Senate Bill 163 Update – New and Updated Forms
Senate Bill 163, which passed during the 2025 Legislative Session goes into effect on January 1, 2027. The bill changes how parentage of a child is established in Oregon in a number of ways.
The Center for Health Statistics (CHS) is updating and creating new Administrative Rules, policies, procedures, and forms that will implement these changes.
Here is an overview of new and updated forms that will be available for 2027:
New form: Parent Birth Worksheet for Gestational Surrogates and Intended Parents
 This new worksheet is filled out at the birth facility and will take the place of the standard Parent Birth Worksheet for those parents that have a gestational surrogacy agreement. It will allow the intended parents to be added as parents to the birth report in OVERS at the time it is created.
This worksheet will look very similar to the standard Parent Birth Worksheet so please make sure you are only using the “Gestational surrogates and intended parents” version for those parents who have a gestational surrogacy agreement.
Updated form: Parent Birth Worksheet
The standard Parent Birth Worksheet is being updated for 2027. A new section will be added for parents who are not married at the time of the child’s birth who wish to affirm their intent to marry or enter into an Oregon Registered Domestic Partnership at a later date.
This agreement will allow the second parent to be added as the child’s parent to the birth report in OVERS at the time it is created.
New form: Denial of Parentage (DOP)
 This new, notarized form will be available when a presumed parent* does not wish to be named as a parent on the child’s birth record, a different person does wish to be added as the second parent, and all parties are in agreement. The presumed parent must submit a Denial of Parentage form and the second parent to be added and the parent who gave birth must submit a matching Acknowledgment of Parentage (AOP).
This allows the presumed parent to be removed and the new second parent to be added to the record without having to get a court judgment, once all matching forms are received and reviewed by CHS. Hospitals may provide the DOP to the parents, but it is the parents’ responsibility to get the form notarized and send it to CHS.
*Presumed parents include:
- A person who is married to the parent who gave birth to the child at the time of the child’s birth without a judgment of separation;
- A person who was married to the parent who gave birth and the child was born within 300 days after the marriage was terminated by death, annulment or dissolution or after entry of judgment of separation; and
- A person who was not married to the parent who gave birth at the time of the birth, but they stated their intent to be married and the person previously agreed to be named on the child’s record of live birth. ORS 109.067
A parent is not presumed if a child was conceived by assisted reproduction under a gestational surrogacy agreement. ORS 432.005
Updated form: Rescission of Acknowledgment or Denial of Parentage (ROP)
 While this is not a new form, it has been completely revised. Before 2027, it was a way for parents who signed an AOP but changed their minds within 60 days to rescind or “take back” the Acknowledgment of Parentage. The new version will still work for AOPs, and it will also work to rescind Denial of Parentage forms.
Updated forms: Witnessed Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage and Notarized Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage (AOP)
The Witnessed Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage form for birth facilities and the Notarized Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage are also being updated for 2027. They will include a place for presumed parents to mark their intention to file a Denial of Parentage form with CHS. This will let CHS know to expect the DOP so we can match it with the AOP.
We will continue to publish updates on our work implementing SB 163 in the months leading up to 2027. Training will be offered later this year that will go into detail about the new and updated forms as well as OVERS changes.
Remember: most forms and information relating to parentage can be found on our Birth Information Specialist web page in the section dedicated to this subject, called “Parentage Resources.” Many of the new and updated forms will be available here when they are ready. Some of the forms will also be mailed to facilities in December.
For questions about Senate Bill 163, please contact Partner Services.
Paternity Establishment Percentage (PEP) Reminder
Several programs that benefit children and their parents receive federal funding based on whether Oregon meets the 90 percent goal for paternity* establishment set by the government. We continue to need your help to make sure we meet this goal by the end of this fiscal year, which is September 30.
*The state of Oregon has adopted the gender-neutral term of “parentage” but the federal government still uses “paternity.”
To reach this important target, facility Acknowledgments of Parentage (AOP) must be above 80 percent for births to unmarried mothers.
Birth Information Specialists and Midwives are crucial in ensuring that the state of Oregon fulfills the paternity establishment percentage as the facility forms provide the majority of the counted records.
Responsibilities of Birth Information Specialists and Midwives in a Facility:
- Provide the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage (45-31) (AOP) facility form to parents as soon as you can.
- Ensure the Statement of Rights, Responsibilities, Alternatives, and Consequences have been read to parents before completing the AOP form.
- Make sure parents have checked the form for accuracy and completeness before submitting it to the state, especially if you notice errors or missed fields.
- Make sure parents have signed and dated the form within five days of the child being born.
- Check that the form is witnessed and dated by hospital staff for each parent’s signature.
- Be sure the dates the parents signed the form match the witness dates.
- Mail the forms to us right away and do not hold in batches. Mail delivery delays to our office and the time required to process these forms daily are factors in meeting these percentage goals.
- If the parents cannot sign the facility AOP form at the hospital, then provide the notary required Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage Affidavit (form 45-21) or direct the parents to the Vital Records parentage webpage to download the form.
- There is no fee required to process this form if it is postmarked within 14 days of birth. However, if the form is postmarked after that date, parents will be required to pay a $35 amendment fee.
- To make it easier for parents to submit the notary required form to CHS, our office can supply you with prepaid business return envelopes for families to mail in the Acknowledgment of Parentage Affidavit (45-21) form. These envelopes are the same ones that facilities use to return the facility form to CHS. The envelopes and the 45-21 or 45-31 forms can be ordered using the Request for Vital Records Forms and Tags.
Checking that the parents have reviewed the AOP form for accuracy and completeness and sending in forms promptly ensures that paternity establishment is a smooth process for facilities and parents.
For questions about the form, contact the CHS Amendments Unit.
If you would like training on AOP’s, have questions about criteria, or tips on how to increase the number of paternities at your facility, contact Partner Services.
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