SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Adoption Promotion
Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) In 1997, the Congress passed the Adoption
and Safe Families Act of 1997 to promote com-
prehensive child welfare reform to ensure that con-
sideration of children’s safety is paramount in child
welfare decisions, and to provide a greater sense of
urgency to find every child a safe, permanent home.
(2) The Adoption and Safe Families Act of
1997 also created the Adoption Incentives program,
which authorizes incentive payments to States to
promote adoptions, with additional incentives pro-
vided for the adoption of foster children with special
needs.
(3) Since 1997, all States, the District of Co-
lumbia, and Puerto Rico have qualified for incentive
payments for their work in promoting adoption of
foster children.
(4) Between 1997 and 2002, adoptions in-
creased by 64 percent, and adoptions of children
with special needs increased by 63 percent; however,
542,000 children remain in foster care, and 126,000
are eligible for adoption.
(5) Although substantial progress has been
made to promote adoptions, attention should be fo-
cused on promoting adoption of older children. Re-
cent data suggest that half of the children waiting
to be adopted are age 9 or older.
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF ADOPTION INCENTIVE PAY-
MENTS PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 473A of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 673b) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) by striking paragraph (2) and insert-
ing the following:
‘‘(2)(A) the number of foster child adoptions in
the State during the fiscal year exceeds the base
number of foster child adoptions for the State for
the fiscal year; or
‘‘(B) the number of older child adoptions in the
State during the fiscal year exceeds the base number
of older child adoptions for the State for the fiscal
year;’’.
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and
2002’’ and inserting ‘‘through 2007’’; and
(C) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘2002’’
and inserting ‘‘2007’’;
(2) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (2)
and inserting the following:
‘‘(2) DETERMINATION OF NUMBERS OF ADOP-
TIONS
BASED
ON
AFCARS
DATA.—The Secretary
shall determine the numbers of foster child adop-
tions, of special needs adoptions that are not older
child adoptions, and of older child adoptions in a
State during each of fiscal years 2002 through
2007, for purposes of this section, on the basis of
data meeting the requirements of the system estab-
lished pursuant to section 479, as reported by the
State and approved by the Secretary by August 1 of
the succeeding fiscal year.’’;
(3) in subsection (d)(1)—
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking
‘‘and’’;
(B) in subparagraph (B)—
(i) by inserting ‘‘that are not older
child adoptions’’ after ‘‘adoptions’’ each
place it appears; and
(ii) by striking the period and insert-
ing ‘‘; and’’; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(C) $4,000, multiplied by the amount (if
any) by which the number of older child adop-
tions in the State during the fiscal year exceeds
the base number of older child adoptions for the
State for the fiscal year.’’;
(4) in subsection (g)—
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking subpara-
graphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following:
‘‘(A) with respect to fiscal year 2003, the
number of foster child adoptions in the State in
fiscal year 2002; and
‘‘(B) with respect to any subsequent fiscal
year, the number of foster child adoptions in
the State in the fiscal year for which the num-
ber is the greatest in the period that begins
with fiscal year 2002 and ends with the fiscal
year preceding that subsequent fiscal year.’’;
(B) in paragraph (4)—
(i) in the paragraph heading, by in-
serting ‘‘THAT
ARE
NOT
OLDER
CHILD
ADOPTIONS’’ after ‘‘ADOPTIONS’’; and
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (A) and
(B) and inserting the following:
‘‘(A) with respect to fiscal year 2003, the
number of special needs adoptions that are not
older child adoptions in the State in fiscal year
2002; and