Rep. Baker's Adoption Modernization Headed to Governor

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Rachel B. Baker (D-Cincinnati) Wednesday spoke in strong support of her bipartisan House Bill (HB) 5 which saw its concurrence vote pass unanimously on the House Floor that day.

“House Bill 5 is a critical step forward for Ohio’s children who are the future of our state. Currently, there are more than 3,000 children in Ohio waiting to be adopted. By clarifying and streamlining the adoption process and eliminating barriers to adoption, we are helping children find safe, permanent, and loving homes, ultimately improving the health and well-being of Ohio’s children,” said Rep. Baker.

HB 5 will make various changes to Ohio’s Adoption Law, including:

• Requiring the court to apply the amount of time a child has lived in the home of a child’s relative, kinship caregiver, legal custodian, or guardian who is adopting the child prior to the date that person filed the adoption period toward the six-month waiting period required before an adoption is final;
• Adding adoptions by certain individuals (e.g., by a child’s adult sibling or grandparent) as being exempt from some aspects of the adoption procedure;
• Increasing to $6,000, from $3,000, the maximum amount that an adoption petitioner may disburse to the birth mother for living expenses incurred during pregnancy;
• Allowing for a foreign decree of adoption to be accepted and considered final in Ohio if certain conditions are met, rather than requiring the adoptive parent to petition the court for finalization of the adoption;
• Permitting adult adoption of a person with a developmental disability (rather than solely an intellectual disability as in current law); and
• Permitting a court to reconsider and vacate the adoption decree of a child if there is clear and convincing evidence the child was a victim of trafficking in persons.

HB 5 will now head to Governor DeWine’s office for signing.