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HB 164 Kentucky House · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT relating to adoption.

HB 164, known as Braylon's Law, allows Kentucky courts to finalize adoptions after a child's death during placement in the adoptive home. It applies to pending adoption cases where the child dies while living with the petitioner, requiring the court to review a guardian's report, hold a hearing, and confirm the adoption meets standard legal requirements. The law enables adoptive parents to legally complete the adoption process even after the child's passing, with the same legal effect as a standard adoption. This change directly affects prospective adoptive parents and courts handling ongoing adoption proceedings. The bill was enacted into law on March 15, 2025.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
Signed into Law
Mar 2025
Introduced Jan 9, 2025 Signed Mar 15, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Current/Final · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends Kentucky's adoption laws to allow courts to enter a judgment of adoption after a child's death if specific conditions are met, including that the child died while placed with the prospective adoptive parents and required reports were received. The bill also clarifies that such post-death adoptions do not grant inheritance rights to the adoptive parents that would have existed if the child had survived.
Scope change
The bill expands adoption procedures to include post-death adoption judgments under specific circumstances, while explicitly limiting inheritance rights that might otherwise be claimed.
REQUIREMENT

Allows courts to enter adoption judgments after a child's death if the child died while placed with the petitioner and required reports were received before the hearing.

Establishes that post-death adoption judgments do not grant inheritance rights or property interests that would have existed if the child had survived.

DEFINITION

Clarifies that adopted children are legally considered the natural children of adoptive parents for all legal purposes, except for inheritance rights from deceased children.

TECHNICAL

Removed citation to 'Braylon's Law' as the act name.

Floor votes · House Feb 20, 2025

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
7
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Mar 15, 2025
Signed into law
signed by Governor Acts Ch. 16)
lower
Mar 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
upper
Mar 11, 2025
Lower · Passed
enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
lower
Mar 11, 2025
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 36-0
lower
Mar 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
lower
Feb 26, 2025
Committee
to Families & Children (S)
upper
Feb 21, 2025
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 92-0 with Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (1)
lower
Feb 14, 2025
Introduced
floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Committee
to Families & Children (H)
lower
Jan 9, 2025
Committee
to Committee on Committees (H)
lower
Jan 9, 2025
Introduced
introduced in House
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.