CHAPTER 459

An Act to amend and reenact § 68-848, as amended, of the Code of
Virginia, relating to requirements for bringing petitions for adoption.

[H 413]
Approved March 31, 1964

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 63-348, as amended, of the Code of Virginia be amended and
reenacted as follows:

§ 63-348. Proceedings for the adoption of a minor child and for a
change of name of such child shall be instituted only by petition to a court
of record having chancery jurisdiction in the county or city in which the
petitioner resides or in the city or county in which is located the child
placing agency which placed the child, provided that the Chancery Court
of the city of Richmond shall have exclusive jurisdiction in every such
case arising in the said city if the petitioner resides on the north side of
the James River, and that the Hustings Court of the city of Richmond,
Part II, shall have exclusive jurisdiction if the petitioner resides in the
said city on the south side of the James River. Such petition may be filed
by any natural person who resides in the Commonwealth or who has
custody of a child placed by a child placing agency of the Commonwealth,
for leave to adopt a minor child not legally his by birth, and, if it be so
desired by the petitioner, also to change the name of such child. In the
case of married persons the petition shall be the joint petition of the hus-
band and wife, but in the event the child to be adopted is legally the child
by birth or adoption of one of the petitioners, such petitioner shall unite
in the petition for the purpose of indicating his or her consent to the
prayer thereof only. The petition shall contain a full disclosure of the
circumstances under which the child came to live, and is living, in the
home of the petitioner.

A single petition for adoption under the provisions of this section shall
be sufficient for the concurrent adoption by the same petitioners of two
or more children who have the same natural parent or parents; and noth-
ing in this section shall be construed as having heretofore required a
separate petition for each of such children.