Overview of federal legislation introduced in the 119th Congress that may directly or indirectly impact adopted people in the United States. State legislative summaries are available here.
KEY: Support | Neutral | Oppose | Impacts intercountry adoptees
Active Bills
Notes: Analysis by Gregory D. Luce. Current as of February 25, 2025. Bills previously introduced in the 117th Congress, from 2021 to 2023, are available here. Bills previously introduced in the 118th Congress, from 2023 to 2025, are available here.
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 of 2025
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.