interlocutory decree and waiting period - Notice of hearing - Appearance - Entry of final decree. A. After six (6) months from the date of the interlocutory decree unless the court waived all or part of the waiting period, the petitioners may apply to the court for a final decree of adoption. The court shall thereupon set a time and place for final hearing. B. If the minor is related by blood to one of the petitioners, or is a stepchild of the petitioner, or the court finds that the best interests of the child will be furthered thereby, the court, after examination of the home study reports required by Section 7505-5.1 or 7505-5.2 of this title, may waive the entry of an interlocutory decree and the waiting period of six (6) months or the balance of the waiting period provided in this section. C. Notice of the time and date of the hearing shall be served at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing upon any parent whose parental rights have not been terminated, unless that parent has properly executed a consent to the adoption or a permanent relinquishment pursuant to Sections 7503-2.3, 7503-2.4 and 7503-2.6 of this title or has waived the right to notice pursuant to Section 7503-3.1 of this title. Notice of the hearing shall also be served on the child-placing agency or the Department of Human Services in those cases where the child-placing agency or Department has original custody, or performed a home study. D. The petitioners and child shall appear at the hearing on the application for final decree, unless the presence of the child is waived by the court. E. The final hearing is not required to be recorded by a court reporter. Upon the request of any party, the court shall direct that the hearing be recorded by the court reporter, or the court may order on its own initiative that the hearing be recorded. F. The court may enter a final decree of adoption, if the court is satisfied that the adoption is in the best interests of the child. G. For purposes of this subsection, the State of Oklahoma elects to make subparagraph (A) of paragraph 20 of subsection 3 of Section 471(a) of the Social Security Act (Public Law 105-89) inapplicable to Oklahoma. Instead, the State of Oklahoma requires that: 1. Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a prospective adoptive parent shall not be approved for placement of a child if the petitioners or any other person residing in the home of the petitioners has been convicted of any of the following felony offenses: a. within the five-year period preceding the date of the petition, physical assault, domestic abuse, battery or a drug-related offense, except as otherwise authorized by this subsection, b. child abuse or neglect, c. a crime against a child, including, but not limited to, child sexual abuse material, and d. a crime involving violence, including, but not limited to, rape, sexual assault or homicide, but excluding physical assault or battery. 2. A prospective adoptive parent may be an approved placement regardless of whether such parent has been convicted of any of the felony offenses specified by subparagraph a of paragraph 1 of this subsection, if an evaluation has been made and accepted by the court which considers the nature and seriousness of the crime in relation to the adoption, the time elapsed since the commission of the crime, the circumstances under which the crime was committed, the degree of rehabilitation, the number of crimes committed by the person involved, and a showing by clear and convincing evidence that the child will not be at risk by such placement. H. Under no circumstances shall a child be placed in the custody of an individual subject to the Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act or an individual who is married to or living with an individual subject to the Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act. Added by Laws 1957, p. 25, § 14. Amended by Laws 1997, c. 366, § 35, eff. Nov. 1, 1997. Renumbered from § 60.14 of this title by Laws 1997, c. 366, § 58, eff. Nov. 1, 1997. Amended by Laws 1998, c. 415, § 26, emerg. eff. June 11, 1998; Laws 2024, c. 59, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2024.
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