H.R. 6170: ADOPT Act of 2025

Private adoption in the U.S. runs through a patchwork of state rules. Some states let unlicensed facilitators charge fees to connect expectant parents with adoptive families; others ban it. Families and birth parents regularly cross those lines through websites, phone calls, and wire transfers.

H.R. 6170, the ADOPT Act, sets one federal floor. The bill states its purpose as protecting families from "exploitation by unlicensed adoption intermediaries" and preventing "the commodification of children."

If you are paid to connect a birth parent with an adoptive family, you would need to be a licensed agency, a licensed attorney, or another exempt provider — or face federal prosecution. The exempt list covers public child welfare agencies, state-licensed private agencies, nonprofits working under contract with a public agency, attorneys licensed in the state where the work happens, and accredited intercountry adoption providers.

Paid adoption ads get the same treatment. A billboard, search ad, magazine notice, or social post soliciting birth parents or adoptive parents would be off-limits unless placed by an exempt provider licensed where the ad appears. So would ads offering to cover a birth parent's living or medical expenses.

The third rule is about money arriving early. Giving more than $2,500 in cash, housing, services, or medical care to or for a placing parent — before that parent has consulted a licensed agency or attorney in their own state — would be a crime. Payments made by or in cooperation with a licensed agency, a licensed attorney, or a public assistance program are exempt.

The federal hook is broad: travel, phone, internet, electronic payment, or any conduct inside U.S. territory can qualify. States could still pass stricter rules, and the Indian Child Welfare Act is left untouched. The law would take effect 120 days after enactment.