Title: Improving Adoption Outcomes and Affordability Act of 2021
Policy area: Families

Summary:
Improving Adoption Outcomes and Affordability Act of 2021
This bill requires the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to provide counseling services for mothers who are considering placing or have placed a child for adoption. The ACF also must provide training for hospital staff and postadoption or postplacement support services.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2375 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2375

  To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide 
services for mothers who are considering placing or have placed a child 
                 for adoption, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 5, 2021

Mr. Smucker (for himself, Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Moore of Utah) 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 mothers who are considering placing or have placed a child 
                 for adoption, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Improving Adoption Outcomes and 
Affordability Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF PRE-ADOPTION SERVICES FOR MOTHERS CONSIDERING 
              ADOPTION.

    (a) Services Authorized.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services acting through the Administration for Children and Families 
(in this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), either directly or 
by grant to or contract with eligible entities described in subsection 
(b), shall provide services described in subsection (c) for mothers who 
are considering placing or have placed a child for adoption.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--The eligible entities referred to in 
subsection (a) are States, local governmental entities, and public or 
private agencies or organizations, including public or private licensed 
child welfare or adoption agencies and faith-based organizations, 
focused on adoption services or education in health care to promote 
hospital-based programming.
    (c) Types of Services.--The types of services referred to in 
subsection (a) are--
            (1) counseling services for mothers who are considering 
        placing or have placed a child for adoption, including--
                    (A) individual and support group counseling;
                    (B) mental health counseling;
                    (C) substance abuse counseling; and
                    (D) grief counseling;
            (2) providing post-adoption or post-placement support 
        services and benefits for mothers, including support groups or 
        retreats, licensed professional counseling, complementary or 
        alternative therapy, and workforce or educational development 
        training, as appropriate; and
            (3) training of staff at hospitals and other appropriate 
        birth care facilities relating to interaction of such staff 
        with families pursuing adoption, including both expectant 
        mothers and potential adoptive families.
    (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 eligible 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 Supplant.--Services provided 
under a grant or contract under subsection (a) shall supplement, and 
not supplant, services provided using any other funds made available 
for the same general purposes.
    (g) Technical Assistance and Administrative Provisions.--The 
Secretary shall--
            (1) provide technical assistance to eligible entities 
        referred to in subsection (a) that receive a grant or enter 
        into a contract with the Secretary under subsection (a) for 
        purposes of providing the services described in subsection (c);
            (2) as appropriate, coordinate the provision of services 
        described in subsection (c) with other adoption-related 
        research, training, services, and assistance activities carried 
        out by the Department of Health and Human Services; and
            (3) either directly, or by grant to or contract with a 
        public or private agency or organization--
                    (A) evaluate the implementation and effectiveness 
                of the provision of services described in subsection 
                (c) and other activities carried out under this 
                section;
                    (B) identify different pre-placement services 
                provided for mothers, the availability and utilization 
                of such services, and how pre-placement services might 
                be improved; and
                    (C) not later than 3 years after the date of the 
                enactment of this Act, submit to Congress a report that 
                contains the results of the evaluation under 
                subparagraph (A) and the information described in 
                subparagraph (B).

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--To carry out this Act, there are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services--
            (1) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
            (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
        2023 through 2026.
    (b) Allocation.--Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated by 
subsection (a) for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026--
            (1) \2/3\ of such amounts shall be used for services 
        described in subsection (c) in connection with prenatal care; 
        and
            (2) \1/3\ of such amounts shall be used for services 
        described in subsection (c) in connection with post-adoption or 
        post-placement services.
    (c) Applicability of Certain Provisions.--Sections 506 and 507 of 
division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 
116-260) shall apply with respect to funds made available for any 
fiscal year to carry out this Act to the same extent and in the same 
manner as such sections 506 and 507 apply with respect to funds 
appropriated for fiscal year 2021 to the Department of Health and Human 
Services by such division H.
    (d) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) are authorized to 
remain available until expended.
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