H.R. 3247: Sensible Adoption For Every Home Act

This bill, known as the Sensible Adoption For Every Home Act or SAFE Home Act, aims to amend the Social Security Act to establish specific requirements for entities receiving federal assistance that are involved in adoption or foster care placements. The main provisions of the bill include:

Prohibitions on Delay or Denial of Placements

The bill prohibits any entities that receive federal assistance and engage in adoption or foster care placements from delaying or denying the placement of a minor child for adoption or into foster care based on several specific conditions. The reasons for which a placement can be denied or delayed include:

• The manner in which a parent raises, cares for, and addresses a child in relation to the child’s biological sex.
• The parent's refusal to consent to medical or psychological treatments aimed at altering the appearance or perception of a child’s sex.
• The parent's opposition to changing a child’s governmental identification documents if such changes are inconsistent with the child’s biological sex.

Definitions

The bill provides definitions for several key terms related to the placements:

• Sex: Defined as the biological sex of an individual, either male or female.
• Female: Defined as an individual who possesses or has possessed a reproductive system that can produce eggs for fertilization.
• Male: Defined as an individual who possesses or has possessed a reproductive system that can produce sperm for fertilization.

Effective Date

The amendments made by this legislation would take effect at the start of the first fiscal quarter following its enactment and would apply to payments under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act for that quarter. Additionally, if state legislation is necessary to comply with the new requirements, the bill allows for a delayed compliance based on when a state legislature is next in session.

Implications for States

The bill places an obligation on states that administer adoption and foster care systems to align their practices with the new federal requirements by legislating necessary changes. If a state cannot make such changes immediately due to legislative schedules, a grace period is provided until the next session of the state legislature.

Conclusion

Overall, the Sensible Adoption For Every Home Act aims to ensure that front-line agencies involved in foster care and adoption cannot use specified criteria related to a parent’s views on gender and sex to block placements. The objective of this legislation is to streamline adoption processes and make them more uniform across states that receive federal assistance.

Relevant Companies

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