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S 2475 113th Congress Senate International Affairs Adoption and foster care Child care and development Child health Child safety and welfare Congressional oversight Department of Homeland Security Department of State Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad Domestic violence and child abuse Executive agency funding and structure Family relationships Family services Federal officials Foreign aid and international relief Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Human rights Human trafficking Immigration status and procedures

Children in Families First Act of 2014

Introduced: June 17, 2014 See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 17, 2014
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Jun 17, 2014
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Children in Families First Act of 2014 - Establishes within the Department of State the Office of Vulnerable Children and Family Security which shall: (1) support the implementation in foreign countries of child welfare laws and policies; and (2) address the gap in U.S. diplomacy, policy, and operations with respect to promoting appropriate, protective, and permanent family care for children living without families.

States that the Office shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large who shall: (1) serve as a primary advisor to the Secretary of State and the President in all matters related to vulnerable children and family security in foreign countries; and (2) represent the United States in matters relevant to international child welfare, family preservation and reunification, and provision of permanent, safe parental care through kinship and domestic and intercountry adoption.

Amends the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to carry out the functions prescribed by the Convention regarding the accreditation of U.S. adoption services providers.

Establishes databases for internationally adopted children and adoption service providers.

Transfers from the Secretary of State to the Field Operations Directorate of USCIS specified adoption-related functions, including accreditation of agencies and approval of persons to provide adoption services and oversight of provider investigations.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, through USCIS, to: (1) be responsible for processing and case-specific decision making on all intercountry adoption cases, (2) ensure that all intercountry adoption suitability and eligibility determinations of prospective adoptive parents are made in compliance with the Hague Adoption Convention, (3) ensure that all non-Convention adoption cases undergo specified preprocessing, and (4) be responsible for all case processing steps in Convention and non-Convention adoption petitions on behalf of children whom U.S. parents propose to immigrate to the United States.

Establishes within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Center of Excellence on Children in Adversity.

Authorizes the President to provide assistance for programs in developing countries for nutrition, education, care, and protection of children.

Requires: (1) the President to establish a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. aid to children in adversity, and (2) USAID to carry out a priority country demonstration program implementing the (December 2012) Action Plan for Children in Adversity over a period of five years in at least six countries.

What's happening now June 17, 2014

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

 Related & companion bills 3
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2475: Children in Families First Act of 2014. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2475/
MLA
"S. 2475: Children in Families First Act of 2014." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2475/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2475, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2475/.
Markdown link
[S. 2475: Children in Families First Act of 2014](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2475/)
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