The Senate Judiciary Committee heard HB 1560 on adoptions authored and presented by Rep. Rowray. The bill requires a court to expedite certain adoption proceedings. The bill also permits a consent to adoption to be executed or acknowledged in court, in person or by video conferencing. The legislation provides a consent to adoption may be withdrawn not later than 15 days after the consent to adoption is signed. There was considerable discussion among committee members about reducing the time to contest the adoption or withdraw consent to an adoption from 30 to 15 days.
An amendment was adopted by consent to permit a man to consent to the adoption who is not the biological father of the child, if the man proves it is in the best interest of the child to be adopted to require his consent, and the paternity of the child was established by a court proceeding other than the adoption or a paternity affidavit was executed. The committee discussed the amendment in an attempt to understand it. It was explained the amendment was to fix an issue raised in B.A. v. D.D., 189 N.E.3d 611 (Ind. Ct. App. 2022).
The bill amended bill passed as amended, 6-4
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/house/1560