To amend sections 3705.01 and 3705.09 of the Revised Code to require an institution to offer genetic testing to confirm paternity when a child is born to unwed parents and to name this act the Right to Know Act.
Summary
HB435, titled the Right to Know Act, would amend Ohio’s vital records law to require an institution to offer free genetic testing to confirm paternity when a child is born to unmarried parents and the parents seek to sign an acknowledgment of paternity affidavit. The bill keeps the existing process for listing a father on a birth certificate when both parents sign an acknowledgment, but adds a new step in institutional births: before providing the affidavit, the institution must offer genetic testing of the child and alleged father at no charge and, if testing is declined, obtain a signed acknowledgment that the offer was made.
The bill also specifies that an institution may not withhold the acknowledgment of paternity affidavit based on the results of any genetic test, and it bars billing the mother or father for the testing. Health benefit plans may be billed instead, and any insurer reimbursement would be treated as payment in full. The measure further defines “genetic testing” by reference to existing paternity law and makes conforming changes to the birth registration statute, while leaving in place the current rules for married parents, out-of-institution births, and later issuance of amended birth records when paternity is legally established.
Impact
If enacted, HB435 would modify sections 3705.01 and 3705.09 of the Revised Code, changing the procedures hospitals and other institutions must follow when a child is born to unmarried parents. It would create a statutory duty to offer paternity-confirming genetic testing before an acknowledgment of paternity affidavit is provided, shift the cost away from the parents, and allow billing to health plans. The bill would affect hospitals, birthing institutions, parents of newborns, insurers, and the state vital statistics system by adding a new required step in the birth-registration process and by reinforcing how paternity is documented on birth records.
Sentiment
The bill appears to be framed as a pro-parental-rights and pro-certainty measure, as reflected in its title, the Right to Know Act, and its focus on confirming paternity before legal acknowledgment. Because the bill was only introduced and had no recorded votes or committee testimony in the provided materials, there is no formal legislative record of support or opposition in the context supplied. Based on the text alone, the measure is presented as a consumer-information and family-law clarification bill rather than a broad policy overhaul.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the mandatory offer of genetic testing in cases involving unmarried parents, especially whether that requirement is necessary, burdensome, or potentially intrusive in the birth-registration process. Another likely issue is the cost structure: the bill prohibits billing parents directly but allows insurers to be billed, which could raise concerns among health plans and providers about administrative burden and reimbursement. The bill also may draw debate over whether requiring testing before providing an acknowledgment form could affect timely establishment of paternity or create pressure on parents at the hospital.
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