43-1408.01. Notarized acknowledgment of paternity; execution by alleged father; form; filing with Department of Health and Human Services; payment.

(1) During the period immediately before or after the in-hospital birth of a child whose mother was not married at the time of either conception or birth of the child or at any time between conception and birth of the child, the person in charge of such hospital or his or her designated representative shall provide to the child's mother and alleged father, if the alleged father is readily identifiable and available, the documents and written instructions for such mother and father to complete a notarized acknowledgment of paternity. Such acknowledgment, if signed by both parties and notarized, shall be filed with the Department of Health and Human Services at the same time at which the certificate of live birth is filed.

Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require the person in charge of such hospital or his or her designee to seek out or otherwise locate an alleged father who is not readily identifiable or available.

(2) The acknowledgment shall be executed on a form prepared by the department. Such form shall be in essentially the same form provided by the department and used for obtaining signatures required by section 71-640.02. The acknowledgment shall include, but not be limited to, (a) a statement by the mother consenting to the acknowledgment of paternity and a statement that the alleged father is the biological father of the child, (b) a statement by the alleged father that he is the biological father of the child, (c) written information regarding parental rights and responsibilities, and (d) the social security numbers of the parents.

(3) The form provided for in subsection (2) of this section shall also contain instructions for completion and filing with the department if it is not completed and filed with a birth certificate as provided in subsection (1) of this section.

(4) The department shall accept completed acknowledgment forms and make available to county attorneys or authorized attorneys a record of acknowledgments it has received, as provided in subsection (1) of section 71-612. The department may prepare photographic, electronic, or other reproductions of acknowledgments. Such reproductions, when certified and approved by the department, shall be accepted as the original records, and the documents from which permanent reproductions have been made may be disposed of as provided by rules and regulations of the department.

(5) The department may by regulation establish a nominal payment and procedure for payment by the department for each acknowledgment filed with the department. The amount of such payments and the entities receiving such payments shall be within the limits allowed by Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act, as amended.

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