Dawn’s Blog

News, Updates and Resources for Legal Professionals and those who follow adoption law

Adoption Assistance for Drug-Exposed Infants

Adoption assistance is a program to assist adoptive families of special needs children. The program is state-administered with the majority of funding from the federal government and a state contribution as well. The benefits are usually a monthly stipend and health...

Finalization – Six Months or Three Months?

Question: I understand that the waiting period for adoption, the time the child must live with the prospective adoptive family before the adoption can be finalized, has been reduced from 6 months to 3 months, correct? Answer: Not exactly. The waiting period is still 6...

First in Adoption Legislation Still In A Holding Pattern

It happened again. First in Adoption and many other bills have fallen off the end of the Senate calendar today due to large legislative volume that is common late in the session. The Senate will reconvene tomorrow at 8:30 am to take another run at the long list of...

First in Adoption Legislative Update

The First in Adoption Bill was set at the end of a long calendar for yesterday but, probably due to time constraints, did not receive a vote. It has been reset for 1:30 CST today on the floor of the Tennessee State Senate.   Look for a blog post this afternoon....

“First in Adoption” – So far every vote is “Yes.”

The “First in Adoption” bill that many Tennessee attorneys and adoptive parents are following moved from the House committee process to the floor with a unanimous vote of the House Civil Justice committee. The committee is chaired my Mike Carter (R), an attorney and...

The “First in Adoption” Bill is on the move!

How to follow it through the Legislature. The “First in Adoption” Bill (HB 1856 Carter/SB 1851 Haile) passed the House Civil Justice Subcommittee last week and is scheduled for a hearing before the full house committee tomorrow, Tues. March 27, 2018 at 3:00 CST. If...

“First In Adoption” Bill Big Tennessee News!

The “First In Adoption” bill is moving in the TN Legislature. HB 1856 Rep. Mike Carter/ SB 1851 Sen. Ferrell Haile What it does: Creates one short and simple surrender form and relieves a number of related bureaucratic requirements; Refines elements to prove rounds...

Welcome to my blog!

Future posts will include information on new and pending legislation, news, pointers and general information regarding adoption and foster care issues for attorneys, agencies, adoptive families and prospective adoptive families.  Thank you for visiting.

Are You Ready to Grow Your Family Through Adoption?

Consulting Services For Attorneys and Agencies