Committee adopts amendment clarifying foster/adoptive licensing protections, advances HB 13 76

Chair opened executive session on HB 13 76 and Representative Corson moved 'ought to pass' and offered amendment 2026-0865H to state that the state cannot deny a foster or adoptive license to parents who assert they will raise a child consistent with the child's biological sex and to emphasize that placements must still prioritize the child's best interest. Corson argued in favor: "We should not live in a state where a parent is ever asked to set aside, surrender, renounce, or deny their own deeply held beliefs in order to keep their own child."

Opponents, including Representative Sher and others, warned the amendment could put children with gender-identity questions at risk, citing testimony and concerns about self-harm and runaways. Representative Sher said the amendment "tries to fix the wrong problem" and urged an interim study to improve GAL and foster-care training, selection and oversight.

The committee considered a subsequent amendment offered by Representative LaVette to delete sections and renumber the bill; debate continued on scope and whether the language limited licensing only or touched broader placement policy. The clerk recorded votes on the amendments: amendment 2026-0865H passed (10 yes, 6 no) and a later amendment vote (07608) failed (7 to 9 recorded). Representative Corson then moved OTPA on HB 13 76; the committee called the roll and recorded the outcome. Members asked the clerk to prepare a minority report where requested.

The committee's action advances the bill with the adopted amendment and flagged follow-up work on implementation details and oversight.

The committee closed the executive session and proceeded to the next calendar item.