Senate committee debates, does not advance bill to file post-adoption contact agreements in court

The Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee considered Senate Bill 113, a measure sponsored by Senator Julie Van Orden that would create a statutory framework for voluntary post-adoption contact agreements to be filed with adoption decrees. The bill would let birth parents and adoptive parents record promises — such as exchanging photos or letters — in a written agreement that becomes part of the court record but would not, according to sponsors, provide a path to undo an adoption.

Supporters said written, filed agreements give birth parents reassurance that promises made during placement will be remembered. "When people write things down, they think about what they're promising," said Terry Markcroft of Unplanned Good, a proponent of the bill. Senator Julie Van Orden told the panel…