Bill
HB 5268
HB 5268 allows Connecticut's health department to share parentage acknowledgment data with child welfare officials, enabling faster case processing and parent location in custod...
HB 5268 permits Connecticut's Department of Public Health to share acknowledgment of parentage information with the Department of Children and Families. Currently, this information appears to be restricted or not routinely shared between agencies. The bill removes this barrier to allow data transfer between the two departments, likely to facilitate child welfare investigations, custody determinations, or benefits administration.
This bill addresses a potential information gap in child welfare administration. When paternity is acknowledged, that information becomes relevant to cases involving child support, custody, guardianship, and child protection matters. Allowing DPH to share this data with DCF could expedite case processing, reduce duplicative investigations, and improve the department's ability to locate parents in welfare or abuse/neglect cases. The bill has progressed through committee review and received a joint favorable recommendation.
Privacy concerns: Advocates may argue that sharing parentage acknowledgments creates additional privacy risks or that individuals who acknowledge parentage may not expect that information used in child welfare investigations.
Scope clarity: The bill's language on what constitutes "information relating to acknowledgment" could be ambiguous—does it include medical history, contact information, or only the fact of acknowledgment itself?
Due process: Questions may arise about whether individuals have notice or opportunity to object before their parentage information is shared with a child welfare agency.
Data security: Concerns about how DCF will handle sensitive health department records and whether adequate safeguards exist.
Statutory authority: Potential constitutional or statutory constraints on information sharing between state agencies that warrant legislative clarification.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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