From the department of “I can’t believe this isn’t already a law,” Senator Bryan Townsend’s Senate Bill 94 allows persons who are not married but who are cohabitating to jointly adopt a child that is not theirs. It also changes the phrase “husband and wife” in the adoption law to “married couple.” This bill thus addresses the issue of whether a committed couple that is living together, no matter if they are gay or straight, could adopt a child jointly.
The answer to that question is now yes, according to a 37-4 vote in the House and a 20-1 vote in the Senate. The troglodytes voting no are of course all Republicans, namely Colin Bonini, Rich Collins, Tim Dukes, Charlie Postles and Stephen Smyk.
WHERE IS THE BILL NOW? Passed the House 37-4 and Senate 20-1
DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS – Townsend Dorsey Walker Hansen Lockman McDowell Paradee Sokola Baumbach Griffith Kowalko
REPUBLICAN SPONSORS – Cloutier Delcollo Lopez Pettyjohn Richardson Wilson Michael Smith
YES VOTES – HOUSE — YES VOTES – HOUSE — Baumbach Bennett Bentz Bolden Brady Briggs King Bush Carson Chukwuocha Cooke D.Short Dorsey Walker Gray Griffith Heffernan Hensley Jaques K.Johnson K.Williams Kowalko Longhurst Lynn Matthews Michael Smith Minor-Brown Mitchell Morris Osienski Q.Johnson Ramone Schwartzkopf Seigfried Shupe Spiegelman Vanderwende Viola Yearick ||| SENATE — Brown Cloutier Delcollo Ennis Hansen Hocker Lawson Lockman Lopez McBride McDowell Paradee Pettyjohn Poore Richardson Sokola Sturgeon Townsend Walsh Wilson
NO VOTES – HOUSE — Collins Dukes Postles Smyk ||| SENATE — Bonini
ABSENT –
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