I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1475 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and nation-
ally disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to promote 
understanding about sensitivities regarding adoption in the health care 
industry, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 8, 2023 
Mr. SMUCKER (for himself and Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
develop and nationally disseminate accurate, relevant, 
and accessible resources to promote understanding about 
sensitivities regarding adoption in the health care indus-
try, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hospital Adoption 
Education Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) 24 percent of Americans say that they have 
considered adopting a child. 
(2) 81 percent of birth parents report that easy 
access to objective information is important to them 
when making the decision to choose adoption. 
(3) 93 percent of Americans consider hospitals 
and health care facilities to be trustworthy sources 
of information about adoption. 
(4) 98.2 percent of nurses have no professional 
development in the sensitivities around adoption. 
(5) Only 4 percent of women with unintended 
pregnancies place their children through adoption. 
SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF ADOPTION 
RESOURCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services— 
(1) shall develop and nationally disseminate ac-
curate, relevant, and accessible resources to promote 
understanding about— 
(A) the sensitivities regarding adoption in 
the health care industry; and 
(B) best practices when interacting with 
prospective birth mothers and adoptive families; 
and 
(2) in carrying out paragraph (1)— 
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(A) shall include digital resources; and 
(B) may include other types of resources, 
such as print resources. 
(b) ONLINE ADOPTION RESOURCES FOR HEALTH 
CARE WORKERS.—The Secretary shall maintain on the 
public website of the Administration for Children and 
Families a webpage on adoption resources for health care 
workers to improve the awareness and understanding of 
such workers regarding adoption. 
(c) DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.— 
(1) COMMITTEE.—The Secretary shall develop 
the resources required by subsections (a) and (b) 
through a committee of adoption experts. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The membership of the 
committee referred to in paragraph (1) shall in-
clude— 
(A) representatives of organizations in-
volved in adoption education; 
(B) maternal health experts; 
(C) child welfare experts; 
(D) licensed social workers; 
(E) hospital case managers; and 
(F) adoption attorneys. 
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SEC. 4. EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
FOR CARE PROVIDERS REGARDING PATIENT 
CARE FOR FAMILIES PURSUING ADOPTION, 
INCLUDING PROSPECTIVE BIRTH MOTHERS 
AND POTENTIAL ADOPTIVE FAMILIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 
Administration for Children and Families, directly or 
through grants or contracts in accordance with subsection 
(b), shall— 
(1) provide to care providers at hospitals and 
birthing centers education and professional develop-
ment regarding patient care for families pursuing 
adoption, including prospective birth mothers and 
potential adoptive families; and 
(2) provide consultation services to hospitals 
and birthing centers employing care providers on 
standardized policies, guidelines, and procedures re-
garding such education and professional development 
for such care providers 
(b) GRANTS OR CONTRACTS.—If the Secretary choos-
es to provide education, professional development, or con-
sultation services under subsection (a) through the award 
of a grant or contract, the following provisions shall apply: 
(1) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for such an 
award, an entity— 
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(A) shall be a health care-based education 
organization that focuses on adoption; and 
(B) shall not— 
(i) be a child-placing agency; or 
(ii) provide or refer for abortions. 
(2) APPLICATION.—To seek such an award, an 
eligible entity shall submit an application to the Sec-
retary at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information and assurances as the Secretary 
may require. 
(3) PERIOD.—The period of such an award 
shall not exceed 3 fiscal years. 
(4) REPORTS.—As a condition on receipt of 
such an award, an eligible entity shall agree to sub-
mit to the Secretary each fiscal year a report on the 
activities carried out through the award. Each such 
report shall include such information as the Sec-
retary determines is necessary to provide an accu-
rate description of such activities. 
(5) SUPPLEMENT
NOT
SUPPLANT.—Activities 
carried out using funds made available through such 
an award shall supplement, and not supplant, activi-
ties carried out using other funds made available 
from the Federal Government or other sources. 
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(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; COORDINATION.—The 
Secretary shall— 
(1) provide technical assistance to eligible enti-
ties regarding activities carried out through an 
award under this section; and 
(2) as appropriate, coordinate the provision of 
education, professional development, and consulta-
tion services under subsection (a) with other adop-
tion-related research, professional development, serv-
ices, and assistance activities carried out by the De-
partment of Health and Human Services. 
(d) EVALUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall evaluate 
the implementation and effectiveness of the activities 
carried out (directly or through grants or contracts) 
under this section, including by calculating— 
(A) the number of hospitals and birthing 
centers that implement adoption-sensitive pro-
gramming and education and professional devel-
opment as a result of the activities under this 
section; and 
(B) the number of care providers who re-
ceive adoption education or professional devel-
opment as a result of the activities under this 
section. 
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(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 3 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall complete the evaluation under para-
graph (1) and submit to the Congress a report that 
contains the results of such evaluation, including the 
calculations under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 
paragraph (1). 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘birth mother’’ means a woman 
who places her baby with the adoptive parents and 
terminates parental rights. 
(2) The term ‘‘care provider’’ includes any 
health care personnel (including bedside staff) and 
ancillary staff who have contact in a hospital or 
birthing center with expectant mothers, birth moth-
ers, and potential adoptive families. 
(3) The term ‘‘child-placing agency’’ means a 
business or service conducted, maintained, or oper-
ated by a person engaged in finding homes for new-
born infants by placing, or arranging for the place-
ment of, such newborn infants for adoption or foster 
care. 
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(4) The term ‘‘potential adoptive family’’ means 
one or more individuals who are actively seeking to 
adopt a child. 
(5) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
To carry out this Act, there is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
$5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2023 through 
2026. 
Æ 
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