{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/aderholt-kuster-lamborn-introduce-bipartisan-adopt-act-improve-adoption", "Aderholt, Kuster, Lamborn Introduce Bipartisan (ADOPT Act) To Improve Adoption Oversight and Transparency", "2023-11-03", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Robert B. Aderholt", "A000055", "aderholt.house.gov", "aderholt", "https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Today, Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Doug Lamborn (R-CO) introduced the bipartisan Adoption Deserves Oversight, Protection, and Transparency (ADOPT) Act. This comprehensive legislation protects adoptive families, children, and expectant mothers from exploitation by unlicensed adoption intermediaries and ensures that adoption providers and attorneys operate only in states where they are licensed to do so.\n\n\u201cAdoption is one of the greatest gifts that can be given to a child. And for a child to find a loving, forever home is truly what every child deserves,\u201d said Congressman Aderholt. \u201cThis is why we must do all we can to make sure adoptions are completed aboveboard, and those willing to give so much, are not taken advantage of in the process. I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for sponsoring this legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs an adoption attorney for 25 years, I worked with countless adoptive parents, expectant mothers, and supportive agencies as they navigated the process. Through my work, I saw firsthand how a lack of regulation and oversight has allowed bad actors and unlicensed intermediaries to take advantage of parents, mothers, and children,\u201d said Congresswoman Kuster. \u201cIt\u2019s past time Congress took action to make adoption safe and secure. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation today to help ensure everyone involved in the adoption process is protected from exploitation by unlicensed or predatory intermediaries.\u201d\n\n\u201cToday we are standing up for vulnerable birth mothers and prospective parents,\u201d said Congressman Lamborn. \u201cUnlicensed \u2018Baby Brokers\u2019 operate outside moral and ethical standards and must face legal ramifications for their actions. We must uplift and promote organizations that provide efficient, caring, and responsible adoption practices.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) supports legislation requiring licensing and regulation of all those who facilitate adoptions or provide other adoption-related services,\u201dsaid Margaret Swain, President of AAAA. \u201cAdoptive families and children deserve to be served by licensed adoption professionals, with appropriate oversight and transparency. Protecting all parties to an adoption ensures that families seeking to expand their family do not have their hopes exploited and that the guardrails of the legal process are maintained. These safeguards maximize the protection of the child's best interest. The ADOPT Act is an important step toward protecting families and children, and ensuring Americans have high confidence in the adoption process.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis bill will put protections in place for vulnerable women, families, and children impacted by domestic adoption by prohibiting unlicensed adoption intermediaries and promoting local, on-the-ground support for parents considering adoption,\u201d said Ethical Family Building. \u201cThe ADOPT Act will send a clear message that the commodification of pregnant women and children, and the exploitation of families hoping to adopt, will not be tolerated.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis bill name says it all: adoption deserves oversight, protections, and transparency. This bipartisan legislation provides safeguards and protections for all the parties involved with an adoption, most especially for the expectant parents considering adoption,\u201d said Ryan Hanlon, the president and CEO of National Council For Adoption. \u201cBy eliminating the online, for-profit brokers, it will also reduce the cost of adoption and ensure that the service providers involved are licensed and overseen by proper authorities.\u201d\n\nThe ADOPT Act protects adoptive families, children, and expectant mothers from exploitation by:\n\nProhibiting adoption advertising and the provision of private adoption services for compensation by any entity not licensed as a child-placing agency or attorney; and\n\nRestricting payments to expectant mothers unless made through a provider licensed in the state where the expectant mother resides.\n\nFull text can be read here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/aderholt-kuster-lamborn-introduce-bipartisan-adopt-act-improve-adoption"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.346249133348465, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}