[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2892 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2892
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and
nationally disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to
promote understanding about sensitivities regarding adoption in the
health care industry, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 10, 2025
Mr. Smucker (for himself, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, and Mr. Kelly of
Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and
nationally disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to
promote understanding about sensitivities regarding adoption in the
health care industry, 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 ``Hospital Adoption Education Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) 24 percent of Americans say that they have considered
adopting a child.
(2) 80 percent of women who consider adoption do so after
their sixth month of pregnancy.
(3) 81 percent of birth parents report that easy access to
objective information is important to them when making the
decision to choose adoption.
(4) 93 percent of Americans consider hospitals and health
care facilities to be trustworthy sources of information about
adoption.
(5) 98.2 percent of nurses have no professional development
in the sensitivities around adoption.
(6) Less than 1 percent of women with unintended
pregnancies place their children through adoption.
SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF ADOPTION RESOURCES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services--
(1) shall develop and nationally disseminate accurate,
relevant, and accessible resources to promote understanding
about--
(A) the sensitivities regarding adoption in the
health care industry; and
(B) best practices when interacting with
prospective birth mothers and adoptive families; and
(2) in carrying out paragraph (1)--
(A) shall include digital resources; and
(B) may include other types of resources, such as
print resources.
(b) Online Adoption Resources for Health Care Workers.--The
Secretary shall maintain on the public website of the Administration
for Children and Families a webpage on adoption resources for health
care workers to improve the awareness and understanding of such workers
regarding adoption.
(c) Development Process.--
(1) Committee.--The Secretary shall develop the resources
required by subsections (a) and (b) through a committee of
adoption experts.
(2) Membership.--The membership of the committee referred
to in paragraph (1) shall include--
(A) representatives of organizations involved in
adoption education;
(B) maternal health experts;
(C) child welfare experts;
(D) licensed social workers;
(E) hospital case managers; and
(F) adoption attorneys.
SEC. 4. EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR CARE PROVIDERS
REGARDING PATIENT CARE FOR FAMILIES PURSUING ADOPTION,
INCLUDING PROSPECTIVE BIRTH MOTHERS AND POTENTIAL
ADOPTIVE FAMILIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administration
for Children and Families, directly or through grants or contracts in
accordance with subsection (b), shall--
(1) provide to care providers at hospitals and birthing
centers education and professional development regarding
patient care for families pursuing adoption, including
prospective birth mothers and potential adoptive families; and
(2) provide consultation services to hospitals and birthing
centers employing care providers on standardized policies,
guidelines, and procedures regarding such education and
professional development for such care providers.
(b) Grants or Contracts.--If the Secretary chooses to provide
education, professional development, or consultation services under
subsection (a) through the award of a grant or contract, the following
provisions shall apply:
(1) Eligibility.--To be eligible for such an award, an
entity--
(A) shall--
(i) be a health care-based, nonprofit
education organization that focuses on
adoption;
(ii) partner with healthcare professionals,
hospitals, birthing centers, and community
organizations to implement patient-centered
care models;
(iii) emphasize holistic parenting support
in the perinatal setting; and
(iv) have demonstrated experience providing
non-directive education to healthcare
professionals supporting expectant parents
considering adoption, parenting, and kinship
care;
(B) shall not--
(i) be or represent a child-placing agency;
(ii) provide or refer for abortions; or
(iii) hold any other vested interest in a
particular pregnancy outcome.
(2) Application.--To seek such an award, an eligible entity
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information and assurances as
the Secretary may require.
(3) Period.--The period of such an award shall not exceed 3
fiscal years.
(4) Reports.--As a condition on receipt of such an award,
an eligible entity shall agree to submit to the Secretary each
fiscal year a report on the activities carried out through the
award. Each such report shall include such information as the
Secretary determines is necessary to provide an accurate
description of such activities.
(5) Supplement not supplant.--Activities carried out using
funds made available through such an award shall supplement,
and not supplant, activities carried out using other funds made
available from the Federal Government or other sources.
(c) Technical Assistance; Coordination.--The Secretary shall--
(1) provide technical assistance to eligible entities
regarding activities carried out through an award under this
section; and
(2) as appropriate, coordinate the provision of education,
professional development, and consultation services under
subsection (a) with other adoption-related research,
professional development, services, and assistance activities
carried out by the Department of Health and Human Services.
(d) Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall evaluate the
implementation and effectiveness of the activities carried out
(directly or through grants or contracts) under this section,
including by calculating--
(A) the number of hospitals and birthing centers
that implement adoption-sensitive programming and
education and professional development as a result of
the activities under this section; and
(B) the number of care providers who receive
adoption education or professional development as a
result of the activities under this section.
(2) Report to congress.--Not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete the
evaluation under paragraph (1) and submit to the Congress a
report that contains the results of such evaluation, including
the calculations under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph
(1).
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``birth mother'' means a woman who places her
baby with the adoptive parents and terminates parental rights.
(2) The term ``care provider'' includes any health care
personnel (including bedside staff) and ancillary staff who
have contact in a hospital or birthing center with expectant
mothers, birth mothers, and potential adoptive families.
(3) The term ``child-placing agency'' means a business or
service conducted, maintained, or operated by a person engaged
in finding homes for newborn infants by placing, or arranging
for the placement of, such newborn infants for adoption or
foster care.
(4) The term ``potential adoptive family'' means one or
more individuals who are actively seeking to adopt a child.
(5) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
To carry out this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated to
the Secretary of Health and Human Services $5,000,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2026 through 2029.
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