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

Derrick Byrd (left) and Joseph Roundtree load food into a car during a giveaway at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Stonecrest. Gospel music played while volunteers sang, smiled and greeted each vehicle. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal

Volunteers provide food amid uncertainty over SNAP benefits

Advocates for the hungry across metro Atlanta told similar stories this week as the Trump administration prepared to freeze SNAP benefits amid a federal government shutdown.

OPINION

The most hated people in the latest AJC poll? Congress.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution latest polls show there’s one thing Georgians largely agree on, the very bad job they think Congress is doing.

Georgia Republicans in Congress weigh in on the shutdown’s effects

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been outspoken during the shutdown and willing to disagree with Republican leaders.

The Latest

Derrick Byrd (left) and Joseph Roundtree load food into a car during a giveaway at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Stonecrest. Gospel music played while volunteers sang, smiled and greeted each vehicle. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal

Volunteers provide food amid uncertainty over SNAP benefits

Georgia Republicans in Congress weigh in on the shutdown’s effects

OPINION

The most hated people in the latest AJC poll? Congress.

Featured

(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC | Source: Getty, Unsplash)

Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC

MARTA and Beltline rail two big transportation items on mayor’s agenda

While reaffirming his commitment to building light rail along the Beltline, Mayor Dickens says the first segment should go where transportation needs are greatest: SW Atlanta.

Georgia women face geographic gaps in prenatal care

Fewer than half of Georgia's counties have a full-time OB-GYN, according to data analyzed by the AJC, and many women lack the time and money to make regular prenatal visits.

Ex-Stonecrest mayor accused of lying about prison time to run for City Council

Jason Lary, who spent more than two years in prison after he admitted pocketing COVID relief money, allegedly claimed he was not a convicted felon in pre-election paperwork.