Sponsors (8)
The bill strengthens federal and state tools to curb exploitation and trafficking in private interstate adoptions and to promote licensed, vetted services, but it also imposes significant criminal penalties, compliance costs, and enforcement burdens that could reduce provider options and supports for families—especially small facilitators, charitable actors, and low‑income placing parents.
Children and prospective adoptive parents: reduces risk of trafficking and exploitation by criminalizing unlawful adoption practices, restricting intermediary payments/advertising, and enabling federal enforcement.
Prospective adoptive parents: easier access to licensed, regulated, and vetted providers in their communities due to stronger oversight and clearer federal definitions that help DOJ–state coordination.
Children in private interstate adoptions: stronger legal protections and reduced likelihood of being treated as commodities as the law curbs unregulated intermediary practices.
Small facilitators, some nonprofits and families: face felony-level penalties (fines up to $50,000 and up to 5 years imprisonment) and risk of prosecution, which could force many out of the market and reduce options for families.
Placing parents and low-income birth parents: common supports (e.g., reimbursements) could be criminalized once they exceed $2,500, limiting financial help to those in need and making some adoptions less feasible.
Adoption providers and families: stricter licensing and compliance will increase administrative burdens and costs, likely raising fees for families and shrinking available provider capacity.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal crime for unlawful adoption practices and defines paid advertising and intermediary services to curb unlicensed adoption intermediaries.
Official title: Amend title 18, United States Code, to criminalize unlawful adoption practices.
Introduced December 1, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress December 1, 2025
Creates a new federal crime for unlawful adoption practices and defines terms to target paid, unlicensed adoption intermediaries in private domestic interstate adoptions. The bill aims to protect placing parents and prospective adoptive parents from exploitation, require use of licensed or regulated adoption providers, and prevent treating children as commodities; it takes effect 120 days after enactment.