| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §8206 is enacted to read: |
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| | | §8206.__Preadoptive homes as foster homes |
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| | | 1.__Definitions.__As used in this section, unless the context | | otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following | | meanings. |
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| | | A.__"Foster home" means a child's home that is a private | | dwelling where substitute parental care is provided within a | | family on a regular, 24-hour-a-day, residential basis. |
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| | | B.__"Preadoptive parent" means a person who has entered into | | an agreement with a licensed private child-placing agency | | that has certified the person as a potential adoptive parent | | who will accept a child into care with the intent to adopt | | that child. |
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| | | 2.__Home certification.__Pursuant to rules adopted by the | | department, a licensed private child-placing agency may certify a | | preadoptive parent's home as a foster home for a child placed in | | that home awaiting adoption by the preadoptive parent.__Rules | | adopted pursuant to this subsection are major substantive rules | | as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A. |
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| | | This bill permits a licensed child-placing agency to designate | | a preadoptive parent's home as a foster home for the purpose of | | placing the child to be adopted in that home prior to | | finalization of the adoption. The Department of Human Services | | shall adopt rules to carry out this provision. |
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