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Terms Used In Maryland Code, FAMILY LAW 5-3B-32

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • including: means includes or including by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. See
  • Person: includes an individual, receiver, trustee, guardian, personal representative, fiduciary, representative of any kind, corporation, partnership, business trust, statutory trust, limited liability company, firm, association, or other nongovernmental entity. See
  • state: means :

    (1) a state, possession, territory, or commonwealth of the United States; or

    (2) the District of Columbia. See
(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, a person may not charge or receive, from or for a parent or prospective adoptive parent, any compensation for a service in connection with:

(1) placement of an individual to live with a preadoptive family; or

(2) an agreement for custody in contemplation of adoption.

(b) This section does not prohibit payment, by an interested person, of:

(1) a reasonable and customary charge or fee for adoption counseling, hospital, legal, or medical services;

(2) reasonable expenses for transportation for medical care associated with the pregnancy or birth of the child;

(3) reasonable expenses for food, clothing, and shelter for a birth mother if, on written advice of a physician, the birth mother is unable to work or otherwise support herself because of medical reasons associated with the pregnancy or birth of the child; or

(4) reasonable expenses associated with any required court appearance relating to the adoption, including transportation, food, and lodging expenses.

(c) Each State‘s Attorney shall enforce this section.

(d) A person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $100 or imprisonment not exceeding 3 months or both, for each offense.