US House bill from Rep. Mace seeks to bar sex offenders from pursuing surrogacy

Legislation authored by Rep. Nancy Mace in the US House seeks to block individuals required to register as sex offenders from obtaining children via surrogacy contracts, per the US Congress.

H.R.7293 was introduced Jan. 30, 2026, during the regular session of the 119th Congress. Here is a summary, informed by the bill text, with interpretations intended for clarity.

This proposed law would restrict covered sex offenders from becoming parents through surrogacy arrangements. Specifically, individuals on the National Sex Offender Registry would risk up to 10 years imprisonment or fines if they participate as intended parents in surrogacy agreements. In these cases, federal courts would not enforce such agreements involving sex offenders. The legislation also clarifies definitions such as “child,” “intended parent,” and “surrogate mother,” aiming for thorough coverage. The act’s provisions will be active once passed.

Rep. Mace (Republican of South Carolina’s 1st District) is currently the sole sponsor of the bill.

Rep. Mace has sponsored a total of 65 bills so far this session, including this one.

Congressional bills may originate in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, except revenue bills, which must start in the House. The review process assigns bills to committees where they may be debated, amended, and subjected to hearings before a full vote. For a bill to become law, both chambers must pass the same version before it is sent to the president, who can then sign or veto it. Congress works on a two-year cycle, each one numbered and split into annual sessions. The US Congress maintains records and publishes bill history at Congress.gov.

Nancy Mace represents South Carolina in the House and has served since January 3, 2021, beginning with the 117th Congress. She previously sat in the South Carolina state house from 2018 to 2020 and ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2014.

Mace is a Citadel alumna with a B.A. in 1999 and holds an M.S. from the University of Georgia completed in 2004. She also attended Trident Technical College and graduated from Stratford High School in 1995.