Title: Adoption Opportunities Reauthorization Act of 2019
Policy area: Families

Summary:
Adoption Opportunities Reauthorization Act of 2019
This bill extends through FY2026 and revises programs that promote and facilitate state adoption services. Such programs include grants and technical assistance that focus on the placement of underserved or overrepresented youth in the child welfare system.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2969 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2969

                   To expand adoption opportunities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 3, 2019

Mr. Jones (for himself and Mr. Isakson) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                   To expand adoption opportunities.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Adoption Opportunities 
Reauthorization Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSE.

    Section 201 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and 
Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5111) is amended--
            (1) in the section, heading, by striking ``and declaration 
        of purpose'' and inserting ``, declaration of purpose, and 
        definition'';
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``2009, some 
                424,000'' and inserting ``2018, some 437,000'';
                    (B) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) by striking subparagraphs (A) through 
                        (D); and
                            (ii) by striking ``services because the 
                        children entering foster care--'' and inserting 
                        ``services;'';
                    (C) in paragraph (6)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``2009, there were 115,000'' and inserting 
                        ``2018, there were 125,000'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (C)--
                                    (I) in clause (i), by striking 
                                ``2009'' and inserting ``2018''; and
                                    (II) in clause (ii), by striking 
                                ``more than 8'' and inserting ``less 
                                than 8''; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (D)--
                                    (I) in clause (i)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``25 
                                        percent'' and inserting ``17 
                                        percent''; and
                                            (bb) by striking ``2009'' 
                                        and inserting ``2018''; and
                                    (II) in clause (ii)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``30 
                                        percent'' and inserting ``22 
                                        percent''; and
                                            (bb) by striking ``2009'' 
                                        and inserting ``2018''; and
                    (D) in paragraph (9)(B), by striking ``or 
                institutions'';
            (3) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by inserting ``children with 
                        disabilities, underserved or overrepresented 
                        children and youth in the child welfare 
                        system,'' after ``minority children,''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``including disabled 
                        infants with life-threatening conditions,'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) support the development and implementation of 
        evidence-based and evidence-informed post-legal adoption 
        services for families that adopt children in order to increase 
        permanency.''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Definition.--In this Act, the term `child with special needs' 
means a child with special needs as defined in section 473(c) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 673(c)).''.

SEC. 3. INFORMATION AND SERVICES.

    Section 203 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and 
Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5113) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``such purposes, including 
                services'' and all that follows through the period at 
                the end and inserting the following: ``such purposes, 
                including--
            ``(1) services to facilitate the adoption of older 
        children, minority children, children with disabilities, 
        underserved or overrepresented children and youth in the child 
        welfare system, and children with special needs;
            ``(2) services to families considering adoption of children 
        with special needs; and
            ``(3) post-legal adoption services for families to provide 
        permanent and caring home environments for children who would 
        benefit from adoption.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``on adoption, and'' and 
                        inserting ``on adoption, including the 
                        evaluation of training and accessible education 
                        materials;''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``; and update such 
                        training and education materials, as 
                        appropriate'' before the semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``children with 
                disabilities, underserved or overrepresented children 
                and youth in the child welfare system,'' after 
                ``minority children,'';
                    (C) in paragraph (7), by inserting ``children with 
                disabilities, underserved or overrepresented children 
                and youth in the child welfare system,'' after 
                ``minority children,'';
                    (D) in paragraph (9)(D)--
                            (i) by inserting ``and disseminate'' after 
                        ``identify''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``termination'' and 
                        inserting ``dissolution, and increase 
                        permanency, including related to pre- and post-
                        legal adoption services'';
                    (E) in paragraph (10)(A)--
                            (i) by redesignating clauses (iii) through 
                        (ix) as clauses (iv) through (x), respectively;
                            (ii) in clause (ii)--
                                    (I) by inserting ``, and finding 
                                such family and relatives willing to 
                                adopt such child to improve 
                                permanency'' before the semicolon; and
                                    (II) by striking ``such children, 
                                including developing'' and inserting 
                                ``such children;
                            ``(iii) developing'';
                            (iii) in clause (vi), as so redesignated, 
                        by inserting ``, including such groups for 
                        individuals who may enter into kinship 
                        caregiver arrangements'' before the semicolon;
                            (iv) in clause (ix), as so redesignated, by 
                        inserting ``, including such groups for kinship 
                        caregiver arrangements'' before the semicolon; 
                        and
                            (v) in clause (x), as so redesignated, by 
                        striking ``this Act'' and inserting ``this 
                        title''; and
                    (F) in paragraph (11)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by inserting ``Tribes or Tribal 
                        organizations,'' after ``States,'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; 
                        and'' and inserting a semicolon;
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
                        period and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iv) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) procedures to identify and support potential 
                kinship care arrangements.'';
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``post legal 
                adoption'' and inserting ``post-legal adoption''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(G), by inserting ``, including 
                such parents, children, and siblings in kinship care 
                arrangements'' before the semicolon;
            (4) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``and 
                Improving Post-Legal Adoption Support Services'' after 
                ``Care'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``including 
                through the improvement of post-legal adoption 
                services,'' after ``free for adoption,'';
                    (C) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) in clause (i), by inserting ``, 
                                including plans to assess the need for 
                                and provide, as appropriate, post-legal 
                                adoption services in order to improve 
                                permanency'' before the semicolon;
                                    (II) in clause (ii), by inserting 
                                ``children with disabilities, 
                                underserved or overrepresented children 
                                and youth in the child welfare 
                                system,'' after ``minority children,'';
                                    (III) in clause (iii), by striking 
                                ``programs and methods'' and inserting 
                                ``programs supported under this 
                                subsection, including methods''; and
                                    (IV) in clause (iv), by striking 
                                ``section 473 of the Social Security 
                                Act (42 U.S.C. 673)'' and inserting 
                                ``subpart B of part B of title IV of 
                                the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629 
                                et seq.) and part E of such title IV 
                                (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.)''; and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) in clause (i), by inserting 
                                ``children with disabilities, 
                                underserved or overrepresented children 
                                and youth in the child welfare 
                                system,'' after ``minority children,''; 
                                and
                                    (II) in clause (ii), by striking 
                                ``successful'' and inserting 
                                ``evidence-based and evidence-
                                informed''; and
                    (D) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ``Payments 
                under this subsection shall begin during fiscal year 
                1989.''; and
            (5) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ``, such as through 
        the use of an electronic interstate case processing system'' 
        before the period.

SEC. 4. REPORTS.

    The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 
1978 is amended by striking section 204 (42 U.S.C. 5114) and inserting 
the following:

``SEC. 204. REPORTS.

    ``(a) Report on the Outcomes of Individuals Who Were Adopted From 
Foster Care.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the 
Adoption Opportunities Reauthorization Act of 2019, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives a report on research regarding the outcomes of 
individuals who were adopted from foster care as children.
    ``(b) Report on Adoption Disruption and Dissolution.--No later than 
18 months after the date of enactment of the Adoption Opportunities 
Reauthorization Act of 2019, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 
the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a 
report on children who enter into foster care under the supervision of 
a State after prior finalization of an adoption or legal guardianship, 
including cases involving adoption of foster youth. The Secretary shall 
include in such report information, to the extent that such information 
is available, regarding the incidence of adoption disruption and 
dissolution and factors associated with such circumstances, including 
whether affected individuals received pre- or post-legal adoption 
services.''.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 205 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and 
Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5115) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``$40,000,000'' and all 
        that follows through ``2015'' and inserting ``such sums as may 
        be necessary for fiscal years 2020 through 2026''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``30 percent'' and 
        inserting ``35 percent''.
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