Texas Family Code - Section 162.402. Definitions
Legal Research Home >
Texas Lawyer > Family Code > Texas Family Code - Section 162.402. Definitions
§ 162.402. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Administrator" means the administrator of a
mutual consent voluntary adoption registry established under this
subchapter.
(2) "Adoptee" means a person 18 years of age or older
who has been legally adopted in this state or another state or
country.
(3) "Adoption" means the act of creating the legal
relationship of parent and child between a person and a child who is
not the biological child of that person. The term does not include
the act of establishing the legal relationship of parent and child
between a man and a child through proof of paternity or voluntary
legitimation proceedings.
(4) "Adoption agency" means a person, other than a
natural parent or guardian of a child, who plans for the placement
of or places a child in the home of a prospective adoptive parent.
(5) "Adoptive parent" means an adult who is a parent of
an adoptee through a legal process of adoption.
(6) "Alleged father" means a man who is not deemed by
law to be or who has not been adjudicated to be the biological
father of an adoptee and who claims or is alleged to be the
adoptee's biological father.
(7) "Authorized agency" means a public agency
authorized to care for or to place children for adoption or a
private entity approved for that purpose by the department through
a license, certification, or other means. The term includes a
licensed child-placing agency or a previously licensed
child-placing agency that has ceased operations and has transferred
its adoption records to the bureau or an agency authorized by the
department to place children for adoption and a licensed
child-placing agency that has been acquired by, merged with, or
otherwise succeeded by an agency authorized by the department to
place children for adoption.
(8) "Biological parent" means a man or woman who is the
father or mother of genetic origin of a child.
(9) "Biological siblings" means persons who share a
common birth parent.
(10) "Birth parent" means:
(A) the biological mother of an adoptee;
(B) the man adjudicated or presumed under Chapter
151 to be the biological father of an adoptee; and
(C) a man who has signed a consent to adoption,
affidavit of relinquishment, affidavit of waiver of interest in
child, or other written instrument releasing the adoptee for
adoption, unless the consent, affidavit, or other instrument
includes a sworn refusal to admit or a denial of paternity. The
term includes a birth mother and birth father but does not include a
person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as not
being the biological parent of an adoptee.
(11) "Central registry" means the mutual consent
voluntary adoption registry established and maintained by the
bureau under this subchapter.
(12) "Department" means the Department of Protective
and Regulatory Services.
(13) "Registry" means a mutual consent voluntary
adoption registry established under this subchapter.
(14) "Bureau" means the bureau of vital statistics.
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 20, § 1, eff. April 20, 1995.
Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 968, § 1, 11, eff. Sept. 1,
1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 561, § 19, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Section: 162.304 162.3041 162.305 162.306 162.308 162.309 162.401 162.402 162.403 162.404 162.405 162.406 162.407 162.408 162.409
Last modified: August 11, 2007
|
