Protecting Kids from Creeps Act
Introduced June 3, 2026 · Last action June 3, 2026
Plain English Summary
This bill makes it a federal crime for surrogacy agencies to knowingly or recklessly facilitate surrogacy agreements involving individuals required to register as sex offenders, and for sex offenders to knowingly enter such agreements. It imposes prison sentences of 10–20 years, voids any resulting surrogacy contracts, strips convicted agencies of tax-exempt status and federal funding eligibility, and allows the Attorney General to pursue civil penalties equal to any compensation received.
Who benefits
Law enforcement and prosecutors (enforcement authority); child welfare advocates and organizations opposing surrogacy; sex offender registry systems and law enforcement agencies (expanded enforcement scope); state family courts (custody determination authority).
Who pays / loses
Surrogacy agencies (criminal liability, loss of tax-exempt status, federal funding bars, civil penalties); surrogacy agency employees (criminal liability); sex offenders attempting to obtain children through surrogacy (criminal liability, voided agreements); intended parents in voided surrogacy agreements (loss of surrogacy contract enforceability); surrogate mothers in voided agreements (parental rights determined by state court rather than surrogacy contract); couples seeking surrogacy where one partner has a historical sex offense registration.
Funding & Lobbying Interests
No sponsor finance data provided. The bill's beneficiaries are primarily government enforcement entities (DOJ, federal law enforcement) and child protection advocacy groups. Potential supporters include social conservative organizations opposing commercial surrogacy, child welfare nonprofits, and family law organizations advocating for stricter oversight of surrogacy arrangements. The bill does not create government spending; it increases federal criminal enforcement costs and penalties for private surrogacy agencies.
Political Impact
Affected Groups
Surrogacy agencies and their employees (direct criminal liability); sex offenders registered under 34 U.S.C. 20913 (individuals required to register; the bill does not specify the size of this population in surrogacy contexts, but federal sex offender registries contain hundreds of thousands of names); intended parents in surrogacy arrangements where one or both partners have a sex offense history; surrogate mothers (parental rights shifted from contractual to state court determination); children born under void surrogacy agreements (custody status becomes uncertain pending state court determination).
Political Subtext
Proponents argue this protects children from sexual predators seeking parenthood through surrogacy, filling a gap in child safety law. Critics argue the bill conflates all registered sex offenders (including those convicted of non-contact offenses decades ago) with current danger to children; that it excludes potential fathers with historical offense histories from any path to parenthood; and that it treats surrogacy uniquely compared to adoption, fostering, or biological reproduction, where similar federal bars do not exist. Non-partisan evidence does not directly address surrogacy-specific recidivism among sex offenders, though research shows sex offense recidivism varies widely by offense type and offender profile. The bill's sweeping criminalization of agency employees and sex offenders themselves (20-year minimums) is more severe than comparable child protection statutes.
Real-World Stakes
If enacted, this creates federal criminal liability where none currently exists for surrogacy-related conduct. Sex offenders registered under the Adam Walsh Act (34 U.S.C. 20913)—a category including 800,000+ individuals in the U.S., with wide variation in offense severity—become categorically barred from surrogacy. Surrogacy agencies face dual criminal and civil exposure. Children born under voided agreements enter custody limbo pending state court proceedings under 'best interests' standards, which may delay placement or create contested custody battles. Analogous bans on adoption by registered sex offenders exist in some states; this federalizes and extends that model to private surrogacy. The mandatory minimum sentences (10–20 years) make this one of the harshest federal penalties for surrogacy-related conduct. No fiscal impact estimate is provided in the bill.
Sponsor
Sponsor information not available.
Vote Record
No recorded votes.
Campaign Finance — Primary Sponsor
No campaign finance data available yet.
501(c)(4) disclosure: Contributions from 501(c)(4) "dark money" organizations are not required to be publicly disclosed and are not reflected in the figures above. Data sourced from FEC public disclosure filings.
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