The Assembly Judiciary Committee heard SB 381 on June 30, a proposal that would let adult adoptees obtain their original birth certificates while keeping a contact-preference form available for birth parents, according to a committee summary of the hearing.
Supporters, including adult adoptees and adoption advocates, argued the bill would correct what they described as a long-running secrecy regime and bring California in line with other states that have already opened records. The hearing summary also noted that supporters pointed to states including New York and others that have passed similar laws.
The committee materials say SB 381 would preserve a mechanism for birth parents to state whether they want contact, while changing the state’s rules for access to sealed adoption records. The hearing summary does not show whether the committee voted on the bill or whether any amendments were adopted.
The proposal is part of a broader policy debate over adoptee access, privacy and family-history records. If advanced, SB 381 would change long-standing access rules for California adoption records and affect adult adoptees seeking identity information.
