January 15, 2026
Mr. Wicker (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
To modify the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to provide a limited accreditation option for performing certain adoption services.
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 Voluntary Limited Accreditation for Adoption Services Act
.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)
prospective adoptive parents should receive high-quality services from experienced providers for their child background studies, home studies, and post-placement reports;
(2)
the number of accredited adoption service providers is declining in the United States, leading to fewer options of accredited service providers;
(3)
some foreign countries, primary providers and many adoptive families have a preference that only accredited adoption service providers conduct intercountry home studies and post-placement/post-adoption reporting, if required;
(4)
accreditation and approval helps to ensure compliance with standards and requires accrediting entities to provide oversight, enforcement, and data and report collection for accredited and approved adoption service providers; and
(5)
United States intercountry adoption practices can be enhanced by supporting an accreditation system that includes a new, limited accreditation option for the provision of a background study on a child, a home study on the prospective adoptive parents, or a post-placement report, in addition to current, comprehensive, mandatory accreditation for primary providers.
Sec. 3. Amendments to the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000
(a) Definitions
Section 3 of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14902) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (1), by inserting or limited accreditation
after adoption services
;
(2)
by redesignating paragraphs (13) through (17) as paragraphs (14) through (18), respectively; and
(3)
by inserting after paragraph (12) the following:
(13) Limited accreditation
The term limited accreditation means voluntary accreditation that is limited to the provision of 1 or more of the following services:
(A)
Performing a background study on a child in an outgoing case and reporting on such a study.
(B)
Performing a home study on a prospective adoptive parent in an incoming case and reporting on such a study.
(C)
Monitoring a case after a child has been placed with prospective adoptive parents until final adoption, including preparing post-placement reports.
(b) Accreditation and approval
(1) In general
Section 202(b)(1) of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14922(b)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
(1) Accreditation and approval
Accreditation or limited accreditation of agencies, and approval of persons, to provide adoption services in the United States in cases subject to the Convention or Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–276). At the time of initial or renewal of accreditation or limited accreditation of agencies, and approval of persons, the applying entity shall indicate whether the entity seeks accreditation as—
(A)
an accredited agency or approved person; or
(B)
an agency with a limited accreditation.
(2) Exemption from paperwork reduction act
Section 503(c) of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14953(c)) is amended by inserting 202(b)(1),
after 104,
.
Sec. 4. Rules of construction
(a) In general
Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act may be construed to require that intercountry adoption service providers have a limited accreditation (as defined in section 3(13) of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, as amended by section 3(a)(3)), to provide a home study on prospective adoptive parents pursuing an intercountry adoption.
(b) Definition of adoption service
Nothing in this Act or in the amendments made by this Act may be construed to modify the definition of adoption service
under section 3 of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14902).
Sec. 5. Effective date
This Act shall take effect on the date that is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.