ADOPT Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill would make it a federal crime for unlicensed individuals or organizations to act as middlemen in private interstate adoptions. Only licensed agencies, government offices, licensed attorneys, and accredited intercountry adoption providers would be allowed to provide adoption intermediary services.
• Posting adoption advertisements would also become a crime unless done by a licensed agency, a contracted nonprofit, a licensed attorney, or an accredited intercountry adoption provider. This covers ads in newspapers, on the internet, on billboards, on radio or TV, and in any other public media.
• The bill bans payments over $2,500 to or on behalf of a birth parent in connection with an adoption unless the birth parent has first consulted with a licensed agency or attorney. This is designed to prevent financial coercion of vulnerable parents considering placing a child for adoption.
• Penalties are steep: individuals face fines of $50,000 and up to 5 years in prison per violation, while organizations face fines of $100,000 per violation. The law would take effect 120 days after being signed.
• The bill explicitly preserves the Indian Child Welfare Act, intercountry adoption programs, and the right of states and local governments to pass even stricter rules on adoption practices.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.