U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, and Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, have introduced the Voluntary Limited Accreditation for Adoption Services Act. The proposed legislation aims to address challenges in the international adoption process by offering new accreditation options for adoption agencies.
Senator Wicker stated, “Today, there are thousands of children around the world who are in need of loving families and permanent homes. Unfortunately, bureaucratic red tape makes the accreditations process difficult for international adoption agencies to obtain. The one-size-fits-all accreditation standard doesn’t work for children needing stability and international agencies who facilitate the adoption process. Our bill is pro-family and puts more children in loving homes.”
Senator Klobuchar added, “Local adoption agencies help children around the world find the loving homes they deserve. But too often, families struggle to find accredited adoption service providers to assist them through the process. By creating a new pathway for providers that offer critical services like background and home studies, our bipartisan legislation ensures that families have trusted local agencies to help them navigate the adoption process and give children safe, stable homes.”
Currently, federal regulations require organizations providing international adoption services to be accredited under a single standard. Lawmakers say this requirement creates additional hurdles for agencies trying to operate.
The Voluntary Limited Accreditation for Adoption Services Act would change this by modifying the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000. Under the new bill, agencies could seek voluntary limited accreditation specifically for performing background studies on children in outgoing cases; conducting home studies on prospective adoptive parents in incoming cases; and monitoring cases after child placement until final adoption—including preparing post-placement reports.
The full text of the legislation is available online.
