Judiciary committee advances bill barring disability as sole basis for adoption denials or parental-rights termination

Senate Bill 26, a measure to prevent discrimination against parents with disabilities in adoption and parental-rights termination cases, was reported favorably out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

Sponsor Brandon Storm, senator of the 20th District, told the committee the bill "ensures that disability alone cannot be the sole reason that an adoption petition is denied or that parental rights are terminated." The measure was presented by Storm alongside Marcus Vanover, family court judge for Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties, and Crystal Adams, chair of the Justice Commission’s intellectual and developmental disabilities work group.

The bill’s supporters said it responds to court rulings and national guidance that identified inconsistent practices for parents with disabilities. Judge…