Senate Bill sb0172

    Florida Senate - 2006        (Corrected Copy)           SB 172

    By Senator Rich





    34-151-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to adoption; amending s.

  3         63.042, F.S.; providing that a person who is a

  4         homosexual is eligible to be an adoptive parent

  5         under certain enumerated circumstances;

  6         requiring that the eligibility criteria be met

  7         by clear and convincing evidence; providing an

  8         effective date.

  9  

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11  

12         Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 63.042, Florida

13  Statutes, is amended to read:

14         63.042  Who may be adopted; who may adopt.--

15         (3)(a)  A No person is not eligible to adopt under this

16  statute may adopt if that person is a homosexual except as

17  provided in paragraph (b).

18         (b)  If a court finds, by clear and convincing

19  evidence, that the adoptee resides with the person proposing

20  to adopt the adoptee, the adoptee recognizes the person as the

21  adoptee's parent, and granting the adoptee permanency in that

22  home is more important to the adoptee's developmental and

23  psychological needs than maintaining the adoptee in a

24  temporary placement.

25         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

26  

27            *****************************************

28                          SENATE SUMMARY

29    Provides that a person who is a homosexual is eligible to
      be an adoptive parent under certain enumerated
30    circumstances. Requires that the eligibility criteria be
      met by clear and convincing evidence.
31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.