Senate Bill 615 Summary

• Allows adult adoptees to be adopted by a former stepparent if the former stepparent is unmarried or their current spouse does not join the petition, while preserving the relationship between the adoptee and the biological parent.

• Removes restrictions on redacting certain detailed financial and personal information (income, assets, social security numbers, extended family details) from adoption home studies provided to placing parents or guardians.

• Expands acknowledgment options for agency relinquishments for adoption by applying additional procedural provisions to relinquishment documents.

• Makes notary journal maintenance optional (rather than mandatory) for most notaries, while requiring electronic notaries performing remote notarizations to maintain exclusive electronic journals.

• Comprehensively reforms guardianship law effective January 1, 2024, including requiring consideration of less restrictive alternatives before adjudication, establishing new respondent rights notices, allowing guardianship accounting timing elections with clerk permission (11-12 month fiscal years), and strengthening judicial oversight of guardians.

• Adds judicial relief provisions for powers of attorney to allow clerks of superior court to compel accountings and prevent abuse or misuse of agent authority, with specific dismissal protections allowing principals to dismiss petitions individually.