PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
Amend the bill in section 1 by striking out all of the blocked paragraph (page 1, lines 23 to 25 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
 
‘An affidavit of personal knowledge may be accepted as evidence for a delayed registration of birth only in circumstances when insufficient supporting documents are available and only on approval of the state registrar.
 
The department shall adopt rules that specify the documents that may be accepted as evidence to support the delayed registration of birth. The rules must allow for the use of an affidavit of personal knowledge only when insufficient supporting documents are available and with approval of the state registrar. If the department determines that court determination of paternity can be used to establish parentage prior to the filing of the delayed birth certificate, then the department may include in its rule the use of court determination of paternity. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, adds to the bill by allowing for the use of an affidavit of personal knowledge to establish delayed registration of birth only when there are insufficient supporting documents and with the approval of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. The Department of Health and Human Services is directed to adopt rules under the bill; the amendment provides that the department's rules may allow for the use of court determination of paternity if it can be used to establish parentage prior to the filing of the delayed birth certificate and must allow for the use of an affidavit of personal knowledge only when insufficient reporting documents are available and with approval of the state registrar.