AN ACT relating to adoption.

Amend KRS 199.470 to prohibit an unmarried couple from jointly adopting any child; amend KRS 199.520 to provide that an adoption of a child shall not terminate the legal relationship between the adopted child and the biological parent when the adopting parent is the legally married spouse of the biological parent.

Introduced: January 7, 2026

Last action: January 14, 2026

To Families & Children (H)

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This bill would ban unmarried couples from jointly adopting a child in Kentucky. It would also establish that when a married person adopts their spouse's child, the child's legal relationship with that biological parent remains intact. Who it may affect: unmarried couples seeking to adopt, married stepparents pursuing adoption, and children involved in those adoption proceedings.

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