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

Keep Reading

State Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, is running for Georgia governor. Esteves is among several prominent Democrats seeking to flip the Governor’s Mansion for the first time in more than two decades. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Featured

People carrying a giant pride flag participate in the annual Pride Parade in Atlanta on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez