Adoption Counts Act (H.R. 6700)

Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently IN_COMMITTEE. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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The Frame

What this does

If this bill passes, states that fail to report private adoption data to the federal government could lose their eligibility for federal adoption incentive funding, which may impact state-level child welfare administrative resources.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

State courts

State courts are required to collect and submit specific data on private adoptions to the federal Children's Bureau.

Children's Bureau

The agency is tasked with collecting and maintaining the new data reported by state courts.

What changed

Current stage: IN_COMMITTEE.

What's next

Floor Vote.

Background

Mr. Lamborn is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. context
The Children's Bureau is a federal agency within the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services. context

Summary

This bill requires states to report detailed data on private adoptions to the federal Children's Bureau to remain in with federal adoption incentive programs. Courts must provide specific information, including the age of the adoptee, the relationship of the adoptive parents, and whether the child was born via .

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

If this bill passes, states that fail to report private adoption data to the federal government could lose their eligibility for federal adoption incentive funding, which may impact state-level child welfare administrative resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a state court does not report this data?

The state will be considered out of with federal adoption incentive requirements for that fiscal year.

Does this apply to all adoptions?

The bill specifically targets private adoptions finalized in state courts pursuant to a .

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Expansion of Federal Oversight

The bill shifts the burden of private adoption data collection from state-level record keeping to a mandatory federal reporting requirement tied to funding compliance.

Children's Bureau Department of Health and Human Services

Connected Entities

bill_numberH.R. 6700“Introduced bill number”Map →

otherSocial Security Act“Act being amended”Map →

otherAdoption Counts Act“Short title of the Act”Map →

organizationCommittee on Ways and Means“Committee to which the bill was referred”Map →

other42 U.S.C. 673b(c)“Specific section of the Social Security Act being amended”Map →

personMr. Lamborn“Introduced the bill”Map →

dateDecember 11, 2023“Date of introduction”Map →

organizationDepartment of Health and Human Services“Parent department of the Children's Bureau”Map →

organizationChildren's Bureau“Agency responsible for collecting adoption information”Map →

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level