New Adoption Bill Passes In The Georgia Senate

On Thursday, Feb 1, 2018, the Georgia State Senate ratified Bill HB-159, effectively overhauling adoption codes and practices in Georgia. The process of revising the adoption code here has been underway for some time, but was caught up in controversy. A previous bill failed to pass last year after the Senate inserted a clause that would have allowed adoption agencies to cite their religious beliefs and refuse to give children to LGBT couples. That bill was vetoed by the Governor.

Republican Rep. Bert Reeves of Marietta, sponsored the latest legislation, without the contentious clause, and was quoted in U.S.News, "In the nearly three decades that have passed since the last update of Georgia adoption law, Georgia has been left behind by most of the states in the nation. All types of adoptions ... have been slowed by our antiquated and outdated processes."

Major Changes

The bill makes a number of technical changes to the state's adoption code, including the following adjustments:

• Reducing the length of time a birth mother has to change her mind and take back custody of a baby from 10 days to four.
• Making it possible for adoptive parents to help a birth mother with certain living expenses in private adoptions. Expense payments for necessities such as rent, food and clothing are currently illegal for private or non-agency adoptions
• Simplifying the process for out of state parents to finalize Georgia adoptions
• Banning advertisements and payments to middlemen and unscrupulous facilitators that profit from arranging adoptions
• Adding provisions to include background checks and court registries keeping track of children when power of attorney or unusual circumstances (a parent called away by the military, for example) require a child to be transferred
• Reducing the age to participate in Georgia's reunion registry from 21 to 18

The Senate voted 53-2 to agree to the version of the bill that had previously passed the House on a unanimous vote. It is now awaiting Governor Nathan Deal's signature before becoming law.

To learn more about adoptions, contact our Adoptions From The Heart offices in:

Greensburg, PA (Pittsburgh)
1225 S. Main St #207
Greensburg, PA 15601
(724) 853-6533

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Wynnewood, PA 19096
(610) 642-7200

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Allentown, PA 18109
(610) 432-2384

Chesapeake, Virginia 
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Chesapeake, Virginia 23320
(757) 361-0008

Glastonbury, Connecticut 
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Glastonbury, CT 06033
(860) 657-2626

Harrisburg/Lancaster, PA
1525 Oregon Pike 
Lancaster, PA 17601
(717) 399-7766

Cherry Hill, New Jersey
451 Woodland Ave
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
(856) 665-5655

Wilmington, Delaware 
18A Trolley Square
Wilmington, DE 19806
(302) 658-8883