§1426. Adoption facilitators; prohibited conduct

            A. An adoption facilitator shall not engage in any of the following activities:

            (1) Advertising for the purpose of soliciting parties to an adoption, locating children for an adoption, or acting as an intermediary between the parties to an adoption.

            (2) Charging a fee or other valuable consideration for services rendered relating to an adoption, whether directly or indirectly, for locating children for adoption, or acting as an intermediary between the parties to an adoption.

            B. As used in this Section, "adoption facilitator" means an individual or jurisdictional person that acts as intermediary or facilitator between adoptive parents and birth mothers. An "adoption facilitator" shall not include any of the following:

            (1) A licensed adoption agency.

            (2) An attorney licensed to practice law in Louisiana.

            (3) Any individual licensed to provide mental health counseling as provided in Children's Code Article 1120 and preplacement and home studies as provided in Children's Code Article 1173.

            (4) A Louisiana-based crisis pregnancy center or Louisiana-based pregnancy resource center.

            (5) An individual who does not receive a fee or other valuable consideration for services rendered relating to an adoption, whether directly or indirectly, for locating children for adoption, or acting as an intermediary between the parties to an adoption.

            C. A violation of this Section shall be an unfair trade practice as provided in R.S. 51:1401 et seq.

            Acts 2024, No. 362, §1.