[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 10, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6015-H6017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION INFORMATION ACT OF 2018

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5626) to amend the Intercountry Adoption Act of 
2000 to require the Secretary of State to report on intercountry 
adoptions from countries which have significantly reduced adoption 
rates involving immigration to the United States, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5626

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Intercountry Adoption 
     Information Act of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN ANNUAL 
                   REPORT ON INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTIONS.

       (a) Report Elements.--Section 104(b) of the Intercountry 
     Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14914(b)) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(9) A list of countries that established or maintained a 
     law or policy that prevented or prohibited adoptions 
     involving immigration to the United States, regardless of 
     whether such adoptions occurred under the Convention.
       ``(10) For each country listed under paragraph (9), the 
     date on which the law or policy was initially implemented.
       ``(11) Information on efforts taken with respect to a 
     country listed under paragraph (9) to encourage the 
     resumption of halted or stalled adoption proceedings 
     involving immigration to the United States, regardless of 
     whether the adoptions would have occurred under the 
     Convention.
       ``(12) Information on any action the Secretary carried out 
     that prevented, prohibited, or halted any adoptions involving 
     immigration to the United States, regardless of whether the 
     adoptions occurred under the Convention.''.
       (b) Public Availability of Report.--Section 104 of the 
     Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14914) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(c) Public Availability of Report.--The Secretary shall 
     make the information contained in the report required under 
     subsection (a) available to the public on the website of the 
     Department of State.''.
       (c) Privacy Concerns.--In complying with the amendments 
     made by subsections (a) and (b), the Secretary shall avoid, 
     to the maximum extent practicable, disclosing any personally 
     identifiable information relating to United States citizens 
     or the adoptees of such citizens.
       (d) Conforming Amendment.--Section 104(a) of the 
     Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14914(a)) is 
     amended by striking ``International Relations'' and inserting 
     ``Foreign Affairs''.
       (e) Application Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply with respect to reports required to be submitted 
     under section 104 of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 
     (42 U.S.C. 14914) beginning on the date that is 1 year after 
     the date of enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this measure. It is the 
Intercountry Adoption Information Act, H.R. 5626.
  Here in Congress, I have been honored, as has my friend here, Doug 
Collins, the author of this measure, to help bring families together 
through overseas adoptions.

                              {time}  1645

  These children are deeply loved by American parents from all 
different backgrounds who give them incredible care and give them 
opportunity. Sadly, international adoptions do not always go as 
planned.
  Over the years, I have met with countless families who were matched 
with a child, bonded with that child, financially supported that child, 
only to have their child's adoption stalled or, worse, stopped 
completely due to policy changes in the child's birth country. 
Obviously, this is devastating, devastating to the child, devastating 
to the families involved.
  In September of 2013, President Joseph Kabila of Congo suspended exit 
permits for more than 1,000 children already adopted by international 
couples, mainly from the United States and France. These adoptions had 
already been approved by the Congolese courts. The children had been 
issued passports from their new countries. Parents had come to spend 
time with those children, but without the exit visas from the Congolese 
Government, they could not leave. The children could not leave.
  Families were forced to spend thousands of dollars, travel across 
oceans, and navigate foreign courts to fight to bring those adopted 
children home. Making matters worse, many children had serious medical 
issues. Tragically, I have to report to you that 25 died while stuck in 
this bureaucratic chokehold. They were living in horrid conditions, 
lacking the most basic care.
  Thankfully, through a coordinated push by the previous administration 
and Congress, hundreds of children in the DRC were freed to come home 
to the United States. It took multiple trips to get the job done. I 
personally traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to raise 
these issues at the highest levels of the Congolese Government. Within 
60 days afterward, more than 400 children were released to their 
adoptive American families.
  But still, many children remain at risk worldwide. We do not know 
exactly how many children are waiting to be united with their families 
in the U.S. and elsewhere. The Intercountry Adoption Information Act 
introduced by our colleague from Georgia, Doug Collins, seeks to lessen 
this problem by enhancing the information available to families who are 
adopting.
  Those families wish to adopt overseas, and they need to know. They 
need to know the situation. This bill requires the State Department to 
include in its existing annual report information on countries that 
have enacted new laws or policies that would impact intercountry 
adoptions.
  This information would have been helpful, for example, when the Congo 
and Ethiopia imposed sweeping new policies that put a hold on adoptions 
for American families.
  With the passage of this legislation, families could see not only how 
many children are being adopted by American families from certain 
countries and how long these adoption proceedings are taking, but if 
the country has recently changed its laws or if policies have been 
changed by a head of state that could make adoption more difficult or 
shut it down completely.
  Just as importantly, this legislation would also require that the 
annual report include what positive steps the U.S. Government is taking 
to reduce the burdens or barriers on stalled adoptions to unite 
children with their families.
  I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Intercountry 
Adoption Information Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume as 
I rise in support of this measure.
  First of all, let me thank Congressman Doug Collins and Congresswoman 
Brenda Lawrence for their work in bringing this bill forward.
  This bill before us, the Intercountry Adoption Information Act of 
2018, will create more transparency in the adoption process.
  Mr. Speaker, the adoption process can be long, emotional, and 
expensive

[[Page H6016]]

for Americans who seek to expand their families and give children a 
forever home. The reason families put themselves through this is 
because they love these children and want to give them a chance to be 
part of a loving family. But foreign governments sometimes abruptly 
change their policies on adoptions, leaving families in the dark as 
they anxiously wait to be united with their adoptive children. This 
measure would help make sure adoptive parents get the information they 
need when this happens.
  H.R. 5626 requires the Secretary of State to report whether countries 
have enacted new laws or policies that would affect intercountry 
adoptions for American families. This will help create a more 
transparent adoption process that benefits everyone, the parents and 
the child as well.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe to these families and children to illuminate the 
dark corners of the adoption process. With 140 million children 
orphaned worldwide, we need to make it easier for families to come 
together, regardless of the child's birth country. These children need 
loving and supportive homes, and this bill gives them a better chance 
at being adopted into one.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this measure strongly, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins), who is the author of this bill.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the 
ranking member so much for their support in this and bringing this 
forward.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5626, the Intercountry 
Adoption Information Act. I introduced this legislation to make it 
easier for American families to get crucial information as they pursue 
adoptions from foreign countries.
  American families hoping to adopt from a foreign country can face 
many obstacles on the road to being united with their adoptive 
children. Too often, these challenges require parents to navigate 
confusing and complicated foreign adoption policies.
  The chairman did a great job explaining why this is opening up, why 
we are providing transparency, and also providing a great basis for 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, many times we come to this floor and we talk about the 
mechanics of a bill, but I want to talk about what I call the faces 
behind the bill.
  For this, for me, I have watched northeast Georgians from my 
district, like the Romano family, struggle under shifting adoption 
policies and changing international standards.
  In 2012, Pam and Mark Romano traveled to Russia to adopt a young boy 
named Bogdon, a decision they reached after much prayer and family 
discussion. While there, the Romanos discovered that Bogdon had a 
brother, Yura, although the boys were living separately. The family 
immediately felt a calling to welcome both boys into their home and 
began the process of adopting Yura as well.
  Sadly, Russia then instituted a ban on adoptions to the United 
States, halting these adoption proceedings. This left the Romanos 
devastated. They worked to be reunited with their sons, but they needed 
concrete information about how to do that and what was happening in 
Russia, as well as diplomatically.
  Since that time, Pam Romano has refused to give up on welcoming their 
2 boys into her family. She is fighting to bring her sons home, and the 
boys' room is furnished and ready for their arrival. Pam and her family 
have been tireless advocates for not only Bogdon and Yura, but also for 
families across the country who are facing similar trials.
  I hope that this will be a wonderful time to bring this up, in light 
of the meeting this week with the President and Mr. Putin. To bring 
this issue up would be a great time to remind that we can work together 
on some things.
  Today, American families like the Romanos still need more accurate, 
up-to-date information as they labor to bring their adoptive children 
into loving homes. Changing foreign practices can leave adoptive 
parents mystified and desperately seeking answers as they pursue 
intercountry adoptions in different countries.
  The Intercountry Adoption Information Act takes steps to shrink this 
information gap. It ensures families in the intercountry adoption 
process are equipped with a more thorough outlook on the status of 
intercountry adoptions in specific countries and on the State 
Department's actions to resume these adoptions currently stalled.
  Again, I would like to thank Chairman Royce and the ranking member of 
the Foreign Affairs Committee for their support in moving this bill 
forward, and also my partners in this, Representatives Lawrence, 
Fitzpatrick, Lamborn, Cicilline, Langevin, Wilson, and Yoho, for being 
cosponsors of this bill and to highlight their advocacy on behalf of 
these loving families and innocent children.
  The Romanos brought this to my attention, but it is not left there. I 
would also like to thank my staff, Erica Barker, who has not let this 
issue go and has brought it to my attention constantly in moving this 
bill forward.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in working for American families so 
that we can benefit and see the benefits of our Intercountry Adoption 
Information Act.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), the coauthor of the measure.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
Intercountry Adoption Information Act. As co-chair of the Congressional 
Coalition on Adoption and an original cosponsor with Congressman 
Collins, I am pleased to see the House take up this bill on suspension.
  There are an estimated 140 million orphaned children worldwide and 
many families waiting to provide a permanent, loving home.
  However, in recent years, countries have carried out policy changes 
that have reduced our intercountry adoptions altogether. Many of these 
changes are suddenly implemented, leading to confusion for families in 
the middle of the adoption process.
  H.R. 5626 adds reporting requirements to the act of 2000 to track 
foreign countries that have made changes to their adoption policies.
  This bill is a simple fix that allows families to access accurate, 
updated information. It gives clarity to prospective families and the 
millions of children who are in need of a permanent, loving home.
  Again, I want to say thank you to my ranking member and to 
Representative Collins, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time, and I 
will close.
  I want to say again that I am pleased to support the Intercountry 
Adoption Information Act. Let me add that too often we hear these 
heart-wrenching stories of American families whose adoption processes 
were halted by a foreign government's change in policy. To make matters 
worse, these families often have no idea why the process grinds to a 
halt.
  This bill presents a straightforward fix, requiring the State 
Department to provide information that affects prospective adoptive 
American families. So I support this bill and agree with what the 
chairman has said as well and encourage all my colleagues to do the 
same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me just thank my colleagues; the ranking 
member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Eliot Engel; as well as 
Congressman Collins, the author of this bill; and two other Members who 
worked hard on it, Congressman Kinzinger and Congressman Schneider. 
They made improvements to the legislation during markup.
  In closing, I urge my colleagues to support the Intercountry Adoption 
Information Act. I think it is very important.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr.

[[Page H6017]]

Royce) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5626, 
as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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