[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5640 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5640

  To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide 
services for birthparents who have placed a child for adoption, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2008

 Mrs. Schmidt (for herself and Mr. Oberstar) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide 
services for birthparents who have placed a child for adoption, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Birthparent Assistance Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to enhance post-placement services for birthparents who 
        have placed a child for adoption;
            (2) to initiate or enhance post-placement counseling 
        services for birthparents who have placed a child for adoption; 
        and
            (3) to identify how post-placement services for 
        birthparents who have placed a child for adoption can be 
        improved.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF POST-ADOPTION SERVICES FOR BIRTHPARENTS.

    (a) Services Authorized.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall, either directly or by grant to or contract with the 
eligible entities described in subsection (b), provide services 
described in subsection (c) for birthparents who have placed a child 
for adoption.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--The eligible entities referred to in 
subsection (a) are States, local governmental entities, and public or 
private agencies or organizations, including public or private licensed 
child welfare or adoption agencies or adoptive family groups and faith-
based organizations.
    (c) Types of Services.--The types of services referred to in 
subsection (a) are--
            (1) post-legal adoption services for birthparents;
            (2) counseling services for birthparents who have placed a 
        child for adoption, including--
                    (A) individual counseling;
                    (B) group counseling; and
                    (C) family counseling;
            (3) establishment and operation of a nationally-available 
        hotline to--
                    (A) provide counseling services described in 
                paragraph (2) for birthparents; and
                    (B) provide other information relating to the 
                availability of post-adoption services and benefits for 
                birthparents, including contact information for post-
                adoption services and benefits provided by States and 
                local units of government, as appropriate; and
            (4) training of staff at hospitals and other appropriate 
        birth care facilities relating to interaction of such staff 
        with birthparents and adoptive families.
    (d) Application.--Each eligible entity referred to in subsection 
(a) that desires to receive a grant or enter into a contract with the 
Secretary under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the 
Secretary that describes the manner in which the entity will use funds 
under the grant or contract during the 3 fiscal years subsequent to the 
date of the application to accomplish the purposes of this section. 
Such application shall be in a form and manner determined to be 
appropriate by the Secretary.
    (e) Reports.--The Secretary shall require each eligible entity 
referred to in subsection (a) that receives a grant or enters into a 
contract with the Secretary under subsection (a) to submit to the 
Secretary a report on the services provided or activities carried out 
by the entity for each fiscal year for which the entity receives 
amounts under the grant or contract. The report shall contain such 
information as the Secretary determines is necessary to provide an 
accurate description of the services provided or activities carried out 
with such amounts.
    (f) Services To Supplement and Not Supplant.--Services provided 
under a grant or contract under subsection (a) shall supplement, and 
not supplant, services provided using any other funds made available 
for the same general purposes.
    (g) Technical Assistance and Administrative Provisions.--The 
Secretary shall--
            (1) provide technical assistance to eligible entities 
        referred to in subsection (a) that receive a grant or enter 
        into a contract with the Secretary under subsection (a) for 
        purposes of providing the services described in subsection (c);
            (2) as appropriate, coordinate the provision of services 
        described in subsection (c) with other adoption-related 
        research, training, services, and assistance activities carried 
        out by the Department of Health and Human Services; and
            (3) either directly, or by grant to or contract with a 
        public or private agency or organization--
                    (A) evaluate the implementation and effectiveness 
                of the provision of services described in subsection 
                (c) and other activities carried out under this 
                section;
                    (B) identify different post-placement services 
                provided for birthparents, the availability and 
                utilization of such services, and how post-placement 
                services might be improved; and
                    (C) not later than 3 years after the date of the 
                enactment of this Act, submit to Congress a report that 
                contains the results of the evaluation under 
                subparagraph (A) and the information described in 
                subparagraph (B).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--To carry out this Act, there are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services--
            (1) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
            (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal 
        years 2010 through 2013.
    (b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) are authorized to 
remain available until expended.
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