[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3551 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3551

 To modify the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to provide a limited 
     accreditation option for performing certain adoption services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 14, 2023

  Mr. Wicker (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To modify the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to provide a limited 
     accreditation option for performing certain adoption services.

    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 ``Voluntary Limited Accreditation for 
Adoption Services Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) prospective adoptive parents should receive high-
        quality services from experienced providers for their child 
        background studies, home studies, and post-placement reports;
            (2) the number of accredited adoption service providers is 
        declining in the United States, leading to fewer options of 
        accredited service providers;
            (3) some foreign countries, primary providers and many 
        adoptive families have a preference that only accredited 
        adoption service providers conduct intercountry home studies 
        and post-placement/post-adoption reporting, if required;
            (4) accreditation and approval helps to ensure compliance 
        with standards and requires accrediting entities to provide 
        oversight, enforcement, and data and report collection for 
        accredited and approved adoption service providers; and
            (5) United States intercountry adoption practices can be 
        enhanced by supporting an accreditation system that includes a 
        new, limited accreditation option for the provision of a 
        background study on a child, a home study on the prospective 
        adoptive parents, or a post-placement report, in addition to 
        current, comprehensive, mandatory accreditation for primary 
        providers.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION ACT OF 2000.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 3 of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 
2000 (42 U.S.C. 14902) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``or limited 
        accreditation'' after ``adoption services'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (13) through (17) as 
        paragraphs (14) through (18), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following:
            ``(13) Limited accreditation.--The term `limited 
        accreditation' means voluntary accreditation that is limited to 
        the provision of 1 or more of the following services:
                    ``(A) Performing a background study on a child in 
                an outgoing case and reporting on such a study.
                    ``(B) Performing a home study on a prospective 
                adoptive parent in an incoming case and reporting on 
                such a study.
                    ``(C) Monitoring a case after a child has been 
                placed with prospective adoptive parents until final 
                adoption, including preparing post-placement 
                reports.''.
    (b) Accreditation and Approval.--
            (1) In general.--Section 202(b)(1) of the Intercountry 
        Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14922(b)(1)) is amended to read 
        as follows:
            ``(1) Accreditation and approval.--Accreditation or limited 
        accreditation of agencies, and approval of persons, to provide 
        adoption services in the United States in cases subject to the 
        Convention or Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act 
        of 2012 (Public Law 112-276). At the time of initial or renewal 
        of accreditation or limited accreditation of agencies, and 
        approval of persons, the applying entity shall indicate whether 
        the entity seeks accreditation as--
                    ``(A) an accredited agency or approved person; or
                    ``(B) an agency with a limited accreditation.''.
            (2) Exemption from paperwork reduction act.--Section 503(c) 
        of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14953(c)) 
        is amended by inserting ``202(b)(1),'' after ``104,''.

SEC. 4. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.

    (a) In General.--Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 
Act may be construed to require that intercountry adoption service 
providers have a limited accreditation (as defined in section 3(13) of 
the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, as amended by section 3(a)(3)), 
to provide a home study on prospective adoptive parents pursuing an 
intercountry adoption.
    (b) Definition of Adoption Service.--Nothing in this Act or in the 
amendments made by this Act may be construed to modify the definition 
of ``adoption service'' under section 3 of the Intercountry Adoption 
Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14902).

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall take effect on the date that is 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>