§ 5-4B-04. Duties of Director

   (a) List to be provided to applicant. -- Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the Director shall provide the list of confidential intermediaries to an individual who applies for search, contact, and reunion services.

(b) Applicant to be referred to child placement agency. -- The Director shall refer an individual who applies for search, contact, and reunion services to the child placement agency that placed the child for adoption if:

   (1) the identity of the child placement agency that placed the child for adoption is known; and

   (2) the child placement agency is a confidential intermediary, as defined in § 5-4B-01 of this subtitle.

(c) Where identity of child placement agency is unknown; fees; forwarding of information. --

   (1) If the identity of the child placement agency that placed the child for adoption is unknown, the Director shall make reasonable efforts to determine the identity of the child placement agency that placed the child for adoption.

   (2) For purposes of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Director shall have access to any information that is contained in a birth record or public record described in § 5-4B-06(b)(1) or (c)(1) of this subtitle.

   (3) (i) The Director may charge an individual who applies for search, contact, and reunion services a reasonable fee for a search conducted in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection.

      (ii) The overall amount of fees collected may not exceed the costs of providing the search.

   (4) The Director shall forward any information obtained from a search conducted in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection to the confidential intermediary for purposes of providing search, contact, and reunion services.

HISTORY: 1998, ch. 679.