interests of the child are met by requiring individualized determination of the needs of the child and of how the adoptive placement will serve the needs of the child. (b) Among the factors the agency shall consider in determining the needs of the child are those specified under section 260C.193, subdivision 3, paragraph (b). (c) Except for emergency placements provided for in section 245A.035, a completed background study is required under section 245C.33 before the approval of an adoptive placement in a home. Subd. 2. Placement with relative or friend. The authorized child-placing agency shall consider placement, consistent with the child's best interests and in the following order, with (1) a relative or relatives of the child, or (2) an important friend with whom the child has resided or had significant contact. In implementing this section, an authorized child-placing agency may disclose private or confidential data, as defined in section 13.02, to relatives of the child for the purpose of locating a suitable adoptive home. The agency shall disclose only data that is necessary to facilitate implementing the preference. If the child's birth parent or parents explicitly request that placement with a specific relative or important friend not be considered, the authorized child-placing agency shall honor that request if it is consistent with the best interests of the child and consistent with the requirements of sections 260C.212, subdivision 2, and 260C.221. If the child's birth parent or parents express a preference for placing the child in an adoptive home of the same or a similar religious background to that of the birth parent or parents, the agency shall place the child with a family that meets the birth parent's religious preference. This subdivision does not affect the Indian Child Welfare Act, United States Code, title 25, sections 1901 to 1923, and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, sections 260.751 to 260.835. History:  1983 c 278 s 7; 1992 c 557 s 4; 1993 c 291 s 10; 1994 c 598 s 5; 1994 c 631 s 31; 1996 c 416 s 10; 1997 c 86 s 9; 1999 c 139 art 4 s 2; 2007 c 147 art 3 s 25; 2012 c 216 art 1 s 13
MN Stat § 259.31 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.31 — Agency Placement Factors.

 259.31 MS 1992 [Renumbered 259.61] 259.31 AGENCY PLACEMENT FACTORS. An agency shall document, in the records required to be kept under section 259.79, the reasons for each child placement decision. History:  1994 c 631 s 16,31
MN Stat § 259.35 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.35 — Notice To Adoptive Parents.

259.35 NOTICE TO ADOPTIVE PARENTS. Subdivision 1. Parental responsibilities. Prior to commencing an investigation of the suitability of proposed adoptive parents, a child-placing agency shall give the individuals the following written notice in all capital letters at least one-eighth inch high: "Minnesota Statutes, section 259.59, provides that upon legally adopting a child, adoptive parents assume all the rights and responsibilities of birth parents. The responsibilities include providing for the child's financial support and caring for health, emotional, and behavioral problems. Except for subsidized adoptions under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256N, or any other provisions of law that expressly apply to adoptive parents and children, adoptive parents are not eligible for state or federal financial subsidies besides those that a birth parent would be eligible to receive for a child. Adoptive parents may not terminate their parental rights to a legally adopted child for a reason that would not apply to a birth parent seeking to terminate rights to a child. An individual who takes guardianship of a child for the purpose of adopting the child shall, upon taking guardianship from the child's country of origin, assume all the rights and responsibilities of birth and adoptive parents as stated in this paragraph." Subd. 2. Referral to foreign agencies. An agency in this state that refers individuals to an agency or individual in another country for the purpose of adopting a child located in that country shall provide the following information in writing at the time of making the referral: (1) the name of any government authority in the country where the adoption agency or individual is located that licenses or regulates the adoption agency or individual; (2) the name of the current director of the adoption agency; (3) whether the country in which the agency or individual is located requires a legal adoption to take place in that country before a child can be removed from the country; and (4) the notification required by subdivision 1. History:  1987 c 187 s 3; 1994 c 631 s 31; 2013 c 125 art 1 s 53; 2021 c 30 art 9 s 14
MN Stat § 259.39 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.39 — Commissioner's Statement.

259.39 COMMISSIONER'S STATEMENT. The commissioner shall prepare and make available to all agencies, prospective adoptive parents, and birth parents a short, plain description of the legal adoption process and the rights and responsibilities of agencies, birth parents, and prospective adoptive parents in the process. History:  1994 c 631 s 18,31
MN Stat § 259.43 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.43 — Birth Parent History; Commissioner's Form.

259.43 BIRTH PARENT HISTORY; COMMISSIONER'S FORM. In any adoption under this chapter, except a stepparent or an adult adoption under section 259.241, a birth parent or an agency, if an agency placement, shall provide a prospective adoptive parent with a complete, thorough, detailed, and current social and medical history of the child being adopted, if information is known after reasonable inquiry. Each child's social and medical history must be provided on a form or forms prepared by the commissioner and must include background and health history specific to the child, the child's birth parents, and the child's other birth relatives. Applicable background and health information about the child includes: the child's current health condition, behavior, and demeanor; placement history; education history; sibling information; and birth, medical, dental, and immunization information. Redacted copies of pertinent records, assessments, and evaluations shall be attached to the child's social and medical history. Applicable background information about the child's birth parents and other birth relatives includes: general background information; education and employment history; physical health and mental health history; and reasons for the child's placement. The child's social and medical history shall be completed in a manner that protects the identities of all individuals described in it. The commissioner shall make the form available to agencies and court administrators for public distribution. The child's social and medical history must be provided to the prospective adoptive family prior to adoptive placement, provided to the Department of Human Services with application for adoption assistance, if applicable, and filed with the court when the adoption petition is filed. In a direct adoptive placement, the child's social and medical history must be filed with the court with the motion for temporary preadoptive custody. History:  1994 c 631 s 20,31; 2008 c 361 art 6 s 7
MN Stat § 259.45 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.45 — State Audit Of Adoption Agency; Civil Action.

 259.45 MS 1992 [Renumbered 259.75] 259.45 STATE AUDIT OF ADOPTION AGENCY; CIVIL ACTION. Subdivision 1. Audit. If the commissioner or attorney general has good cause to believe that a child-placing agency has violated section 259.37, subdivision 1, 259.55, 317A.907, or any other applicable law dealing with fees, payments, accounts, or financial disclosure by a child-placing agency, the commissioner or the attorney general may seek a court order requiring a financial audit of the agency, at the agency's expense, by an auditor chosen by the commissioner or attorney general. Subd. 2. Civil action. A court may grant equitable or monetary relief that is just and reasonable in the circumstances or may dissolve an adoption agency and liquidate its assets if the assets of the agency are being misapplied or wasted. The attorney general or the commissioner may bring an action in district court if the directors or those in control of the agency have misapplied or wasted assets of the agency or have acted fraudulently, illegally, or in a manner unfairly prejudicial toward a client of the agency in the capacity of a director or one in control of the agency. History:  1994 c 631 s 21,31
MN Stat § 259.55 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.55 — Payment Of Birth Parent Expenses; Penalty.

259.55 PAYMENT OF BIRTH PARENT EXPENSES; PENALTY. Subdivision 1. Authorized payments. In any adoption under this chapter, a prospective adoptive parent or anyone acting in concert with, at the direction of, or on behalf of a prospective adoptive parent may pay only the following expenses of the birth parent: (1) reasonable counseling, medical, and legal fees, which shall be paid directly to the provider of the service; (2) reasonable expenses for transportation, meals, and lodging incurred for placement of the child or in order to receive counseling, legal, or medical services related to the pregnancy, birth, or placement; (3) reasonable expenses for adoption services provided by an agency at the request of the birth parent, which shall be paid directly to the agency; and (4) reasonable living expenses of the birth mother which are needed to maintain an adequate standard of living which the birth mother is unable to otherwise maintain because of loss of income or other support resulting from the pregnancy. (i) The payments may cover expenses incurred during the pregnancy-related incapacity but not for a period longer than six weeks following delivery, unless the court determines within the six-week period that the birth mother is unable to be employed due to physical limitations relating to the birth of the child; (ii) the payment shall not be contingent upon placement of the child for adoption, consent to adoption, or cooperation in the completion of the adoption; and (iii) reasonable living expenses does not include expenses for lost wages, gifts, educational expenses, or other similar expenses of the birth mother. Subd. 2. No birth parent reimbursement to adoptive parent. A contract purporting to require a birth parent to reimburse a prospective adoptive parent for such payments under any circumstances, including circumstances in which a birth parent refuses to consent to adoption or withdraws consent to adoption, is void as against public policy. Subd. 3. Prohibited payments; penalty. (a) Except as authorized under subdivision 1, it is a gross misdemeanor for an individual to give, or for a birth parent to accept, money or anything of value, or compensation for the placement of a child for adoption. (b) It is a gross misdemeanor for any person to give money or anything of value to the birth parent of a child if the person is engaged or has engaged in any placement activity, as defined in section 259.21, subdivision 9, in connection with the adoption of the child. (c) An offense under this subdivision shall be prosecuted by the county attorney. History:  1994 c 631 s 27,31; 1997 c 177 s 16
MN Stat § 259.59 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.59 — Effect Of Adoption.

259.59 EFFECT OF ADOPTION. Subdivision 1. Legal effect. Upon adoption, the adopted person shall become the legal child of the adopting persons and they shall become the legal parents of the child with all the rights and duties between them of birth parents and legitimate child. By virtue of the adoption the adopted person shall inherit from the adoptive parents or their relatives the same as though the adopted person were the natural child of the parents, and in case of the adopted person's death intestate the adoptive parents and their relatives shall inherit the adopted person's estate as if the adopted person had been the child's birth parents and relatives. After a decree of adoption is entered the birth parents of an adopted person shall be relieved of all parental responsibilities for the adopted person, and they shall not exercise or have any rights over the adopted person or the adopted person's property. The adopted person shall not owe the birth parents or their relatives any legal duty nor shall the adopted person inherit from the birth parents or kindred, except as provided in subdivision 1a and section 257C.08, subdivision 6. Subd. 1a. Adoption by stepparent. Notwithstanding any other provisions to the contrary in this section, the adoption of a child by a stepparent shall not in any way change the status of the relationship between the child and the child's birth parent who is the spouse of the petitioning stepparent. If a parent dies and a child is subsequently adopted by a stepparent who is the spouse of a surviving parent, any rights of inheritance of the child or the child's issue from or through the deceased parent of the child which exist at the time of the death of that parent shall not be affected by the adoption. Subd. 2. Enrollment in American Indian tribe. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision 1, the adoption of a person whose birth parent or parents are enrolled in an American Indian tribe shall not change the person's enrollment in that tribe. Subd. 3. Communication or contact agreements. This section does not prohibit birth parents, birth relatives, and adoptive parents from entering a communication or contact agreement under section 259.58. History:  1951 c 508 s 9; 1978 c 602 s 2; 1979 c 11 s 1; 1980 c 589 s 36; 1994 c 465 art 1 s 62; 1994 c 631 s 31; 1997 c 112 s 4; 1997 c 177 s 17; 1997 c 239 art 6 s 11; 2002 c 304 s 13; 2008 c 361 art 6 s 11,12
MN Stat § 259.61 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.61 — Hearings, Confidential.

259.61 HEARINGS, CONFIDENTIAL. All hearings held in proceedings under sections 259.21 to 259.63 shall be confidential and shall be held in closed court without admittance of any persons other than the petitioners, their witnesses, the commissioner of human services or an agency, or their authorized representatives, attorneys, and persons entitled to notice by sections 259.21 to 259.63, except by order of the court. The files and records of the court in adoption proceedings shall not be open to inspection by any person except the commissioner of human services or the commissioner's representatives, an agency acting under section 259.47, subdivision 10, or upon an order of the court expressly so permitting pursuant to a petition setting forth the reasons therefor. In a stepparent adoption, upon receiving a written request from a parent whose parental rights would be or have been severed by the adoption under section 259.59, the court or the commissioner may confirm in writing whether or not an adoption decree has been granted and, if so, the date of the adoption decree. History:  1951 c 508 s 11; 1984 c 654 art 5 s 58; 1986 c 444; 1994 c 631 s 28,31; 1997 c 177 s 19
MN Stat § 259.63 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.63 — Appeals.

259.63 APPEALS. Any order, judgment, or decree of a court pursuant to the provisions of sections 259.21 to 259.63 may be appealed by any person against whom the order, judgment, or decree is made or who is affected by it as in other civil cases. History:  1951 c 508 s 12; 1959 c 685 s 50; 1983 c 247 s 110; 1994 c 631 s 31
MN Stat § 259.65 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.65 — Appointment Of Attorney And Guardian Ad Litem.

259.65 APPOINTMENT OF ATTORNEY AND GUARDIAN AD LITEM. Subdivision 1. Appointment. In any adoption proceeding, the court may appoint an attorney or a guardian ad litem, or both, for the person being adopted. Subd. 2. Costs. The court may order the adopting parents to pay the costs of services rendered by guardians or attorneys appointed pursuant to subdivision 1, provided that such parents shall be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard. History:  1974 c 383 s 1,2; 1994 c 631 s 31
MN Stat § 259.73 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.73 — Reimbursement Of Nonrecurring Adoption Expenses.

259.73 REIMBURSEMENT OF NONRECURRING ADOPTION EXPENSES. An individual may apply for reimbursement for costs incurred in an adoption of a child with special needs under section 256N.25, subdivision 1a. History:  1989 c 282 art 2 s 164; 1994 c 631 s 31; 1999 c 245 art 8 s 36; 2012 c 216 art 6 s 3; 2021 c 30 art 9 s 15
MN Stat § 259.77 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.77 — Family Recruitment.

259.77 FAMILY RECRUITMENT. Each authorized child-placing agency shall make special efforts to recruit an adoptive family from among the child's relatives, except as authorized in section 259.57, subdivision 2. Each agency shall provide for the diligent recruitment of potential adoptive families that reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of children in the state for whom adoptive homes are needed. Special efforts include contacting and working with community organizations and religious organizations and may include contracting with these organizations, utilizing local media and other local resources, and conducting outreach activities. The requirement of special efforts to locate relatives in this section is satisfied if special efforts were made to recruit relatives when the child was first placed in out-of-home care or if special efforts have been satisfied and approved by the court according to section 260C.202. The agency may accept any gifts, grants, offers of services, and other contributions to use in making special recruitment efforts. History:  1983 c 278 s 11; 1992 c 557 s 6; 1993 c 291 s 14; 1994 c 631 s 31; 1996 c 416 s 13; 1997 c 86 s 11; 1999 c 139 art 4 s 2; 2012 c 216 art 6 s 13
MN Stat § 259.78 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 259 — Change Of Name, Adoption|Section 259.78 — Grandparent Visitation.

259.78 GRANDPARENT VISITATION. Grandparent visitation with an adopted child is governed by section 257C.08. History:  1997 c 177 s 21; 2002 c 304 s 13