Bills · S 3285
IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS
Senate BillS 3285Crime and Law Enforcement
ADOPT Act of 2025
INTRO DEC 1· LAST ACTION DEC 1
READING
8MIN
COSPONSORS
7BIPARTISAN
READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL
NO VOTES YET · BE THE FIRST
- Introduced only
LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS
STEP 2 / 8Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed Senate
Passed House
Conference
To President
Became Law
WHAT THE BILL DOES
AI-writtenThis bill matters because it addresses concerns about exploitation and fraud within the private adoption system, particularly when adoptions involve families or birth parents across different states where regulations can be inconsistent or lacking. Currently, some unregulated individuals or groups act as intermediaries, which can sometimes lead to unethical practices, scams, or undue pressure on birth parents. If this bill becomes law, it would bring federal oversight and criminal penalties to these practices, aiming to make the adoption process safer and more transparent for everyone involved. Without it, the risks associated with unregulated intermediaries and financial transactions in private interstate adoptions could continue.
KEY PROVISIONS
4AI-extractedPROVISION 01
Creates a new federal crime for providing 'adoption intermediary services' (acting as a paid go-between for birth parents and adoptive parents) if not a licensed agency or attorney.
This directly targets and criminalizes the activities of unlicensed middlemen in interstate adoptions.
PROVISION 02
Establishes a new federal crime for 'adoption advertising' (paid solicitations for adoptive or birth parents) by anyone who is not a licensed agency or attorney in the state where the ad appears.
This aims to control how adoption opportunities are advertised and prevent false or misleading solicitations by unregulated parties.
PROVISION 03
Makes it a federal crime to provide more than $2,500 in value (money, property, services) to a birth parent in connection with an adoption before they have consulted with a licensed agency or attorney.
This provision is designed to prevent potential coercion or undue financial influence on birth parents during the adoption process.
PROVISION 04
Explicitly exempts public child-placing agencies, private licensed child-placing agencies, certain 501(c)(3) organizations under contract, and licensed attorneys from these new criminal offenses.
This clarifies that legitimate, regulated adoption professionals can continue their work without penalty, focusing the law on unlicensed actors.
SPONSORSHIP
1 + 7
D· Minnesota
YRS IN OFFICE
19
BILLS LED
95
COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 57%
DEM 2 REP 5 IND 0
ACTION TIMELINE
2 EVENTSDEC 1
Introduced in Senate
DEC 1
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
BILL INFO
TypeSenate Bill
NumberS 3285
Congress119th
StatusIn Committee
IntroducedDec 1, 2025
Last actionDec 1, 2025
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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · JUDICIARY COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED DEC 1, 2025
Senate BillS 3285Crime and Law Enforcement
ADOPT Act of 2025
INTRODUCED DEC 1, 2025· LAST ACTION DEC 1, 2025
PASSAGE CHANCES
—%
READING
8 min
COSPONSORS
7
COMPLEXITY
Moderate
