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LB 70

Provide for adoption by a second adult person and change provisions relating to adoptions

109th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Danielle Conrad and 2 co-sponsors

Nebraska LB70 lets a minor with a sole legal parent be adopted by a second adult who has a parent-child relationship, with consent and a home study; caps two legal parents.

Judiciary AM1660 adopted
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Bill Summary · LB 70

Summary: Nebraska LB70 – Adoption by a Second Adult Person and Related Revisions

What the bill would do (Purpose and intent)

  • LB70 updates Nebraska’s adoption statutes to allow a minor child who has a sole legal parent to be adopted by a second adult person with whom the child has a parent-child relationship.
  • The bill also harmonizes and clarifies various adoption provisions, definitions, and consent/home-study requirements, and repeals obsolete provisions as part of a broader update to “children and families” laws.

Key provisions and changes

  • New eligibility pathway for minor adoptions (sole legal parent scenario)
    • A minor child with a sole legal parent may be adopted by a second adult person if:
    • (i) The sole legal parent consents to the adoption (per section 43-104),
    • (ii) The child has a parent-child relationship with the second adult,
    • (iii) An adoptive home study is completed (per section 43-107).
  • Clarified definitions
    • Introduces or redefines terms such as “sole legal parent” to align with the new pathway for second-adult adoptions.
  • Adoptions involving spouses and joint petitions
    • For adoptions by spouses or multiple adults, the consent and joint-petition mechanics are clarified (e.g., spouses may join in petitions; adoptions by spouses generally require joint action unless certain conditions apply).
  • Expanded pathway for adult adoptions (with specified relationships)
    • In specific scenarios, an adult child may be adopted by another adult(s) who are not the child’s stepparents, provided:
    • The adult child has had a parent-child relationship with the prospective adoptive parent(s) for at least six months before reaching the age of majority, and
    • Certain conditions apply (e.g., no living parents, previously relinquished rights, parental rights terminated, abandonment or incapacity of parents, etc.), or the adult child has a sole legal parent who consents.
    • Substitute-consent provisions (43-105) do not apply to these subsection (2) adoptions.
  • Cap on number of legal parents
    • An adoption under these provisions cannot result in a minor or adult child having more than two legal parents.
  • Affected statutes and general alignment
    • The bill would amend multiple sections to align terminology and procedures (e.g., 43-101, 43-102, 43-104, 43-107, 43-1401–1405, 43-512.04, 43-2924, and related sections) and repeal obsolete provisions.
  • Related procedural details
    • Petitions for adoption, required consents, preplacement home studies, and placement/judicial jurisdiction considerations are updated to reflect the new pathways and to harmonize with the Nebraska Parenting Act and related child welfare provisions.

Who would be affected

  • Minor children with a sole legal parent who seek or are proposed to receive a second-adult adoption.
  • Second adult adopters who have established a parent-child relationship with the child for purposes of adoption.
  • Sole legal parents who would be required to provide consent under the new framework.
  • Adoptive families involving spouses or multiple adults, including changes to consent and joint-petition requirements.
  • Prospective/adoptive families navigating home studies and court procedures under the updated statutes.

Timeline and procedural context

  • Introduced: January 9, 2025
  • Hearing date: January 24, 2025 (Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Carolyn Bosn)
  • Purpose of hearing: to review the bill’s provisions, including adoption by a second adult and related changes to consent, home studies, and definitions.

Note: This summary captures the core substance and potential impact based on the introduced text. If you need a line-by-line clause-by-clause breakdown, I can provide that as well.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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