H.R. 7236

119 HR 7236 IH: In Good Standing Adoption Agencies Act of 2026
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-01-23
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 7236  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   January 23, 2026   Mr. Shreve  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Ways and Means    A BILL
To provide for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to maintain a national list of licensed private child placement agencies, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   In Good Standing Adoption Agencies Act of 2026  .
2.
National list of licensed child placement agencies
(a)
In general
Section 474 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 674 ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(h)
National list of licensed child placement agencies
(1)
State reporting
(A)
In general
Not later than January 1 of each fiscal year, a State with a plan approved under this part for the fiscal year shall submit to the Secretary a list of private child placement agencies that, as of the end of the preceding fiscal year, were licensed or accredited by, and in good standing with, the State and exempt from Federal income tax by reason of  section 501(c)(3)  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(B)
Child placement agency
In subparagraph (A), the term  child placement agency  means an agency that places children in prospective adoptive homes.
(2)
National list
The Secretary, through the United States Children’s Bureau, shall compile and maintain a publicly available list consisting of each list most recently submitted by a State under paragraph (1).
(3)
Annual reports to Congress
Not later than the 2nd December 31 after the date of the enactment of this subsection, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a written report that contains the list maintained under paragraph (2) and identifies any child placement agency that is licensed by a State and is not on the list, and a specification of any disciplinary actions that a State has taken against a private child placement agency.
 .
(b)
Loss of eligibility for adoption and legal guardianship incentive payments for failure of State To comply with list submission requirement
Section 473A(b) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 673b(b) ) is amended—
(1)
by striking  and  at the end of paragraph (3);
(2)
by striking the period at the end of paragraph (4) and inserting  ; and ; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(5)
the State has complied with section 474(h)(1) with respect to the preceding fiscal year.
  .