Adoption and Foster Care

The number of international adoptions by American parents continued to drop since 2004. In 2012, there were 8,668 intercountry adoptions, according to the State Department. Last week, a coalition of adoption advocacy organizations called on Secretary of State John Kerry to conduct an internal review of State Department adoption policies and the implementation of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The Convention establishes a system of cooperation between authorities in 93 countries to “help guarantee the best adoption practices and elimination of abuses.” 

Meanwhile, more than 400,000 children in the US foster care system, according to HHS. And Congress continues to propose bills related to international and domestic adoption, as well as foster care.

Bills Related to Adoption

Weigh in on these bills that have been introduced by Congress. POPVOX will deliver your message to Congress. (“What is POPVOX?“)

• S 1876A bill to reauthorize and restructure adoption incentive payments.
• S 1870A bill to reauthorize and restructure adoption incentive payments, to better enable State child welfare agencies to prevent sex trafficking of children and serve the needs of children who are victims of sex trafficking, to increase the reliability of child support for children.
• HR 2028Every Child Deserves a Family Act: to prohibit discrimination in adoption or foster care placements based on the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of any prospective adoptive or foster parent, or the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child involved. (Also S 1069 in the Senate)
• HR 3423Protecting Adopted Children Act: to ensure the safety and well-being of adopted children. Would provide pre- and post-adoptive counseling and support services to ease the transition for children and families, according to bill sponsor.
• HRes 24A resolution expressing the deep disappointment of the House of Representatives in the enactment by the Russia Government of a law ending inter-country adoptions of Russian children by United States citizens and urging the Russia Government to reconsider the law and prioritize the processing of inter-country adoptions involving parentless Russian children who were already matched with United States families before the enactment of the law.
• HR 3549Protecting Adoption Act: To promote permanent families for children, privacy and safety for unwed mothers, responsible fatherhood, and security for adoptive parents by establishing a National Responsible Father Registry and encouraging States to enter into agreements to contribute the information contained in the State’s Responsible Father Registry to the National Responsible Father Registry.
• HR 3539Adoption Promotion Act: to amend title X of the Public Health Service Act with respect to adoption and other pregnancy options counseling.
• HR 3062Adoption Information Act: requires certain family planning service projects and programs to give assurance to provide pamphlets containing the contact information of adoption centers located in the state.
• HR 2144Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act: to provide for a refundable adoption tax credit. (And S 1056 in the Senate.)
• HR 1476Dave Thomas Adoption Act: to allow penalty-free withdrawals, up to $10,000, from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) if used to pay adoption expenses, and unlimited withdrawals for expenses related to the adoption of a special needs child.
• HR 2332Adoption Tax Credit Tribal Parity Act:to recognize Indian tribal governments for purposes of determining under the adoption credit whether a child has special needs.
• HR 286A bill to allow biological parents of handicapped children to exclude from their gross incomes difficulty of care payments made to them under a state or local foster care program.
• S 1047Families for Foster Youth Stamp Act: requires the US Postal Service to provide for the issuance and sale of a semipostal in order to increase funding for effective programs targeted at improving permanency outcomes for youth in foster care.
• HR 2439Protecting Adoption And Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Act: promotes permanent families for children, privacy and safety for unwed mothers and security for adoptive parents by establishing an automated National Responsible Father Registry. (And S 1203 in the Senate.)

Bills Related to Foster Care

• S 1786Sibling Connections Act to encourage the placement of children in foster care with siblings.
• HR 3205Promoting Adoption and Legal Guardianship for Children in Foster Care Act: To reauthorize and restructure the adoption incentives grant program.
• HR 3124Investing in Permanency for Youth in Foster Care Act: to extend the adoption incentive payments program to incentive payments for foster child exits to reunification, adoption, and guardianship.
• HR 102Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act: to revise the requirements that states must follow to contact the adult relatives of a child removed from the custody of his or her parents.
• HR 2036Foster Children Opportunity Act: to require States to help alien children in the child welfare system apply for all available forms of immigration relief.
• HRes 203A resolution recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system.