Georgia – Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights

The Work Continues

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights on March 30, 2023

Friends of GAAR,

SB64 gained great exposure and momentum in Georgia’s 2023 legislative session. We got through the Senate Children & Families committee, the full Senate, and House Judicial committee unanimously and everyone’s effort brought us the farthest it’s ever gone in Georgia!

We appreciate the support from every Georgia General Assembly member who voted for the bill! We appreciate Senator Randy (and Theresa) Robertson and Representative Beth Camp advocating and championing SB64. We appreciate each one of you for calling, emailing, and speaking with your Senators and Representatives. We appreciate all of the organizations who stood behind us and supported the bill this session. And we appreciate the GAAR board members who have worked tirelessly preparing for this effort.

One very important point to understand is that SB 64 is not dead. It is still alive and will start back in the House rules committee to be scheduled for the House floor next January. Although we wanted SB 64 so incredibly badly to have passed the House and gone onto Governor Kemp’s desk for signature this year, we have another chance to pass a clean adoption reform bill in Georgia!

In 2024, we will be even stronger and will have more time to educate and rally all of the legislators. We ask that all of you please join us to continue to fight for adoptee rights and help get us to the finish line. We can’t do it without you!

If you would like to serve in a greater capacity in 2024 for GAAR, please email us at info@gaallianceforadopteerights.org

Our work is not finished until all adult adoptees in Georgia can obtain their original birth certificate upon request. Period.

THANK YOU!!

About Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights

The Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights is a coalition of state and national organizations with a singular focus: restoring the unrestricted right of all Georgia adult adoptees to obtain their own original birth certificates (OBC) upon request.

SB 64 Unanimously Passes House Judicial Committee

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights on March 16, 2023

In a unanimous vote on March 14th, the House Judicial Committee, gave a “do-pass” to SB64. It now will move on to the House floor.

Senator Randy Robertson presented the bill to the committee. He was joined by Jamie Weiss, co-chair of Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights, who provided testimony and responded to questions from Representative Kelley and Representative Crawford relating to the bill.

Jamie Weiss testifies before the House Judiciary Committee alongside Senator Randy Robertson.

As Senator Robertson was wrapping up, he said, “We (the Georgia Assembly) don’t often have a compassionate bill like this to vote on in the Senate or House.” He asked for the committee to vote in favor of un-doing an old wrong and giving adult adoptees equal rights to obtain their original birth certificate.

The bill also passed through the House Rules Committee and will be presented by Representative Beth Camp to the full House on Monday, March 20, 2023.

We’re Halfway There!

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights on March 8, 2023

Senate bill 64 passed unanimously in the Georgia Senate on March 6th (crossover day), with a 54-0 vote. The bill restores the right for adopted persons (18 years+) to obtain their original birth certificate.

Senator Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) presented the clean bill to the full Senate and there was no opposition and no questions presented. (Except about where the Senator’s eccentric shoes originated from!)

Senator Robertson was a champion for this bill in the senate and garnered 18 co-sponsors from the initial introduction. On the Senate floor Senator Robertson said, “All I want to do is give these people (adopted persons) the same opportunity as us in knowing who they are.”

The bill will now crossover to the House of Representatives and when it passes there, the bill would be enacted at the time of the Governor’s signature.

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights will keep you posted with sponsor and committee information, as well as any call-to-actions.

SB64 presented at 50:30

About Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights

SB64 Passes Out of Committee

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights on March 1, 2023

The Senate Children and Families Committee voted unanimously in favor of passing Georgia SB64 out of committee! Many thanks to bill sponsor, Senator Randy Robertson, and co-sponsor, Senator Bo Hatchett for their dedication to restoring adoptee rights. We would also like to thank Chairwoman Kay Kirkpatrick and the members of the committee for their willingness to learn about the importance of SB64.

SB64 now moves to the Rules Committee for consideration to be scheduled for a vote before the full Senate Committee. The bill must pass and crossover to the House no later than March 6, 2023.

Members and supporters of Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights are pictured with Senator Randy Robertson and his wife, Theresa, following the “do pass” vote by the Children and Families Committee.

About Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights

Show Your Support

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights on February 16, 2023

We are overwhelmed by all of the enthusiasm for our adoptee rights bill in Georgia! We are so thankful that people and organizations from the whole adoption constellation have come together to support Senate Bill 64. It is not only adoptees that recognize the need to have these rights restored, but also parents, adoption professionals, physicians, lawyers, legislators, and friends!

We are expecting SB64 to be considered in committee next week and will update when there is a definite date and time.

If you have not already, be sure to add your e-mail address to our mailing list. All official action alerts and updates will be shared directly by us on our social media pages and through our e-mail list.

In the meantime, grab one or both of these graphics to update your profile picture and header to show your support for SB64 and the restoration of rights to adopted people.

About Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights

2023 Legislative Session

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights on February 7, 2023

The Georgia Assembly is in session and Senate Bill (SB) 64 is active!

SB64 will restore a right that has been restricted since 1961: the right for all Georgia-born adult adoptees to obtain their own original birth certificate upon request. Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights has worked with bill author, Jim Outman, and the bill sponsor, Senator Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) to assure a “clean” and unrestricted bill.

If you are a Georgia-born adoptee or birth parent, be sure that you sign up for our e-mail list to receive action notices and the latest news regarding the bill.

About Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights

GAAR Featured on “What Next?” Podcast

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights on January 26, 2022

Committee member and adoptee, Jamie Weiss, recently joined Greg Luce, founder of Adoptees United, for the new podcast called “What Next?”. It is a podcast dedicated to adoptee rights and updates on the legislative efforts at both the state and federal levels. In Episode #2, Jamie talks about some of her personal experience with being adopted in Georgia and trying to obtain her original birth certificate along with the work that the Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights is doing currently.

You can find the podcast at this link below or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.
https://adopteesunited.org/whatnext