ADOPT Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 6170 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6170 To amend title 18, United States Code, to criminalize unlawful adoption practices. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 20, 2025 Mr. Aderholt (for himself, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Lee of Florida, and Ms. Kamlager-Dove) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to criminalize unlawful adoption practices. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Adoption Deserves Oversight, Protection, and Transparency Act of 2025'' or the ``ADOPT Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of this Act is to-- (1) protect individuals and families impacted by private domestic interstate adoption from exploitation by unlicensed adoption intermediaries; (2) ensure that individuals seeking assistance with private domestic interstate adoption have ready access to licensed and regulated adoption providers in their communities; and (3) prevent the commodification of children who are the subjects of private domestic interstate adoptions. SEC. 3. ADOPTION OFFENSE. (a) In General.--Chapter 11A of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``Sec. 228A. Unlawful adoption practices ``(a) Definitions.--In this section: ``(1) Adoption advertising.--The term `adoption advertising' means a paid advertisement, article, notice, or other paid communication published in any newspaper, magazine, or on the internet, on a billboard, over radio or television, or any public media that-- ``(A) solicits prospective adoptive parents for the purpose of acting as