Politics
Politics

Georgia Legislature finally passes bill making it easier to adopt children

2/5/18 - Atlanta - Senator Jesse Stone, R-Waynesboro, reacts after the bill passed on a 53-2 vote. Gov. Nathan Deal and legislative leaders say adoption is a priority for this session. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

2/5/18 - Atlanta - Senator Jesse Stone, R-Waynesboro, reacts after the bill passed on a 53-2 vote. Gov. Nathan Deal and legislative leaders say adoption is a priority for this session. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM
By Mark Niesse
Feb 5, 2018

A major effort to make it easier to adopt children in Georgia passed the state Senate on Monday, giving the bill final legislative approval as it heads to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature.

The adoption measure, House Bill 159, is the most significant legislation to pass the Georgia General Assembly so far this year.

The legislation shortens the time allowed for a birth mother to change her mind after giving up her child, allows adoptive parents to reimburse birth mothers’ living expenses, simplifies out-of-state adoptions and more.

The Senate voted 53-2 to agree to the version of the bill that passed the House on a 162-0 vote last week. Deal is expected to sign the bill.

Please read the full story and in-depth coverage of the Georgia General Assembly’s 2018 legislative session on PoliticallyGeorgia.com.

The February 2nd, 2018 edition of Georgia Legislative Week in Review with Mark Neisse, Maya T. Prabhu and the Phrase of the Week by James Salzer. Video by Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.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.

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