Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 39D of chapter 119 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1996 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "child", in line 11, the following words:- ; provided, however, that such adjudication of paternity or acknowledgment of paternity shall not be required in order to proceed under this section where maternal grandparents are seeking such visitation rights.