I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3690 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide services 
for birthmothers who are placing or have placed a child for adoption, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2019 
Mr. SMUCKER 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 birthmothers who are placing or 
have placed a child for adoption, 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 ‘‘Improving Adoption 
Outcomes and Affordability Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF PRE-ADOPTION SERVICES FOR 
BIRTHMOTHERS. 
(a) SERVICES
AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of 
Health and Human Services (in this section referred to 
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as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall, either directly or by grant to 
or contract with the eligible entities described in sub-
section (b), provide services described in subsection (c) for 
birthmothers who are placing a child for adoption. 
(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The eligible entities re-
ferred to in subsection (a) are States, local governmental 
entities, and public or private agencies or organizations, 
including public or private licensed child welfare or adop-
tion agencies or adoptive family groups and faith-based 
organizations. 
(c) TYPES OF SERVICES.—The types of services re-
ferred to in subsection (a) are— 
(1) counseling services for birthmothers who are 
placing or have placed a child for adoption, includ-
ing— 
(A) individual counseling; 
(B) mental health counseling; and 
(C) substance abuse counseling; 
(2) provide information relating to the avail-
ability of post-adoption services and benefits for 
birthmothers, including contact information for post- 
adoption services and benefits provided by States 
and local units of government, as appropriate; and 
(3) training of staff at hospitals and other ap-
propriate birth care facilities relating to interaction 
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of such staff with birthmothers and adoptive fami-
lies. 
(d) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity referred to in 
subsection (a) that desires to receive a grant or enter into 
a contract with the Secretary under subsection (a) shall 
submit an application to the Secretary that describes the 
manner in which the entity will use funds under the grant 
or contract during the 3 fiscal years subsequent to the 
date of the application to accomplish the purposes of this 
section. Such application shall be submitted in a form and 
manner determined to be appropriate by the Secretary. 
(e) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall require each eli-
gible entity referred to in subsection (a) that receives a 
grant or enters into a contract with the Secretary under 
subsection (a) to submit to the Secretary a report on the 
services provided or activities carried out by the entity for 
each fiscal year for which the entity receives amounts 
under the grant or contract. The report shall contain such 
information as the Secretary determines is necessary to 
provide an accurate description of the services provided 
or activities carried out with such amounts. 
(f) SERVICES TO SUPPLEMENT
AND NOT SUP-
PLANT.—Services provided under a grant or contract 
under subsection (a) shall supplement, and not supplant, 
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