Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/hr/579
Last Updated: December 5, 2025

Sponsored by

Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4]

ID: F000446

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

March 5, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed House

Senate Review

📍 Current Status

Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.

🎉

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 exercise in legislative theater, courtesy of our esteemed Congress. Let's dissect this farce, shall we?

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025 (RFUDA) claims to improve foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention by leveraging data-driven approaches. How quaint. The real purpose is to create a bureaucratic behemoth that will justify more funding for "family partnership plans" and "foster family advisory boards." Because, you know, what's needed in the foster care system is more administrative overhead.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends the Social Security Act by adding new requirements for state plans, including:

* Developing a "family partnership plan" that involves various stakeholders (because we all know how well groupthink works). * Collecting and reporting data on foster family capacity, congregate care utilization, and demographics. * Creating foster family advisory boards to improve recruitment and retention.

These changes will undoubtedly lead to more paperwork, more meetings, and more opportunities for bureaucrats to justify their existence.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects:

* Foster and adoptive families (who will be subjected to more bureaucratic hoops). * State governments (which will receive more funding for administrative purposes). * Child welfare organizations (which will benefit from increased funding for "technical assistance providers"). * Lobbyists (who will profit from advocating for these changes).

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a classic case of treating the symptoms rather than the disease. The foster care system is broken, and RFUDA does nothing to address the underlying issues:

* It doesn't provide meaningful support for foster families or children in care. * It doesn't address the root causes of child neglect and abuse. * It doesn't streamline the adoption process.

Instead, it creates more bureaucratic red tape, which will lead to:

* Increased costs (because, you know, administrative overhead is always a good use of taxpayer dollars). * Decreased efficiency (as states struggle to implement these new requirements). * More opportunities for corruption and cronyism (because who doesn't love a good government contract?).

In conclusion, RFUDA is a textbook example of legislative malpractice. It's a solution in search of a problem, designed to benefit special interests rather than the people it claims to help. Bravo, Congress. You've done it again.

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💰 Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$174,700
22 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$10,000
Committees
$0
Individuals
$164,700

No PAC contributions found

1
PROTECT OUR HERITAGE
1 transaction
$5,000
2
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
2 transactions
$3,500
3
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
1 transaction
$1,000
4
BOGART ASSOCIATES, INC.
1 transaction
$500

No committee contributions found

1
ANWAR, S JAVAID
1 transaction
$13,200
2
PARKER, SEAN
1 transaction
$13,200
3
SABIN, ANDREW
2 transactions
$13,200
4
DOLL, MARK
2 transactions
$13,200
5
WELLS, MIKE
1 transaction
$12,500
6
LAURIDSEN, NIXON
1 transaction
$10,000
7
CROOKHAM, JOE
1 transaction
$10,000
8
CROELL, KURT
1 transaction
$10,000
9
DE YAGER, PETER
1 transaction
$10,000
10
STARK, RICHARD
1 transaction
$6,600
11
FAISON, JAY
1 transaction
$6,600
12
SCHWARZMAN, CHRISTINE
1 transaction
$6,600
13
CHILDS, JOHN
1 transaction
$6,600
14
UNDERWOOD, ROGER
1 transaction
$6,600
15
SCHWARZMAN, STEPHEN
1 transaction
$6,600
16
STEPHENS, WARREN
1 transaction
$6,600
17
MASSON, DAVID
1 transaction
$6,600
18
DEAN, JT
1 transaction
$6,600

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 2 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2]

ID: B001296

Top Contributors

10

1
POARCH BAND OF CREEK INDIANS
Organization ATMORE, AL
$1,000
Mar 21, 2024
2
WARD, SEAN
BLUE OWL CAPITAL FINANCE
Individual BROOKLYN, NY
$6,600
May 25, 2023
3
WARD, HEATHER
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual BROOKLYN, NY
$6,600
May 25, 2023
4
CALLISON, EDWIN H JR
BREAKTHRU BEVERAGE GROUP EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Individual BELLEVILLE, IL
$5,400
Oct 23, 2023
5
SINGH, PRITPAL
SINGH SEMICONDUCTORS, INC VICE PRESIDENT
Individual FREMONT, CA
$5,000
Dec 31, 2023
6
WALTERS, CLELIA
CHARTERHOUSE LLC FOUNDER
Individual MCLEAN, VA
$3,700
Apr 16, 2024
7
RUBINSTEIN, ANDREW
OBERLAND CAPITAL HEALTHCARE
Individual TENAFLY, NJ
$3,300
Dec 5, 2023
8
FRIEDMAN, AVI
NOT EMPLOYED RETIRED
Individual WHITE PLAINS, NY
$3,300
Nov 20, 2023
9
SANDBERG, SHERYL
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Dec 21, 2023
10
SMITH, MICHAEL D.
CORNERSTONE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Individual CHEVY CHASE, MD
$3,300
Oct 14, 2023

Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3]

ID: N000193

Top Contributors

10

1
OTOE MISSOURIA TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA
Organization RED ROCK, OK
$3,300
May 29, 2024
2
TURTLE MOUNTAIN BAND OF CHIPPEWA OF ND
Organization BELCOURT, ND
$3,300
May 29, 2024
3
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
Organization TAMA, IA
$2,500
Dec 31, 2024
4
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
Organization TAMA, IA
$1,000
Sep 1, 2023
5
SMITH, JOHN M.
CRST TRUCKING CEO
Individual CEDAR RAPIDS, IA
$6,600
Oct 28, 2024
6
SILVERMAN, JEFFREY
RETIRED RETIRED
Individual BAL HARBOUR, FL
$6,600
Oct 17, 2023
7
EMMET, RICHARD
JANE STREET CAPITAL FINANCE
Individual LARCHMONT, NY
$6,600
Nov 21, 2023
8
WEEKLEY, RICHARD W.
SELF EMPLOYED REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER
Individual HOUSTON, TX
$6,600
Nov 7, 2023
9
STERN, ELIZABETH
RETIRED RETIRED
Individual SCARSDALE, NY
$6,600
Dec 6, 2023
10
SILVERMAN, JEFFREY
RETIRED RETIRED
Individual BAL HARBOUR, FL
$6,600
Feb 15, 2024

Donor Network - Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

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

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Showing 30 nodes and 31 connections

Total contributions: $198,000

Top Donors - Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4]

Showing top 22 donors by contribution amount

4 Orgs18 Individuals