1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; adding a provision to the
1.3 	fathers' adoption registry; amending Minnesota
1.4 	Statutes 2004, section 259.52, subdivision 8.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 259.52,
1.7 	subdivision 8, is amended to read:
1.8 		Subd. 8.Failure to register.  Except for a putative
1.9 	father who is entitled to notice and consent under sections
1.10 	259.24 and 259.49, subdivision 1, paragraph (a) or (b), clauses
1.11 	(1) to (7), a putative father who fails to timely register with
1.12 	the fathers' adoption registry under subdivision 7:
1.13 	(1) is barred thereafter from bringing or maintaining an
1.14 	action to assert any interest in the child during the pending
1.15 	adoption proceeding concerning the child;
1.16 	(2) is considered to have waived and surrendered any right
1.17 	to notice of any hearing in any judicial proceeding for adoption
1.18 	of the child, and consent of that person to the adoption of the
1.19 	child is not required; and
1.20 	(3) is considered to have abandoned the child.
1.21 	Failure to register under subdivision 7 is prima facie
1.22 	evidence of sufficient grounds to support termination of the
1.23 	putative father's parental rights under section 260C.301,
1.24 	subdivision 1.
1.25 	A putative father who has not timely registered under
2.1 	subdivision 7 is considered to have timely registered if he
2.2 	proves by clear and convincing evidence that:
2.3 	(i) it was not possible for him to register within the
2.4 	period of time specified in subdivision 7;
2.5 	(ii) his failure to register was through no fault of his
2.6 	own; and
2.7 	(iii) he registered within ten days after it became
2.8 	possible for him to file; or 
2.9 	(iv) he was purposefully mislead about the status of the
2.10 	pregnancy and birth of the child.
2.11 	A lack of knowledge of the pregnancy or birth is not an
2.12 	acceptable reason for failure to register.