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HR7236119th Congress

In Good Standing Adoption Agencies Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6]

Introduced

Summary

Creates a public national registry of licensed private child placement agencies and ties a portion of federal adoption and legal guardianship incentive payments to state reporting.

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It would require states to submit annual lists of private child placement agencies that are licensed, in good standing, and tax exempt under section 501(c)(3), and the Children's Bureau would compile the national list for public access.

  • States would have to send a list by January 1 each fiscal year showing licensed, in‑good‑standing, 501(c)(3) child placement agencies. Failure to comply would affect eligibility for Adoption and Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments.
  • Private child placement agencies that meet the licensing and tax‑exempt criteria would be included on the public registry. The legislation also directs states to report any disciplinary actions taken against agencies.
  • The Children's Bureau would publish the national list and provide Congress with annual reports that identify agencies not on the list and specify state disciplinary actions, giving prospective parents a single place to check agency status and penalties.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

New reporting and payment rules for adoption agencies

This bill would require each State with an approved plan to send the Secretary, by January 1 of each fiscal year, a list of private child placement agencies that were licensed or accredited and in good standing with the State as of the end of the prior fiscal year. The list must only include agencies that place children in prospective adoptive homes and are tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3). The Children's Bureau would compile and post a public national list and must report to Congress by the second December 31 after enactment, and every year after, showing agencies licensed by a State but missing from the national list and any state disciplinary actions. A State would have to have sent the required annual report for the previous fiscal year to be eligible for Adoption and Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments; failing to comply would make the State ineligible for those payments.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6]

IN • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11]

    PA • R

    Sponsored 2/10/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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