South Carolina General Assembly
108th Session, 1989-1990

Bill 4267

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               4267
Ratification Number:       568
Act Number                 475
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                   Petition filed in family court
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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A475, R568, H4267)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 20-7-1825, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE ADOPTION OF ADULT PERSONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE PETITION FOR ADOPTION MUST BE FILED WITH THE FAMILY COURT, RATHER THAN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OR "COURT HAVING CONCURRENT JURISDICTION"; AND TO AMEND SECTION 20-7-420, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE FAMILY COURT IN DOMESTIC MATTERS, SO AS TO GRANT THE COURT EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION TO HEAR AND DETERMINE ACTIONS FOR, AND RELATED TO, THE ADOPTION OF ADULTS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Petition filed in family court

SECTION 1. Section 20-7-1825 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 171 of 1987, is further amended to read:

"Section 20-7-1825. An adult person may be adopted by another adult person with the consent of the person to be adopted or his guardian and with the consent of the spouse, if any, of a sole adoptive parent, filed in writing with the court. The provisions of Sections 20-7-1650 through 20-7-1770 and Section 62-2-109 do not apply to the adoption of an adult person. A petition for the adoption must be filed with the family court in the county where the adoptive parents reside. After a hearing on the petition and after those investigations as the court considers advisable, if the court finds that it is in the best interests of the persons involved, a decree of adoption may be entered which has the legal consequences stated in Section 62-2-109."

Family court jurisdiction; adult adoptions

SECTION 2. Section 20-7-420(3) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 653 of 1988, is further amended to read:

"(3) To hear and determine actions for and related to the adoption of children and adults."

Time effective

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Approved the 14th day of May, 1990.