SAFE Home Act

This bill sets a new rule for adoption and foster care programs that get federal funds. Agencies may not delay or deny placing a child with a family, or treat families differently, because the parent:

• raises the child in a way that matches the child’s sex,
• refuses medical or mental health treatments meant to change a child’s appearance or validate a child’s perception of sex when it differs from the child’s sex, or
• refuses to change the child’s ID documents in a way that does not match the child’s sex.

The bill also defines “sex” as biological sex, male or female, and gives specific definitions for “female” and “male” based on reproductive biology.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Adoption and foster care agencies that receive federal funds, and current or prospective foster/adoptive parents.
• What changes: Agencies cannot delay, deny, or discriminate in placements for the reasons listed above; “sex,” “female,” and “male” are defined in law for this purpose.
• When: The change starts on the first day of the first fiscal quarter after the bill becomes law. States may get extra time if they need to pass their own laws to comply.