Progress For Adoption In Georgia

There is a wonderful couple in our church beginning the adoption process. After years of struggling with infertility, they are following God’s call on their lives to pursue adoption. Adoption is expensive, time consuming, and riddled with red tape. Chris and Lindsay are up for the challenge, but adoption does not need to be needlessly burdensome.

There is an appropriate level of scrutiny and vetting needed for prospective adoptive families. However, there are many willing families who would make great parents but are not able to jump through the countless bureaucratic hoops and are not able to meet the financial demands.

The Georgia General Assembly has made significant progress in recent years removing road blocks during the adoption process which has made adoption much more accessible. Both Gov. Kemp and Gov. Deal signed legislation focused on increasing access to adoptions. HB 159 (2018) removed the 6 month Georgia residency requirement and HB 154 (2021) lowered the age in which someone could adopt from 25 to 21.

In addition to addressing access, Georgia has also gone above and beyond in making adoption more affordable over the last decade. HB 114 (2021) tripled the adoption tax credit in Georgia. Parents who adopt through foster care now are eligible for a $6,000 tax credit (increased from $2,000) for the first 5 years of that child’s inclusion in the family, or until the child turns 18.

HB 159 (2018) also addressed affordability by providing some reimbursement of expenses for birth mothers who place their child up for adoption. It often gets lost in the process that the children who are placed for adoption have major expenses related to their birth, and giving mothers an easier path to choose life is imperative.

Thanks to our conservative leadership, Georgia is becoming the best place for adoption. From foster care to adoption, we still have room for improvement, but I am proud of the progress we are making as a state. We are working for the day when Georgia is both the number one state in which to do business and continues to improve quality of life for all families.

If you would like to support Chris and Lindsay in their adoption journey, you can make a donation HERE.

If you are interested in learning more about foster care or adoption, you can get more information at: Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, Families 4 Families (foster care), or Covenant Care Adoptions