[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 224 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 224

Urging international cooperation in recovering children abducted in the 
              United States and taken to other countries.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 1998

  Mr. Berry (for himself, Mr. Lampson, Mr. Franks of New Jersey, Mr. 
Cramer, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Snyder, Mr. Cooksey, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Frost, 
   Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Turner, Ms. Furse, Mr. Matsui, Mr. 
    Dickey, Mr. McInnis, Mr. Foley, and Mr. Sandlin) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Urging international cooperation in recovering children abducted in the 
              United States and taken to other countries.

Whereas many children in the United States have been abducted by family members 
        who are foreign nationals and living in foreign countries;
Whereas children who have been abducted by an estranged father are very rarely 
        returned, through legal remedies, from countries that only recognize the 
        custody rights of the father;
Whereas there are at least 140 cases that need to be resolved in which children 
        have been abducted by family members and taken to foreign countries;
Whereas, although the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child 
        Abduction, done at the Hague on October 25, 1980, has made progress in 
        aiding the return of abducted children, the Convention does not address 
        the criminal aspects of child abduction, and there is a need to reach 
        agreements regarding child abduction with countries that are not parties 
        to the Convention; and
Whereas decisions on awarding custody of children should be made in the 
        children's best interest, and persons who violate laws of the United 
        States by abducting their children should not be rewarded by being 
        granted custody of those children: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress urges international cooperation in working to resolve 
those cases in which children in the United States are abducted by 
family members who are foreign nationals and taken to foreign 
countries, and in seeing that justice is served by holding accountable 
the abductors for violations of criminal law.
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