Politics
Politics

Georgia lawmakers head to showdown over adoption

2/1/18 - Atlanta - Rep. Bert Reeves, R - Marietta, is congratulated after the passage of HB159, concerning adoption, in the House. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

2/1/18 - Atlanta - Rep. Bert Reeves, R - Marietta, is congratulated after the passage of HB159, concerning adoption, in the House. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM
By Mark Niesse
Feb 2, 2018

A proposal to make adoptions easier and faster in Georgia hangs in the balance at the state Legislature.

The state House of Representatives voted 168-0 on Thursday to pass a compromise to House Bill 159, sending the legislation back to the state Senate.

It's unclear whether senators will accept the latest changes. Some senators object to a part of the bill that would make it legal for adoptive parents to reimburse birth mothers' basic living expenses for rent, food and maternity clothes, saying it could increase adoption costs and result in buying and selling of babies.

But House representatives say paying birth mothers for their expenses is safe, and the adoption measure would help create new families in Georgia. The Senate adjourned Thursday without taking a vote on the legislation.

Exclusive to subscribers: Read the full story on PoliticallyGeorgia.com.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

(Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Ex-lawmaker, former Cobb school board member head to Georgia Senate runoff

Two Democrats are top voter getters, headed to runoff in Georgia Senate special election for metro Atlanta seat.

Georgia lawmakers vote to release Epstein files

The tally marked a dramatic reversal for GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill and a stinging rebuke for Trump, who had furiously tried to block the move.

Feud between Raffensperger and the State Election Board heats up

Relations between the State Election Board and the secretary of state's office have frayed after law changes and infighting on the board.

The Latest

(Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Ex-lawmaker, former Cobb school board member head to Georgia Senate runoff

Georgia lawmakers vote to release Epstein files

LISTEN

The federal government shutdown ends, but new rifts start in Georgia

Featured

Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray

Donor leaves WABE $3 million, largest individual gift in station’s history

An Atlanta resident has bequeathed WABE a $3 million donation, the largest one-time individual donation in the nonprofit media operation’s 76-year history.

Usher sues business partners over failed Buckhead restaurant plan

Atlanta singer Usher wants his money back after loaning $1.7 million to music producer Bryan-Michael Cox and others to buy a Buckhead restaurant property for $6.3 million.

Braves’ original ‘Freeze’ is retired. But you probably still can’t catch him.

As the Atlanta Braves prepare to find their next sprinting mascot, Nigel Talton is enjoying his new career coaching high school athletes at McEachern High.