Late last week, the ATC Working Group Executive Committee released the following statement regarding the final version of the tax reform bill. The grassroots movement gained tremendous momentum in recent months and the results have been outstanding to witness.

The final tax reform bill and conference report was unveiled this evening and we are pleased to share that because of your advocacy and efforts both the adoption tax credit and the tax benefit for employer provided adoption benefits have been SAVED!

Over the past two months your advocacy convinced the House to remove its provision eliminating the adoption tax credit. Your voices convinced the Senate to leave all adoption provisions alone in its bill (preserving both the adoption tax credit and tax benefit for employer provided adoption benefits.) While the adoption tax credit was saved in the final bills that passed both chambers, the employer benefit would have been eliminated in the House bill. But again through the power of your voices in calls, e-mails, and letters, the conference committee decided to use the Senate’s version which preserved the employer adoption benefit! (See pages 111-112 of this document to read where it was preserved!)

In the end, the conference committee’s final tax reform bill saves the adoption tax credit and the tax benefit for employer provided adoption benefits! In a bill that changes many things with the tax code, Members of Congress heard from so many of you about this important issue that these adoption provisions were retained. Children and families won!

We expect Congress will vote on this legislation next week, and it is expected to pass.

This couldn’t have happened without your efforts – THANK YOU!

The ATC Working Group Executive Committee includes leadership from the following organizations:

American Academy of Adoption Attorneys
Adopt America Network
Christian Alliance for Orphans
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (Secretariat)
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Donaldson Adoption Institute
National Council for Adoption
North American Council on Adoptable Children
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
ShowHope
Voice for Adoption

We at Creating a Family join the committee in saying thank you for your work in raising awareness, speaking up to your representatives, and fighting for adoptive families across the U.S. You can read more about the final bill at the Save The Adoption Tax Credit website. Please consider contacting your local representatives to thank them for this final version.