[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 106 (Wednesday, July 9, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SUSPENSION OF EXIT PERMITS

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                          HON. GEORGE HOLDING

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 8, 2014

  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in supporting 
H. Res. 588 and would like to thank Chairman Royce for moving this 
Resolution through the Foreign Affairs Committee in such an expedited 
manner.
  Mr. Speaker, last year the Congolese Government put what is becoming 
with each passing day a definitive halt on intercountry adoptions by 
suspending their issuance of exit permits.
  The DRC's suspension included stopping those adoptions that were 
finalized leaving families who had gone through the DRC's own procedure 
for approving an intercountry adoption and who had obtained the 
necessary legal clearance, paperwork, and travel visas in a 
heartbreaking situation.
  Mr. Speaker, a family in my District has such a finalized case and 
with each day that this suspension continues, the emotional toll that 
has already weighed heavily on them since last year grows.
   For this family from Wake Forest, North Carolina, there is an added 
sense of urgency. As is the case with many children who are awaiting 
their exit permit, their adopted child is in need of immediate medical 
care--care that is not being received in the DRC. This only further 
illustrates the need for quick resolution.
   Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 588 sends a straightforward message to the 
Congolese Government and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

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