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H.R. 6170119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Nov 20, 2025Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 6170 would criminalize paid, unlicensed adoption matching across state lines, with fines up to $50,000 and five years in prison.
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HR 6170 would make it a federal crime for unlicensed, for-profit middlemen to connect birth parents with prospective adoptive parents for pay, advertise to find children or families for adoption, or give more than $2,500 to a birth parent before that parent has consulted a licensed agency or attorney. The law applies only when the adoption crosses state lines or uses the internet, phone, or wire transfers. Licensed adoption agencies, state-licensed attorneys, government child welfare agencies, and certain nonprofits under government contracts are explicitly exempt.
The bill affects unlicensed individuals and businesses that arrange adoptions for a fee, as well as birth parents and prospective adoptive parents involved in interstate private domestic adoptions. Licensed professionals and agencies operating under existing oversight are not restricted by this bill.
Unlicensed middlemen currently operate outside the oversight requirements that licensed adoption professionals must meet, and this bill would expose them to federal criminal and financial penalties. It has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee and has not yet become law.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.