reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-40 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part IV - Access to Adoption Records|Section 5-3A-40 - Court and Agency Records

    (a)    (1)    (i)    On request of an adoptee or adoptive or former parent of an adoptee and without a showing of a need, a child placement agency shall provide information, other than identifying information, in its adoption record on the adoptee.            (ii)    If a child placement agency denies a request under this paragraph, then on petition of an adoptee or adoptive or former parent and without a showing of need, a court shall order access for the petitioner to inspect, in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, the agency’s record on the adoptee.        (2)    On petition of an adoptee or adoptive or former parent of an adoptee and without a showing of need, a court shall order access for the petitioner to inspect, in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, the court’s record on the adoptee.    (b)    A court may not order opened for inspection under this section any part of a record that contains identifying information.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-41 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part IV - Access to Adoption Records|Section 5-3A-41 - Urgently Needed Medical Information

    (a)    If, after a hearing on petition of an adoptee or former parent, a court is satisfied that the adoptee or blood relative of the adoptee or former parent urgently needs medical information not in agency and court records, the court may appoint an intermediary to try to contact the adoptee or a former parent of the adoptee for the information.    (b)    An intermediary appointed under this section:        (1)    only may advise an adoptee or former parent of the need for medical information; and        (2)    may not:            (i)    reveal any identifying information about an adoptee or former parent; or            (ii)    try, in any manner, to encourage or discourage contact between an adoptee and former parent.    (c)    An intermediary appointed under this section shall file with the appointing court a confidential written report on the intermediary’s efforts to contact an adoptee or former parent.    (d)    When a court receives a report from an intermediary, the court may disclose to the adoptee or former parent, without revealing identifying information about the adoptee or any former parent:        (1)    whether the intermediary advised the adoptee or former parent about the need for medical information; and        (2)    medical information that the adoptee or former parent provided.    (e)    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a court may order an adoptee or former parent to pay a reasonable fee for the services of an intermediary under this section.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-43 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part IV - Access to Adoption Records|Section 5-3A-43 - Access for Adoptive Parent

    (a)    Subject to subsection (b) of this section, access to a dental or medical record of an adopted minor may not be denied to a parent of the minor because the parent is an adoptive parent.    (b)    Access to a dental or medical record under this section may not include access to any part of the record that has identifying information as to a former parent of the minor.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-45 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part V - Prohibited Acts|Section 5-3A-45 - Prohibited Payments

    (a)    Except as otherwise provided by law, a person may not charge or receive, from or for a parent or prospective adoptive parent, any compensation for a service in connection with:        (1)    placement of an individual to live with a preadoptive family; or        (2)    an agreement for custody in contemplation of adoption.    (b)    (1)    In this subsection, “Administration” means the Social Services Administration of the Department.        (2)    This section does not:            (i)    prohibit payment, by an interested person, of:                1.    a customary and reasonable charge or fee for adoption counseling, hospital, legal, or medical services;                2.    reasonable expenses for transportation for medical care associated with the pregnancy or birth of the child;                3.    reasonable expenses for food, clothing, and shelter for a birth mother if, on written advice of a physician, the birth mother is unable to work or otherwise support herself because of medical reasons associated with the pregnancy or birth of the child; or                4.    reasonable expenses associated with any required court appearance relating to the adoption, including transportation, food, and lodging expenses; or            (ii)    prevent the Administration, or a person that the Administration licenses or supervises, from receiving and accepting reasonable reimbursement for costs of an adoptive service in connection with adoption, if:                1.    the reimbursement is in accordance with standards set by regulation of the Administration; and                2.    the ability to provide this reimbursement does not affect:                A.    the acceptability of any individual for adoptive services; or                B.    the choice of the most suitable prospective adoptive parent.    (c)    Each State’s Attorney shall enforce this section.    (d)    A person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $100 or imprisonment not exceeding 3 months or both, for each offense.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-01 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-01 - Definitions

    (a)    In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.    (b)    “Assisted reproduction” has the meaning stated in § 5–1001 of this title.    (c)    “Identifying information” means information that reveals the identity or location of an individual.    (d)    “Mother” has the meaning stated in § 5–1001 of this title.    (e)    (1)    “Parent” means an individual who, at any time before a court enters an order for adoption under this subtitle:            (i)    meets a criterion in § 5–3B–05(a) of this subtitle;            (ii)    is the mother; or            (iii)    is a parent or is presumed to be a parent under Title 1, Subtitle 2 of the Estates and Trusts Article.        (2)    “Parent” does not include an individual whom a court has adjudicated not to be a father or mother.    (f)    “Prospective adoptee” means an individual who is the subject of a petition for adoption under this subtitle.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-02 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-02 - Scope of Subtitle; Effect

    (a)    This subtitle applies only to an adoption that is arranged other than by a child placement agency.    (b)    Except as expressly provided in this subtitle, it does not affect an adoption:        (1)    for which a court entered an order on or before December 31, 2005; or        (2)    pending on January 1, 2006.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-03 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-03 - Statement of Findings; Purposes

    (a)    The General Assembly finds that the policies and procedures of this subtitle are desirable and socially necessary.    (b)    The purposes of this subtitle are to:        (1)    timely provide permanent and safe homes for children consistent with their best interests;        (2)    protect children from unnecessary separation from their parents;        (3)    ensure adoption only by individuals fit for the responsibility;        (4)    protect parents from making hurried or ill-considered agreements to terminate their parental rights;        (5)    protect prospective adoptive parents by giving them information about prospective adoptees and their backgrounds; and        (6)    protect adoptive parents from future disturbances of their relationships with adoptees by former parents.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-04 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-04 - Foreign Orders

    (a)    In this section, “order” includes any action that, under the laws of another jurisdiction, has the force and effect of a comparable judicial order under this subtitle.    (b)    In accordance with the United States Constitution, this State shall accord full faith and credit to:        (1)    an order of another state as to adoption or guardianship in compliance with the other state’s laws; and        (2)    termination of parental rights in compliance with the other state’s laws.    (c)    As to a jurisdiction other than a state:        (1)    an order for adoption or guardianship entered in compliance with the jurisdiction’s laws shall have the same legal effect as an order for adoption or guardianship entered in this State; and        (2)    termination of parental rights in compliance with the jurisdiction’s laws shall have the same legal effect as termination of parental rights in this State.    (d)    This section may not be construed to require an individual to petition a court in this State for adoption of an adoptee if:        (1)    the individual adopted the adoptee in compliance with the laws of a jurisdiction other than a state; and        (2)    the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services verifies the validity of that adoption by granting, under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, an IR-3 visa for the adoptee.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-05 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-05 - Paternity

    (a)    Unless a court excludes a man as the father of a child, a man is the father if:        (1)    the man was married to the child’s mother at the time of the child’s conception;        (2)    the man was married to the child’s mother at the time of the child’s birth;        (3)    the man is named as the father on the child’s birth certificate and has not signed a denial of paternity;        (4)    the child’s mother has named the man as the child’s father and the man has not signed a denial of paternity;        (5)    the man has been adjudicated to be the child’s father;        (6)    the man has acknowledged himself, orally or in writing, to be the child’s father and the mother agrees; or        (7)    on the basis of genetic testing, the man is indicated to be the child’s biological father.    (b)    (1)    A petitioner under this subtitle shall give a court notice that a man who is not named in the petition and has not been excluded as a father claims paternity.        (2)    After a request of a party or claimant and before ruling on a petition for adoption under this subtitle, a court shall hold a hearing on the issue of paternity.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-06 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-06 - Appointed Counsel

    (a)    (1)    In a case under this subtitle, a court shall appoint an attorney to represent a parent who:            (i)    has a disability that makes the parent incapable of effectively participating in the case; or            (ii)    when the parent must decide whether to consent to adoption, is still a minor.        (2)    To determine whether a disability makes a parent incapable of effectively participating in a case, a court, on its own motion or on motion of a party, may order examination of the parent.    (b)    (1)    In a case under this subtitle, a court shall appoint an attorney to represent a prospective adoptee who:            (i)    has a disability that makes the prospective adoptee incapable of effectively participating in the case; and            (ii)    when the prospective adoptee must decide whether to consent to adoption, is at least 10 years old.        (2)    To determine whether a disability makes a prospective adoptee incapable of effectively participating in a case, a court, on its own motion or on motion of a party, may order examination of the prospective adoptee.    (c)    An attorney or firm:        (1)    may represent more than one party in a case under this subtitle only if the Maryland Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct allow; and        (2)    may not represent a prospective adoptive parent and parent in the same adoption case.    (d)    Counsel appointed under this section may be compensated for reasonable fees, as approved by the court.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-07 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-07 - Agreement for Postadoption Contact

    (a)    (1)    A prospective adoptive parent and parent of a prospective adoptee may enter into a written agreement to allow contact, after the adoption, between:            (i)    the parent or other relative of the adoptee; and            (ii)    the adoptee and adoptive parent.        (2)    An adoptive parent and former parent of an adoptee under this subtitle may enter into a written agreement to allow contact between:            (i)    a relative or former parent of the adoptee; and            (ii)    the adoptee or adoptive parent.    (b)    An agreement made under this section applies to contact with an adoptee only while the adoptee is a minor.    (c)    An individual who prepares an agreement described in subsection (a)(1) of this section:        (1)    shall provide a copy to each party in a case pending as to the prospective adoptee under this subtitle; and        (2)    if the agreement so provides, shall redact identifying information from the copies.    (d)    Failure to comply with a condition of an agreement made under this section is not a ground for revoking consent to, or setting aside an order for, adoption.    (e)    If a dispute as to an agreement made under this section arises, a court may order the parties to engage in mediation to try to resolve the dispute.    (f)    (1)    A court shall enforce a written agreement made in accordance with this section unless enforcement is not in the adoptee’s best interests.        (2)    If a party moves to modify a written agreement made in accordance with this section and satisfies the court that modification is justified because an exceptional circumstance has arisen and the court finds modification to be in an adoptee’s best interests, the court may modify the agreement.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-08 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-08 - Assessment of Costs

    (a)    A court may order an adoptive parent to pay, wholly or partly, reasonable fees for a former parent’s:        (1)    independent counsel; or        (2)    adoption counseling or guidance for a reasonable time.    (b)    Except as provided in subsection (a) of this section, a court may assign among the parties to a case under this subtitle counsel fees, counseling or guidance fees, and costs of testing under § 5-3B-05 of this subtitle, as the court considers appropriate.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-09 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3B-09 - Appeal

    A party to a case under this subtitle may appeal to the Court of Special Appeals from an interlocutory or final order.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-12 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-12 - Authority to Place Child for Adoption

    Except for a child being placed for adoption with a relative of the child, by blood or marriage within 4 degrees of affinity or consanguinity under the civil law rule, a parent or grandparent may place a child for adoption only if:         (1)    a petition for adoption is filed in court; and        (2)    the court, by order, sanctions the placement pending final action on the petition.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-13 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-13 - Petition

    (a)    Any adult or minor may be adopted under this subtitle.    (b)    (1)    Any adult may petition a court for adoption.        (2)    If a petitioner is married, the petitioner’s spouse shall join in the petition unless the spouse:            (i)    is separated from the petitioner under a circumstance that gives the petitioner a ground for annulment or divorce;            (ii)    is not competent to join in the petition; or            (iii)    1.    is a parent of the prospective adoptee; and                2.    has consented to the adoption in accordance with this subtitle.    (c)    Before a petition is filed under this subtitle, a petitioner shall move for, and a court shall order that, a case pending under Subtitle 3 of this title be closed.    (d)    If the marital status of a petitioner changes before entry of an order under this subtitle, the petitioner shall amend the petition accordingly.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-14 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-14 - Notice of Filing

    A court shall give notice of the filing of an adoption petition to each individual whose consent has been filed under this subtitle and who has not waived the right to notice.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-15 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-15 - Order to Show Cause

    (a)    Subsection (b) of this section does not apply to an adoption by a spouse of the prospective adoptee’s parent or a relative of the prospective adoptee.    (b)    A court shall issue a show–cause order that includes advice as to the parent’s rights to:        (1)    have independent counsel; and        (2)    receive adoption counseling and guidance.    (c)    On issuance of a show–cause order as to a prospective adoptee, a petitioner shall serve the order:        (1)    on each of the prospective adoptee’s living parents who has not consented to the adoption; and        (2)    if the prospective adoptee is at least 10 years old and has not consented to the adoption, on the prospective adoptee.    (d)    Service under this section shall be by:        (1)    personal service; or        (2)    certified mail, restricted delivery, return receipt requested.    (e)    Service under this section shall be attempted at the parent’s last address known to the petitioner.    (f)    (1)    If a court is satisfied, by affidavit or testimony, that, after reasonable efforts in good faith, a petitioner could not identify a parent or could not effect service on a parent, the court shall order service through notice by publication as to that parent.        (2)    Notice under this subsection shall consist of substantially the following statement:    To: (Father’s name) To: (Mother’s name) To: Unknown parent “You are hereby notified that an adoption case has been filed in the circuit court for (county name), case no. (number). All persons who believe themselves to be parents of a (male or female) child born on (date of birth) in (city, state) to (mother’s and father’s names and dates of birth) shall file a written response. A copy of the show–cause order may be obtained from the clerk’s office at (address) and (telephone number). If you do not file a written objection by (deadline), you will have agreed to the permanent loss of your parental rights to this child.”        (3)    Service under this subsection shall be by:            (i)    publication at least once in one or more newspapers in general circulation in the county where the petition is filed or, if different, where the parent’s last address known to the petitioner is located; and            (ii)    posting for at least 30 days on a website of the Department.        (4)    The Department may charge a petitioner a reasonable fee to cover the cost of posting.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-16 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-16 - Investigation

    (a)    Except as provided in § 5–3B–27 of this subtitle, before ruling on a consensual adoption petition under § 5–3B–20(1) of this subtitle, a court may order a court investigator or child placement agency to conduct any investigation that the court considers necessary.    (b)    Before ruling on a nonconsensual adoption petition under §§ 5–3B–20(2) and 5–3B–22 of this subtitle, a court shall order a court investigator or an appropriate child placement agency to investigate and submit a report that includes summaries of:        (1)    the prospective adoptee’s emotional ties with and feelings toward the prospective adoptee’s parents, the prospective adoptee’s siblings, and others who may affect the prospective adoptee’s best interests significantly; and        (2)    the prospective adoptee’s adjustment to:            (i)    community;            (ii)    home; and            (iii)    school.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-17 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-17 - Hearing on Petition

    Except as provided in § 5–3B–27 of this subtitle, a court shall hold a hearing before entering an order for adoption under this subtitle.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-18 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-18 - Time Limit

    A court may not enter an order for adoption under this subtitle until expiration of the revocation period.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3B-19 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3B - Independent Adoption|Part II - Adoption Proceedings|Section 5-3B-19 - Considerations

    (a)    In ruling on a petition for a prospective adoptee’s adoption under this subtitle, a court shall consider:        (1)    all factors necessary to determine the prospective adoptee’s best interests; and        (2)    any report prepared for the court.    (b)    (1)    (i)    In this subsection, “disability” means:                1.    a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual’s major life activities;                2.    a record of having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual’s major life activities; or                3.    being regarded as having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual’s major life activities.            (ii)    “Disability” shall be construed in accordance with the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, P.L. 110–325.        (2)    In ruling on an adoption petition under this subtitle, a court may not deny the petition solely because the petitioner:            (i)    is single or unmarried; or            (ii)    has a disability.