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Today, Senator Steven Choi, Ph.D. (R–Irvine), announced the passage of Senate Bill 927 off the Senate Floor with unanimous bipartisan support. The legislation addresses a longstanding gap in California law by allowing adult foreign adoptees, whose adoptions were never finalized, to petition the court for readoption and obtain the legal documentation necessary to prove their adoption status and residency.
SB 927 creates a pathway for adult adoptees to complete their own readoption when both their adoptive parents and adoption agency failed to finalize the process during childhood. Upon approval by the court, adoptees may receive a delayed registration of birth through the State Registrar.
“SB 927 restores dignity and legal certainty to individuals who have spent their lives as part of Californian families, yet were left without the documentation needed to prove their status, through no fault of their own,” said Senator Steven Choi. “This bill provides a compassionate and practical solution for adoptees who fell through the cracks of the system decades ago.”
California previously enacted Assembly Bill 677 in 2019 to ensure future intercountry adoptions were finalized before a child turned sixteen. However, no remedy existed for adults whose adoptions were never completed. SB 927 closes that gap and helps ensure affected adoptees can finally obtain legal recognition and documentation.
The bill now advances to the California State Assembly for policy committee assignment.