[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCING THE FOREIGN ADOPTED CHILDREN EQUALITY ACT OF 2009

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                           HON. JOHN BOOZMAN

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2009

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, today my colleague Rep. Diane Watson and 
I are introducing the Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act of 2009. 
This bicameral, bi-partisan bill is designed to improve upon the Child 
Citizenship Act of 2000, which was enacted to provide automatic U.S. 
citizenship to internationally adopted children of American citizens.
  International adoption has been a rewarding experience for many 
families across the United States. However, it is a process that is 
stressful, complicated, and costly. The FACE Act is intended to cut 
through some of the paper work and to treat internationally adopted 
children as we treat children born abroad to American citizens.
  Under the Child Citizenship Act, an internationally adopted child of 
a U.S. citizen receives U.S. citizenship once the child enters the U.S. 
to reside permanently. Once in the U.S., the child then has to go 
through the naturalization process. The FACE Act is intended to improve 
this process in many ways.
  First, it would amend the CCA so that once an international adoption 
is completed by an American citizen and the adopted child is determined 
to be adoptable under U.S. law, citizenship would attach. Therefore, 
instead of parents having to apply for a costly visa to bring their 
newly adopted child home to the United States, they would apply for a 
U.S. passport and Consular Report of Birth, making the process that of 
what is required from American citizen parents whose child is born 
while abroad. Passports are much less expensive than visas, and once in 
the U.S., the passport and Consular Report of birth would serve as 
proof of U.S. citizenship streamlining the application process for a 
social security card, filing for the adoption tax credit or even 
enrolling the child into school thus eliminating additional paperwork 
burdens for these new parents.
  In addition, the FACE Act allows for internationally adopted children 
who are now over the age of 18 and who were not naturalized by their 
adoptive parents, to apply for and receive citizenship without going 
through the naturalization process, if they so desire. Unfortunately 
there are many cases where adoptive parents failed to naturalize their 
internationally adoptive children prior to their 18th birthdays and 
prior to passage of the CCA in 2000. Many of these children grow up 
believing they are U.S. citizens only to find out they are not when 
they try to register to vote, enlist in the military, or apply for 
college. There are even cases of these children being deported to their 
country of origins, where they do not speak the native language nor 
know the culture, for committing misdemeanors. This act seeks to 
rectify this situation and give these children the privilege of two 
heritages--that of their country of origin and of their new home, the 
United States.
  Finally, this act seeks to amend Section 301 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, the section of law that provides U.S. citizenship from 
birth to biological children of American citizens who are born abroad. 
The FACE act would add internationally adopted children of American 
citizens to this section providing them citizenship from birth. Thus, 
internationally adopted children would be given the same opportunities 
given to American children born abroad, such as the chance to run for 
President.
  Together, these changes would finally treat internationally adopted 
children of American citizens as children of American citizens instead 
of as immigrants and would provide them equality with biological 
children born abroad to American citizens.

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