Georgia committee advances bill to let adult adoptees obtain original birth certificates

The House Judiciary Committee on a voice vote advanced Senate Bill 100, a measure that would allow adult adoptees in Georgia to obtain their original birth certificates without a court petition.

Senate Majority Whip Randy Robertson presented the bill to the committee, saying the measure would give adopted adults “the exact same right that biological children have.” Robertson said the change is a response to what he described as an obligation after the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision to protect children “in the womb and those children outside the womb.”

The bill’s proponents told the committee that current Georgia practice requires many adopted adults to file a petition in superior court and retain an attorney to acquire their original birth certificate. Jamie Weiss, who testified in favor of the bill, said a promise of anonymity to birth parents “never existed because it wasn't ever legally possible,” and that sealing of a birth certificate is triggered only when an adoption is finalized and the adoptive parents request an amended certificate. Weiss pointed committee members to the certificate-of-adoption form (Form 3927) as evidence that relinquishment papers do not promise anonymity.

Courtney Humbaugh, a Georgia-born adoptee who petitioned the court in 2020 for her original birth certificate, described the process as costly and slow. Humbaugh told the committee she paid an attorney “thousands of dollars” and waited several months for a judge's order; she said other Georgians generally obtain copies of their birth certificates by paying a small fee. Theresa Garcia Robertson, an adoptive parent whose daughter is the bill’s namesake, said the original birth certificate “belongs to [the adoptee]” and argued for treating adopted adults the same as biological children under the law.

Committee members asked about process and timing for court petitions; witnesses answered that court petitions typically took several months in the cases they described. No opponent witnesses were called during the hearing.

The committee recorded a motion to report the bill favorably and then approved the bill by voice vote. The clerk announced, “All in favor, please say I,” followed by “All opposed?” and “The bill passes.” The record did not include a roll-call tally.

If enacted, the bill would eliminate the requirement adult adoptees cited for petitioning superior court to access their original birth certificates and rely instead on an administrative process aligned with how most Georgians obtain their records. The measure will move to further House consideration.

Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 100 — Motion to report favorably accepted; voice vote; bill passes out of committee.