(a) The State Department of Human Resources shall charge and collect a fee in the amount of $300.00 for investigation services they perform in cases involving adoption, provided, however, that in those adoption proceedings in which an investigation is specifically not required by statute because the petitioner is a stepfather, stepmother, or closely related relative, no fee shall be charged for investigation services. This fee shall not apply to investigation services for cases in which a child was placed for adoption by the State Department of Human Resources, in cases in which a child was placed for adoption as a result of or pursuant to a court order in which parental rights in the child were terminated or in cases in which the investigative services were performed by a licensed child-placing agency.
The Department of Human Resources may waive this fee in the case of an indigent and for other good cause shown.
(b) All investigation services fees received pursuant to this section shall be received by the State Department of Human Resources and shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the State General Fund.
Last modified: May 3, 2021