The Adoption Deserves Oversight, Protection, and Transparency Act would create new federal criminal penalties for unlawful adoption practices, specifically targeting unlicensed adoption intermediaries and unregulated adoption advertising. The law would make it a federal crime for individuals or organizations to provide adoption intermediary services, place adoption advertisements, or distribute payments exceeding $2,500 to birth parents without proper licensing or attorney oversight, with penalties of up to 5 years in prison and $50,000 in fines for individuals, or $100,000 for organizations per violation. The bill includes exemptions for licensed adoption agencies, attorneys, nonprofits working under government contract, and intercountry adoption providers. The law would take effect 120 days after enactment and applies to conduct involving interstate or foreign commerce, giving federal authorities jurisdiction over private domestic adoptions that cross state lines.
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