The Adoption Modernization Act, also known as House Bill 5, is expected to be signed by Governor Mike DeWine this week after being pushed through the Ohio House and Senate earlier this month.
The bipartisan bill addresses a broad spectrum of the adoption laws in Ohio. It aims to improve the process of adoption and the outcomes for the child, the birth parents and the adoptive parents, according to the bill's co-sponsors, Republican Representative Sharon Ray of Wadsworth and Democratic Representative Rachel Baker of Cincinnati.
Both co-sponsors are intimately familiar with adoption as Ray was adopted as a child, and Baker has adopted three children herself.
According to data published by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, almost 15,000 Ohio children live outside of their parents' care. About 3,300 of them are awaiting adoption.
On Tuesday’s "Sound of Ideas," we'll talk about the adoption process in Ohio and how the bill could change the current system.
Later in the hour, Ideastream's Jeff St. Clair sat down with Paul Gaston, former Kent State University provost, for a conversation about the state of higher education.
Higher education faces a perfect storm of challenges with declining enrollment, fiscal emergencies and a hostile political environment. In his new book, "Rebuilding Support for Higher Education: Practical Strategies for Principled Leaders," Gaston offers advice for college administrators on how to weather the storm.
Guests:
-Rachel Baker, State Representative, Ohio House District 27
-Betsie Norris, Founder and Executive Director, Adoption Network of Cleveland
-Jeff St. Clair, Midday Host and Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Paul Gaston, Author, "Rebuilding Support for Higher Education: Practical Strategies for Principled Leaders"
