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Adoptees United

Protecting and securing adoptee rights

Adoptee Rights Legislation

We follow and analyze state and federal legislation that could directly or indirectly impact adopted people, plus provide educational resources for advocacy.

Jump to: Federal Legislation | State Legislation | Legislative Dates | Resources

Federal Legislation

Federal legislation that Adoptees United currently tracks and analyzes. Descriptions and analyses of these and additional federal bills are on our current federal legislation page. Note: the 119th Congressional Session convened in early January 2025.

The SAVE Act

H.R. 8281. Introduced by representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21), the SAVE Act purports to address the non-problem of non-citizens voting. The bill would require strict proof of a person’s U.S. citizenship status in order to register or re-register to vote, requiring birth records or other documentation to prove citizenship—such as a US passport or a Certificate of Naturalization/Citizenship. In doing so, it will effectively disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not possess readily available proof of their citizenship. The bill would disproportionately impact intercountry adoptees, married women who have changed their names, and people who have financial or legal issues in securing proof of US citizenship. It is supposedly “fast-tracked” to pass the House, with 104 current Republican co-sponsors. Numerous voting and civil rights organizations oppose the bill, and one adoptee rights organization in Michigan has published an action alert calling on people to contact their Michigan congressional members to express opposition to the bill.

Safe Home Act

S.604. Senate bill introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND). Makes unregulated custody transfers a form of child abuse and neglect under federal child-welfare law. Defines an unregulated custody transfer whenever a child is placed with a non-relative or otherwise unfamiliar adult, with the intention of severing the parental or guardian relationship with the child, without reasonably ensuring the child’s safety, and without legally transferring parental or guardian rights. Prior identical bills from the 117th and 118th Congressional sessions were introduced but did not receive hearings.

State Legislation

Map of state legislation that Adoptees United currently tracks and analyzes. Additional descriptions and analyses of these bills are on our state legislative page (or click on a state to find out more).

KEY: Active • Enacted • Dead/Carried Over

2025 Adoptee Rights Legislation (Domestic) Placeholder
2025 Adoptee Rights Legislation (Domestic)

RESOURCE

State Legislative Session Dates

Dates and deadlines for the 2025 state legislative sessions.

KEY: In Session • Not Yet In Session • Adjourned • No Session

2025 Legislative Session Dates Placeholder
2025 Legislative Session Dates

How the legislative process works.

A general flowchart that shows how state bills are introduced, heard, passed, and enacted—or not.

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