I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1505 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide services 

for birth parents who have placed a child for adoption, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 12, 2009 

Mrs. SCHMIDT (for herself and Mr. OBERSTAR) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

to provide services for birth parents who have placed 

a child for adoption, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Birth Parent Assist5 ance Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act are— 

8 (1) to enhance post-placement services for birth 

9 parents who have placed a child for adoption; 


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1 (2) to initiate or enhance post-placement coun2 seling services for birth parents who have placed a 

3 child for adoption; and 

4 (3) to identify how post-placement services for 

5 birth parents who have placed a child for adoption 

6 can be improved. 

7 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF POST-ADOPTION SERVICES 

8 FOR BIRTH PARENTS. 

9 (a) SERVICES AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of 

10 Health and Human Services shall, either directly or by 

11 grant to or contract with the eligible entities described in 

12 subsection (b), provide services described in subsection (c) 

13 for birth parents who have placed a child for adoption. 

14 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The eligible entities re15 ferred to in subsection (a) are States, local governmental 

16 entities, and public or private agencies or organizations, 

17 including public or private licensed child welfare or adop18 tion agencies or adoptive family groups and faith-based 

19 organizations. 

20 (c) TYPES OF SERVICES.—The types of services re21 ferred to in subsection (a) are— 

22 (1) post-legal adoption services for birth par23 ents; 

24 (2) counseling services for birth parents who 

25 have placed a child for adoption, including— 


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1 (A) individual counseling; 

2 (B) group counseling; and 

3 (C) family counseling; and 

4 (3) training of mental health professionals, so5 cial workers, and staff at hospitals and other appro6 priate birth care facilities relating to interaction of 

7 such individuals with birth parents and adoptive 

8 families. 

9 (d) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity referred to in 

10 subsection (a) that desires to receive a grant or enter into 

11 a contract with the Secretary under subsection (a) shall 

12 submit an application to the Secretary that describes the 

13 manner in which the entity will use funds under the grant 

14 or contract during the 3 fiscal years subsequent to the 

15 date of the application to accomplish the purposes of this 

16 section. Such application shall be in a form and manner 

17 determined to be appropriate by the Secretary. 

18 (e) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall require each eli19 gible entity referred to in subsection (a) that receives a 

20 grant or enters into a contract with the Secretary under 

21 subsection (a) to submit to the Secretary a report on the 

22 services provided or activities carried out by the entity for 

23 each fiscal year for which the entity receives amounts 

24 under the grant or contract. The report shall contain such 

25 information as the Secretary determines is necessary to 


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1 provide an accurate description of the services provided 

2 or activities carried out with such amounts. 

3 (f) SERVICES TO SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUP4 PLANT.—Services provided under a grant or contract 

5 under subsection (a) shall supplement, and not supplant, 

6 services provided using any other funds made available for 

7 the same general purposes. 

8 (g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE

9 PROVISIONS.—The Secretary shall— 

10 (1) provide technical assistance to eligible enti11 ties referred to in subsection (a) that receive a grant 

12 or enter into a contract with the Secretary under 

13 subsection (a) for purposes of providing the services 

14 described in subsection (c); 

15 (2) as appropriate, coordinate the provision of 

16 services described in subsection (c) with other adop17 tion-related research, training, services, and assist18 ance activities carried out by the Department of 

19 Health and Human Services; and 

20 (3) either directly, or by grant to or contract 

21 with a public or private agency or organization— 

22 (A) evaluate the implementation and effec23 tiveness of the provision of services described in 

24 subsection (c) and other activities carried out 

25 under this section; 


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1 (B) identify different post-placement serv2 ices provided for birth parents, the availability 

3 and utilization of such services, and how post4 placement services might be improved; and 

5 (C) not later than 3 years after the date 

6 of the enactment of this Act, submit to Con7 gress a report that contains the results of the 

8 evaluation under subparagraph (A) and the in9 formation described in subparagraph (B). 

10 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this Act, there are 

12 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health 

13 and Human Services— 

14 (1) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and 

15 (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of 

16 the fiscal years 2011 through 2014. 

17 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant 

18 to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) 

19 are authorized to remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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