MO HB546

Reduces the required pre-adoption placement period from six months to three months, with mandatory waiver for children under six months old or foster children being adopted by their current foster parent

Shortens the waiting period for birth parent consent from 48 hours to 24 hours after the child's birth

Expands venue options for filing adoption petitions to include adjacent counties and counties where Missouri-licensed adoption agencies or intermediaries have offices

Allows out-of-state adoptive petitioners to appear at finalization hearings by attorney and video conference rather than in person, and permits adoptions to be finalized in another state if adoptive parents are domiciled there

Restricts adoption advertising to licensed attorneys (requiring bar numbers) and licensed child-placing agencies (requiring licensure numbers), with violations classified as a class A misdemeanor