Washington, DC – On Wednesday, July 23, 2014, the House of Representatives unanimously approved H.R. 4980, the “Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act.” This bipartisan, bicameral bill reflects agreements reached between House and Senate leaders on three separate bills designed to prevent sex trafficking of children in foster care, increase adoptions from foster care, and increase child support collections for families, among other purposes.  H.R. 4980 is fully paid for, and will reduce the deficit by $19 million over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.  The Senate is expected to consider this legislation in the coming days.

Speaking about the passage of the bill, Chairman Camp said, “This bill will not only help prevent sex trafficking and strengthen the child support system, but it will also help ensure more children in foster care move into adoptive homes more quickly. We have already seen great progress in increasing adoptions in recent years, and it is my hope that we can continue this progress once this bill is signed into law.”

Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Reichert said, “I can’t think of a more important, or more bipartisan, topic than protecting vulnerable children in foster care and working to find loving homes for each of them. This legislation represents bipartisan, bicameral progress in protecting our nation’s most vulnerable kids, and I’m grateful that this bill has now passed the House — bringing it one step closer to becoming law. I look forward to quick action by the Senate so these key reforms can be implemented without delay.”

Video of House action on the bill can be found here.

A summary of the bill as passed by the House can be found here.

The text of the bill as passed by the House can be found here.

Ways and Means Chairman Camp’s House floor statement can be found here.

Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Reichert’s House floor statement can be found here.

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This bill was supported by the following organizations:

Adoption Exchange  
American Academy of Pediatrics  
American Psychological Association  
Association on American Indian Affairs  
Attachment and Trauma Network  
California Alliance of Child and Family Services  
Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska  
Cherokee Nation  
Child Welfare League of America  
Children Awaiting Parents  
Children’s Defense Fund  
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption  
Donaldson Adoption Institute  
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians  
Eastern Shoshone Tribe  
First Focus Campaign for Children  
Fort Belknap Child Support Program  
Foster Club  
Foster Family-Based Treatment Association  
Generations United  
Holt International  
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community  
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Love 146  
Menominee Tribal Child Support Agency  
Mescalero Apache Tribe  
Meskwaki Nation Child Support Services  
National Adoption Center  
National Child Support Enforcement Association
National Children’s Alliance  
National Crittenton Foundation  
National Foster Parent Association  
National Indian Child Welfare Association  
Nebraska Families Collaborative  
Nez Perce Tribe  
North American Council on Adoptable Children  
New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children  
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin  
Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center  
Penobscot Nation Child Support Agency  
Red Cliff Tribal Child Support Services Agency  
Rights4Girls  
Stockbridge-Munsee Community  
Suquamish Tribe  
Tribal Child Support Enforcement Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma  
Voice for Adoption  
You Gotta Believe  
Yurok Tribe

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