reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-350 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part IV - Adoption After Termination of Parental Rights|Section 5-350 - Authority to Grant Adoption

    (a)    A juvenile court may enter an order for a child’s adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle only if:        (1)    for an individual under the age of 18 years, the individual’s guardian consents; and        (2)    for an individual who is at least 10 years old, the individual consents.    (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)    A guardian may not withhold consent for the sole reason that:            (i)    the race, religion, color, or national origin of a prospective adoptive parent differs from that of the child or parent; or            (ii)    a prospective adoptive parent has a disability.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-351 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part IV - Adoption After Termination of Parental Rights|Section 5-351 - Consent

    (a)    Consent of a party to an adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle is not valid unless:        (1)    the consent is given in a language that the party understands;        (2)    if given in a language other than English, the consent:            (i)    is given before a judge on the record; or            (ii)    is accompanied by the affidavit of a translator stating that the translation of the document of consent is accurate;        (3)    the consent names the child;        (4)    the consent contains enough information to identify the prospective adoptive parent; and        (5)    the party has received written notice or on-the-record notice of:            (i)    the revocation provisions in this section;            (ii)    the search rights of adoptees and parents under § 5-359 of this subtitle and the search rights of adoptees, parents, and siblings under Subtitle 4B of this title; and            (iii)    the right to file a disclosure veto under § 5-359 of this subtitle.    (b)    A guardian may revoke consent to an adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle at any time before a juvenile court enters an order of adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle.    (c)    A child may revoke consent to an adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle at any time before a juvenile court enters an order of adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-352 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part IV - Adoption After Termination of Parental Rights|Section 5-352 - Order for Adoption

    (a)    (1)    This subsection does not limit the right of an individual to provide for distribution of property by will.        (2)    Except as provided in § 2-123 of the Real Property Article, after a juvenile court enters an order for adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle:            (i)    the adoptee:                1.    is the child of the adoptive parent for all intents and purposes; and                2.    is entitled to all of the rights and privileges of and is subject to all of the obligations of offspring born to the adoptive parent;            (ii)    each of the adoptee’s living parents is:                1.    relieved of all parental duties and obligations to the adoptee; and                2.    divested of all parental rights as to the adoptee; and            (iii)    the Estates and Trusts Article shall govern all of the rights of inheritance between the adoptee and parental relatives.    (b)    An order for adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle terminates all pending guardianship cases as to the adoptee.    (c)    Adoption of an adult has the same legal effect as adoption of a minor.    (d)    (1)    When a juvenile court enters an order for a child’s adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle, the juvenile court shall send notice to:            (i)    each juvenile court that has a pending guardianship case as to the adoptee;            (ii)    each of the child’s living, former parents who has not waived the right to notice;            (iii)    the former parent’s last attorney of record in the guardianship case; and            (iv)    the child’s last attorney of record in the guardianship case.        (2)    Service on a former parent under this subsection shall be at the parent’s last address known to the juvenile court.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-353 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part IV - Adoption After Termination of Parental Rights|Section 5-353 - Petition to Invalidate

    If a petition to invalidate an order for adoption under this Part IV of this subtitle on the basis of a jurisdictional or procedural defect is filed more than 1 year after entry of the order, a juvenile court shall dismiss the petition.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-356 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part V - Access to Records|Section 5-356 - Medical and Mental Health Information

    (a)    A local department shall make reasonable efforts to compile and make available to a prospective adoptive parent:        (1)    all of the prospective adoptee’s medical and mental health records that the local department has; or        (2)    a comprehensive medical and mental health history of the prospective adoptee.    (b)    On request of an adoptive or prospective adoptive parent, a local department shall make reasonable efforts to compile a pertinent medical and mental health history of each of the prospective adoptee’s or adoptee’s parents or former parents, if available to the local department, and to make the history available to the adoptive or prospective adoptive parent.    (c)    (1)    If, after adoption, a local department receives medical or mental health information about the adoptee or adoptee’s former parent, the local department shall make reasonable efforts to make the information available to the adoptive parent.        (2)    If, after adoption, the adoptive parent requests additional information, the local department shall make reasonable efforts to notify the former parent, at the former parent’s last known address available to the local department, of the request and the reason for the request.    (d)    A medical or mental health history compiled under this section may not contain identifying information about a parent or former parent.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-357 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part V - Access to Records|Section 5-357 - Court and Department 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 local department shall provide information, other than identifying information, in its adoption record on the adoptee.            (ii)    If a local department denies a request under this paragraph, then on petition of an adoptee or adoptive or former parent and without a showing of need, a juvenile court shall order access for the petitioner to inspect, in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, the local department’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 juvenile court shall order access for the petitioner to inspect, in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, the juvenile court’s record on the adoptee.    (b)    A juvenile court may not order opened for inspection under this section any part of a record that contains identifying information.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-358 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part V - Access to Records|Section 5-358 - Urgently Needed Medical Information

    (a)    If, after a hearing on a petition of an adoptee or former parent, a juvenile court is satisfied that the adoptee or blood relative of the adoptee or former parent urgently needs medical information not in local department and juvenile court records, the juvenile 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)    may only 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 juvenile court a confidential written report on the intermediary’s efforts to contact an adoptee or former parent.    (d)    When a juvenile court receives a report from an intermediary, the juvenile court may disclose to the adoptee or former parent, without revealing identifying information about an adoptee or former parent:        (1)    whether the intermediary advised an adoptee or former parent about the need for medical information; and        (2)    medical information that the adoptee or a former parent provided.    (e)    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a juvenile 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. §  5-360 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part V - Access to Records|Section 5-360 - 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. §  5-362 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3 - Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department|Part VI - Prohibited Acts|Section 5-362 - 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 parent, as defined in § 3-823(i)(1) of the Courts Article; 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 a customary and reasonable charge or fee for hospital, legal, or medical services; 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. §  5-3A-01 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-01 - Definitions

    (a)    In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.    (b)    “Child” means an individual who is the subject of a guardianship or adoption petition under this subtitle.    (c)    “Guardianship” means an award, under this subtitle, of any power of a guardian.    (d)    “Identifying information” means information that reveals the identity or location of an individual.    (e)    (1)    “Parent” means an individual who, at the time a petition for guardianship or adoption is filed under this subtitle or at any time before a court terminates the individual’s parental rights:            (i)    meets a criterion in § 5-3A-06(a) of this subtitle; or            (ii)    is the mother.        (2)    “Parent” does not include an individual whom a court has adjudicated not to be a father or mother.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-02 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-02 - Scope of Subtitle

    (a)    This subtitle applies only to:        (1)    guardianship by a child placement agency of a child other than a child in need of assistance; and        (2)    adoption of the child.    (b)    Except as expressly provided in this subtitle, this subtitle does not apply to any case pending on or before December 31, 2005.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-03 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-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 parental rights;        (5)    protect prospective adoptive parents by providing them information about prospective adoptees and their backgrounds; and        (6)    protect adoptive parents from a future disturbance of their relationship with adoptees by former parents.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-04 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-04 - Relationship With Title 5, Subtitle 5

    This subtitle is related to and should be read in relation to Subtitle 5 of this title.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-05 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-05 - 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. §  5-3A-06 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-06 - 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 guardianship or adoption under this subtitle, a court shall hold a hearing on the issue of paternity.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-07 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-07 - 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 under this subtitle, 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 an adoption proceeding under this subtitle, a court shall appoint an attorney to represent a prospective adoptee who:            (i)    is at least 10 years old; and            (ii)    1.    is a minor; or                2.    has a disability that makes the prospective adoptee incapable of effectively participating in the proceeding.        (2)    To determine whether a disability makes a child incapable of effectively participating in a case, a court, on its own motion or on motion of a party, may order examination of the child.    (c)    An attorney or firm:        (1)    may represent more than one party in a case under this subtitle only if the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct allow; and        (2)    may not represent a prospective adoptive parent and parent in the same case.    (d)    Counsel appointed under this section may be compensated for reasonable fees, as approved by the court.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-08 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-08 - Agreement for Postadoption Contact

    (a)    (1)    A prospective adoptive parent and parent of a prospective adoptee under this subtitle 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 or 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 all 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 or guardianship.    (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. §  5-3A-09 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-09 - Costs

    A court may assign among the parties to a case under this subtitle, as the court considers appropriate, counsel fees and the cost of testing under § 5-3A-06 of this subtitle.
MD. Family Law Code Ann. §  5-3A-10 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part I - General Provisions|Section 5-3A-10 - 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. §  5-3A-13 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Family Law|Title 5 - Children|Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption|Part II - Guardianship Proceeding|Section 5-3A-13 - Petition

    (a)    Only a child placement agency may petition for guardianship under this subtitle.    (b)    A court may grant guardianship under this subtitle only for a minor.    (c)    A petitioner shall attach to a petition:        (1)    all written consents for the guardianship that the petitioner has; and        (2)    if applicable:            (i)    proof of guardianship or relinquishment of parental rights granted by an administrative, executive, or judicial body of a state or other jurisdiction; and            (ii)    certification that the guardianship or relinquishment was granted in compliance with the jurisdiction’s laws.