HB 1337 Mississippi House · 2025 Regular Session

Adoption of adults; clarify authorization for.

HB 1337 allows Mississippi courts to legally adopt adults under two specific conditions: with the adult’s written consent or if the adult has an intellectual disability. It updates existing adoption laws to explicitly include adults, aligning procedures for adult adoption with those already used for minors. The bill clarifies that court procedures, including home studies and documentation requirements, will apply to adult adoptions as they do for minors. This directly affects adults seeking formal adoption relationships and Mississippi chancery courts handling such cases. The legislation does not create new requirements but formally authorizes adult adoption within the state’s current legal framework.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 20, 2025 Last action Feb 13, 2025

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What changed between versions

As Introduced → Current version · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill expands Mississippi's adoption laws to allow adults to be adopted under specific conditions, primarily for individuals with disabilities or intellectual impairments. It also streamlines the adoption process for adults by waiving certain requirements like home studies and background checks when the adult consents to adoption.

Scope change

The bill significantly expands the scope of adoption eligibility from primarily minors to include adults meeting specific criteria, and modifies jurisdiction requirements for interstate adoptions.

ELIGIBILITY

Added provisions allowing adults to be adopted if they consent in writing, have an intellectual disability, or are related to the adoptive parent by kinship or stepchild status.

REQUIREMENT

Waived home study requirements, background checks, and other procedural requirements for adult adoptees who consent to the adoption.

Added provisions requiring investigation by a guardian ad litem or conservator for disabled adults who cannot consent to adoption.

Modified jurisdiction requirements for interstate adoptions to better align with the Interstate Compact for Placement of Children.

DEFINITION

Changed the definition of 'child' in adoption sections to include adults being adopted under the new provisions.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date of the new provisions to July 1, 2025.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

lower

Jan 20, 2025

Committee

Referred To Judiciary B

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors