Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/s/162
Last Updated: June 15, 2026

Sponsored by

Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]

ID: G000386

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Held at the desk.

June 14, 2026

Introduced

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.

🏛️

Committee Review

🗳️

Floor Action

Passed Senate

🏛️

House Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the esteemed members of Congress. Let's dissect this farce and expose the underlying disease.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025 (RFUDA) claims to improve foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention. How noble. In reality, it's a thinly veiled attempt to collect more data, create new bureaucratic hurdles, and justify further funding for the already bloated child welfare system.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends the Social Security Act to require states to develop "family partnership plans" that include:

1. Consultation with various stakeholders (because who doesn't love a good committee?) 2. Child-specific recruitment plans (because one-size-fits-all approaches have worked so well in the past) 3. Data collection and reporting on foster family capacity, congregate care utilization, and other metrics (because data is king, unless it's inconvenient or contradictory to the narrative)

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:**

1. Foster and adoptive families: They'll be subject to more paperwork, bureaucratic red tape, and potential scrutiny from the state. 2. States: They'll need to create new plans, collect and report data, and potentially face penalties for non-compliance. 3. Child welfare agencies: They'll receive more funding and resources to "improve" their services, which will likely be squandered on administrative costs and ineffective programs.

**Potential Impact & Implications:**

1. Increased bureaucratic burden: States and child welfare agencies will need to devote more time and resources to data collection and reporting, potentially diverting attention from actual child welfare. 2. More funding for the child welfare industrial complex: This bill will likely lead to increased funding for agencies and organizations that benefit from the status quo, rather than addressing the root causes of foster care issues. 3. No meaningful improvement in outcomes: Despite the lofty goals, this bill is unlikely to significantly improve foster care outcomes or reduce the number of children in congregate care.

Diagnosis: This bill suffers from a severe case of "Data-itis" – an excessive reliance on data collection and reporting as a substitute for actual policy solutions. The underlying disease is a chronic lack of accountability, transparency, and effective governance within the child welfare system.

Treatment: A healthy dose of skepticism, a strong stomach for bureaucratic nonsense, and a willingness to confront the real challenges facing foster care and adoption. Unfortunately, these are not readily available in the halls of Congress.

Related Topics

Defense Spending & Procurement
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$130,307
63 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$0
Committees
$3,000
Individuals
$127,307

No PAC contributions found

No organization contributions found

1
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
1 transaction
$2,000
2
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
1 transaction
$1,000
1
KUMAR, SHALLI
2 transactions
$9,900
2
SCHWARZMAN, CHRISTINE
2 transactions
$9,900
3
SCHWARZMAN, STEPHEN
2 transactions
$9,900
4
ARVIG, ALLEN
3 transactions
$6,710
5
STARRETT, RONALD
2 transactions
$5,800
6
COLLINS, RICHARD
1 transaction
$5,523
7
MALONE, KIP
6 transactions
$4,520
8
DETERMAN, MARK
1 transaction
$3,300
9
MCKEE, JACK C
1 transaction
$3,300
10
WEISS, LUKE
1 transaction
$3,300
11
PECK JR, JOHN
1 transaction
$2,900
12
LEIGH, JOHN
4 transactions
$2,715
13
COLLINS, III, HENRY L.
1 transaction
$2,601
14
POSNER, IDA MOLLOY
1 transaction
$2,500
15
VANDERHAAG, JOHN
3 transactions
$2,500
16
DIMARE, SCOTT
3 transactions
$1,500
17
RADY, PAUL
2 transactions
$1,500
18
VANDER HAAG, JOHN C
1 transaction
$1,500
19
RICHARDS, MARY
2 transactions
$1,435
20
NWANERI, MATTHEW
1 transaction
$1,200
21
FRENCH, ARTHUR
1 transaction
$1,000
22
JUCKETTE, LINDA
1 transaction
$1,000
23
KOROLOGOS, TOM C
1 transaction
$1,000
24
LARSON, ELLEN T
1 transaction
$1,000
25
MANATOS, ANDREW E
1 transaction
$1,000
26
MERCHANT, AHMED
1 transaction
$1,000
27
PATRICK, CHRIS MR..
1 transaction
$1,000
28
ROGERS, DIRKSEN
1 transaction
$1,000
29
SABIN, DANIEL
2 transactions
$1,000
30
SCUDDER, JACK
1 transaction
$1,000
31
SMITH, JAMES A
1 transaction
$1,000
32
SMITH, THOMAS STUART MR..
1 transaction
$1,000
33
VANDERPOOL, MARYLEE
1 transaction
$1,000
34
JOHNS, SUSAN
1 transaction
$990
35
PHELPS, DICK
1 transaction
$910
36
HESS, CURTIS
1 transaction
$750
37
LUO, KERRI
1 transaction
$750
38
WILLIAMS, ANGELA
1 transaction
$630
39
AXMEAR, FRED
1 transaction
$500
40
FRANKEN, KEN
1 transaction
$500
41
HARKEN, MARY J
1 transaction
$500
42
HASKENHOFF, TINA
1 transaction
$500
43
HILL, VERNON
1 transaction
$500
44
HUSSAIN, SULEMAN
1 transaction
$500
45
JOHNSON, WAYNE
1 transaction
$500
46
KOESTNER, RICHARD
1 transaction
$500
47
LILLIS, TERRY
1 transaction
$500
48
MCKEON, PATRICIA
1 transaction
$500
49
MCMICKLE, JOHN
1 transaction
$500
50
MOGLER, DEVIN
1 transaction
$500
51
PECK, JOHN
1 transaction
$500
52
RITTS, SUSAN BUTLER
1 transaction
$500
53
SUTTER, THEODORE
1 transaction
$500
54
VANDER HAAG, RUTH
1 transaction
$500
55
VANKERCKHOVE, BRUCE
1 transaction
$500
56
VIGO, JUDITH
1 transaction
$500
57
WHITCOMB, STANLEY
1 transaction
$500

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 4 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]

ID: H001076

Top Contributors

10

1
WOODS, ANDREW L.
LIBERTY PARTNERS GROUP ATTORNEY
Individual FORT MYERS, FL
$4,300
Jun 29, 2023
2
WOODS, ANDREW L.
Individual FORT MYERS, FL
$3,900
Jul 12, 2023
3
BEKENSTEIN, ANITA
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual WAYLAND, MA
$3,300
Oct 4, 2023
4
BEKENSTEIN, JOSH
NOT EMPLOYED RETIRED
Individual WAYLAND, MA
$3,300
Oct 4, 2023
5
HUNTER, DANIEL
SELF-EMPLOYED PLAYWRIGHT & TEACHER
Individual CAMBRIDGE, MA
$3,300
Dec 6, 2023
6
KLARMAN, SETH
THE BAUPOST GROUP CEO
Individual BOSTON, MA
$3,300
Dec 18, 2023
7
SCHWARTZ, GABRIEL
DAVIDSON KEMPNER INVESTMENT MANAGER
Individual BROOKLYN, NY
$3,300
Oct 16, 2023
8
SWINDELL, C. DAVID
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual BOSTON, MA
$3,300
Oct 10, 2023
9
KORN, WILLIAM T.
NSRA RADIOLOGIST
Individual WABAN, MA
$3,300
Mar 29, 2023
10
KORN, WILLIAM T.
NSRA RADIOLOGIST
Individual WABAN, MA
$3,300
Mar 29, 2023

Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]

ID: W000437

Top Contributors

10

1
EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS
Organization CHEROKEE, NC
$25,000
Sep 13, 2024
2
MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS
Organization CHOCTAW, MS
$15,000
Nov 5, 2024
3
WT CONSULTANTS LLC
Organization JACKSON, MS
$2,500
Jan 12, 2023
4
WAYPOINT CONSULTING, LLC
Organization WASHINGTON, DC
$1,000
Mar 26, 2024
5
HEDERMAN BROTHERS, LLC
Organization MADISON, MS
$1,000
Oct 9, 2024
6
CHOUEST, GARY
EDISON CHOUEST OFFSHORE, LLC CEO
Individual GALLIANO, LA
$100,000
Dec 1, 2023
7
HALE, ROBERT T. JR.
GRANITE TELECOM CEO
Individual BOSTON, MA
$100,000
Jun 28, 2023
8
BLUE, J. NEAL
GENERAL ATOMICS CEO
Individual LA JOLLA, CA
$50,000
Dec 21, 2023
9
HALE, ROBERT T. JR.
GRANITE TELECOM CEO
Individual BOSTON, MA
$50,000
Apr 12, 2024
10
DUFF, THOMAS M.
SOUTHERN TIRE MART PRESIDENT
Individual HATTIESBURG, MS
$50,000
Sep 30, 2024

Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]

ID: K000367

Top Contributors

10

1
LEECH LAKE BAND OF OJIBWE
Organization CASS LAKE, MN
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
2
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
Organization PRIOR LAKE, MN
$3,300
Aug 25, 2023
3
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
Organization DURANT, OK
$2,500
Oct 7, 2024
4
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
Organization PRIOR LAKE, MN
$2,300
Jul 17, 2023
5
ARISTOTLE INTERNATIONAL
CONDUIT TOTAL LISTED IN AGG. FIELD
Organization WASHINGTON, DC
$500
Jul 19, 2024
6
SMITH, BRADFORD
MICROSOFT CORPORATION ATTORNEY
Individual BELLEVUE, WA
$6,600
Mar 30, 2023
7
SMITH, BRADFORD
Individual BELLEVUE, WA
$6,600
Mar 30, 2023
8
BADEN, DREW
PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Individual BETHESDA, MD
$6,600
Feb 23, 2024
9
CAUCHY, CONSTANCE
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual MIDLAND, MI
$6,600
Jun 2, 2024
10
BADEN, DREW
Individual BETHESDA, MD
$6,600
Mar 11, 2024

Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA]

ID: O000174

Top Contributors

10

1
THOMAS, TORI
Individual MCLEAN, VA
$9,100
Jun 30, 2024
2
MCCLURE, RODERICK
RODFATHER PRODUCTIONS BUSINESS OWNER
Individual ALPHARETTA, GA
$6,600
Nov 25, 2024
3
MCCLURE, RODERICK
Individual ALPHARETTA, GA
$6,600
Dec 23, 2024
4
HOLLANDER, ELLEN
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual ROSWELL, GA
$5,000
Oct 6, 2024
5
HOLLANDER, ELLEN
Individual ROSWELL, GA
$5,000
Oct 14, 2024
6
MILLER, KRISTIE
SELF EMPLOYED WRITER
Individual WASHINGTON, DC
$3,300
Jun 5, 2024
7
RECHNITZ, JOAN
NOT EMPLOYED RETIRED
Individual RED BANK, NJ
$3,300
Apr 22, 2024
8
HOPPER, HEIDI
NOT EMPLOYED RETIRED
Individual MENLO PARK, CA
$3,300
May 3, 2024
9
BRASCH, JOHN
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual LINCOLN, NE
$3,300
Apr 16, 2024
10
ARNOLD, JOHN
ARNOLD VENTURES CO-FOUNDER
Individual HOUSTON, TX
$3,300
Apr 2, 2024

Donor Network - Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

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Showing 29 nodes and 35 connections

Total contributions: $167,872

Top Donors - Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]

Showing top 15 donors by contribution amount

1 PAC2 Committees12 Individuals

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