NEW ADOPTION LAW

Author: Dan Gearino

The Quad-City Times

In the wake of an adoption scandal last year, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a bill that dramatically boosts the protections for families involved with adoption.

The bill, signed in August, was in response to a case in which an Illinois woman said she was lured to a Utah hotel room to place her child for adoption. The incident, known as the "Baby Tamia" case ended with the baby being returned to her biological family in Illinois.

"With these reforms, we're making sure that adoptions are about building families - not making a profit. I'm proud to sign into law this bill that sets Illinois up to be a model for the rest of the country regarding adoptions,"Blagojevich said in a statement.

The law effectively bans for-profit adoption companies from operating or advertising in the state. It also gives the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services expanded oversight of adoption agencies, including the creation of a complaint registry for adoption service providers.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, signed the bill at a Chicago church, joined some of Tamia's family.