Dawn Hurtt's family wanted to adopt Angel Cina, who had been in foster care since she was five.

But Angel had already turned 18, complicating matters for the Hurtts.

Under Arizona's laws, an adult may adopt another adult if the latter were the former's stepchild, niece, nephew, cousin or grandchild. A foster parent may also adopt an adult placed in his or her care while a juvenile, but only if the foster parent had maintained a continuous familial relationship with the child for at least five years.

Angel was not in the Hurtt family long enough.

That requirement, however, could change under legislation passed by the state Senate on a 21-5 vote today.

S1282, sponsored by Sen. Richard Miranda of District 13, received comfortable support in the Senate Public Safety and Human Services Committee. The bill allows an adult to adopt another adult between the ages of 18 and 21.

The aim is to catch foster kids on their way out of the state's foster care system by giving them a chance to become permanent family members, supporters said.

"It is not their fault that as a society, we have gone in and protected them at a young age," said Hurtt, who has been a foster parent to more than a dozen kids. "If they age out, it is also not their fault that we separated them from their parents. It is not their fault that we terminated parental rights, and they should not have to pay that price of not having a mom, a dad, a family."

Angel said she could go on with her life, and get her own apartment or a good job. But something still would be missing.

"I wouldn't have family that I could call family," she said. "I wouldn't have mom or dad that I could lean on if I need to."

Senate Majority whip John Huppenthal said even as adults, foster kids need to know that somebody really cares about them – enough so as to give them, for example, an inheritance.

Sen. Chuck Gray, a Republican lawmaker from Mesa, best summed up the argument for the proposal.

"I was very lucky. I had a mom and a dad, brothers and sisters and grandmas and uncles and aunts and cousins … I went to all of the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and the birthday parties and all of those things," Gray said. "Anyone who has not been able to experience that should have the right to be able to, even at a late point in their life, enjoy those family bonds."