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SB 7018 — OGSR/Parental Consent Requirements Before Terminating a Pregnancy
by Health Policy Committee and Senator Harrell
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Health Policy Committee (HP)
The bill saves an existing public records exemption from repeal under the Open Government Sunset Review Act. The exemption protects certain information that could be used to identify a minor who is petitioning for a judicial waiver of parental consent under the Parental Notice of and Consent for Abortion Act. The exemption was created in 2020 and was scheduled for repeal on October 2, 2025.
The exemption protects from disclosure any identifying information held by a circuit or appellate court, the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, or the Justice Administrative Commission. These entities may possess the identifying information when the minor seeks a judicial waiver from a court, when the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel represents the minor in a court proceeding, or when the Justice Administrative Commission processes payments for a court-appointed private attorney who represents the minor.
The Open Government Sunset Review Act requires the Legislature to review each public record exemption five years after enactment. The bill removes the scheduled repeal date of the public records exemption so that the identifying information continues to be confidential and exempt from disclosure.
If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature, these provisions take effect October 1, 2025.
Vote: Senate 36-0; House 115-0