GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 640

Short Title:  Adoption Expenses.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Privette; and Bowman.
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Referred to:  Judiciary III.
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April 10, 1991

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PERMIT ADOPTIVE PARENTS TO PAY MEDICAL EXPENSES OF THE CHILD'S BIOLOGICAL MOTHER.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 48-37 reads as rewritten:
"§ 48-37. Compensation for placing or arranging placement of child for adoption prohibited.
No person, agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization, except a licensed child-placing agency as defined by G.S. 48-2(4), or a county department of social services, shall offer or give, charge or accept any fee, compensation, consideration or thing of value for receiving or placing, arranging the placement of, or assisting in placing or arranging the placement of, any child for adoption. Provided, that the adoptive parents may pay the reasonable and actual medical expenses incurred by the biological mother incident to the birth of the child. The act of preparing and filing the adoption proceeding before the court shall not be construed as receiving or placing, arranging the placement of, or assisting in placing or arranging the placement of, any child for adoption. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction or plea of guilty shall be fined or imprisoned or both at the discretion of the court. Any person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a second or subsequent violation of this section shall be guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned for not more than three years or fined not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or both at the discretion of the court."
Sec. 2. This act is effective upon ratification.