# 119-hr-5492: PAAF Act

119-hr-5492, PAAF Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA); status introduced (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5492
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5492
- Congress: 119
- Title: PAAF Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-18
- Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 29
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Creates three pathways for automatic U.S. citizenship for children internationally adopted by U.S. citizens.** It would let adopted people either already living in the United States or still abroad become citizens under clear, separate rules and adds criminal screening for certain foreign cases. - U.S. citizen parents: Keeps the existing naturalization route for adopted children who meet current legal definitions, and it applies that route regardless of when the adoption was finalized. - Adopted children living in the U.S.: People born abroad who were adopted before age 18 and were lawfully admitted and living in the legal custody of their U.S. parent would automatically become U.S. citizens if they had not already acquired citizenship before enactment. - Adopted children living abroad: Those who meet the same criteria except U.S. residence would become citizens when they are lawfully admitted and physically present in the United States. Grounds of inadmissibility under section 212(a) would not apply to these admission requests. - Background checks and coordination: For the foreign pathway a visa cannot be issued until a criminal background check is completed, and unresolved crimes must trigger coordination between the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, and law enforcement to address the issue.

## Cosponsors (29)

- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2025-09-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8] (D-MD), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Franklin, Scott [R-FL-18] (R-FL), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (R-PA), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (R-MN), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3] (R-NE), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hill, J. French [R-AR-2] (R-AR), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hinson, Ashley [R-IA-2] (R-IA), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Conaway, Herbert C. [D-NJ-3] (D-NJ), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huizenga, Bill [R-MI-4] (R-MI), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (D-CA), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-1] (R-AZ), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott [D-IL-10] (D-IL), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11] (R-PA), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1] (R-MN), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4] (R-IN), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Automatic citizenship for international adoptees: benefit, high. This bill would let many internationally adopted people gain automatic U.S. citizenship. It would apply the existing child citizenship rule to adopted kids who meet federal adoption rules, no matter when the adoption was finalized. If you were born abroad and adopted by a U.S. citizen before 18, yo…
- Easier entry and background checks for adoptees: mixed, medium. If you qualify under the foreign pathway, usual inadmissibility bars would not apply when you seek entry. You would need a criminal background check to get a visa. If the check finds an unresolved crime, Homeland Security and State would work with law enforcement to resolve it first. These rules wo…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5492 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5492)

## Related
- [119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8800)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4382)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5492 (as of 2026-09-21).