H.R. 6700House118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

Adoption Counts Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 1:35 PM UTC

The Adoption Counts Act requires the Children’s Bureau to gather and keep data on every private adoption finalized in a state. States must submit an annual report to the Bureau with details about each adoption. The law aims to improve adoption statistics and oversight for children, families, and policymakers.

Key Provisions

Amends the Social Security Act to add a new compliance requirement: a state is not considered compliant unless each court that finalized a private adoption in the prior year submits a detailed report to the Children’s Bureau.
The required report must list each adoptee’s age category (under 1, 1‑3, 3‑18, or 18+).
For adoptees under 18, the report must note whether the adoptive parents are a step‑parent, relative, legal guardian, or none; whether the child was born via gestational surrogacy; whether the adoption involved an international placement or guardianship; and, at the court’s option, the child’s race.
The reporting requirement takes effect on the first calendar year after the Act is enacted.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.

Work and Welfare Subcommittee

December 17, 2024

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

December 11, 2023

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Ways and Means Committee

December 11, 2023

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.

Work and Welfare Subcommittee

December 17, 2024

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued December 11, 2023

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 6700

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 11, 2023

Mr. Lamborn introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL

To require the Children’s Bureau to collect and maintain information regarding all private adoptions, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Adoption Counts Act.

Adoption statistics

(a)

In general

Section 473A(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 673b(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(4)

Additional requirement

(A)

In general

Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a State shall not be considered to be in compliance with this subsection for a fiscal year if any court of the State that finalized the adoption of a person pursuant to a voluntary consent or relinquishment in the calendar year ending in the preceding fiscal year has not submitted to the Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services the report described in subparagraph (B) for the calendar year.

(B)

Report

The report described in this subparagraph for a calendar year is a report that contains the following information about each adoption referred to in subparagraph (A) finalized by the court in the calendar year:

(i)

Whether the person at the time of the adoption was less than 1 year of age, not less than 1 year of age and less than 3 years of age, not less than 3 years of age and less than 18 years of age, or not less than 18 years of age.

(ii)

In the case that the person at the time of the adoption was less than 18 years of age—

(I)

Whether the person was adopted by a step-parent, relative, or legal guardian of the child, or none of the foregoing.

(II)

Whether the person was born as a result of gestational surrogacy.

(III)

Whether the adoptive parents of the person had been given custody of the child through an international adoption placement or international guardianship.

(IV)

At the option of the court, the race of the person.

(b)

Effective date

The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the 1st day of the 1st calendar year that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act.