[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 84 (Monday, May 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H3973-H3975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1630
INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION INFORMATION ACT OF 2019
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 1952) 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. 1952
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 2019''.
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
significant law or regulation 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 regulation 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.
``(13) For each country listed pursuant to paragraph (12),
a description of--
``(A) what policies, procedures, resources, and safeguards
the country lacks, or other shortcomings or circumstances,
that caused the action to be carried out;
``(B) what progress the country has made to alleviate those
shortcomings; and
``(C) what steps the Department of State has taken in order
to assist the country to reopen intercountry adoptions.
``(14) An assessment of the impact of the fee schedule of
the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance
Entity on families seeking to adopt internationally,
especially low-income families, families seeking to adopt
sibling groups, or families seeking to adopt children with
disabilities.''.
(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 180 days
after the date of enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Castro) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Wright) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro).
General Leave
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 1952, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
First of all, I thank Mr. Collins and Mr. Langevin for their hard
work on this bill that would help ease some of the problems parents
face when they are trying to adopt children from other countries.
Madam Speaker, the process of adopting a child is a tough one,
especially when that child is overseas. It is expensive and often
emotionally taxing for the parents. It is filled with legal twists and
turns and often difficult requirements, but it is worth it for these
loving parents who want to give children from faraway places a home and
the chance to be part of a family and a good future.
What can make this process even more daunting is when foreign
governments change their laws without any sort of notice or
explanation. For parents who have to deal with this, it is like having
the rug pulled out from under them.
In 2018, the number of intercountry adoptions to the United States
declined by roughly 600. We saw a similar decline the year before. Part
of the reason is that China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
changed their policies, for example.
I can't imagine the frustration and anxiety of parents who learned
their adoption has been delayed or derailed. This bill helps to make
things easier on those families.
It would require the State Department to stay up to date on laws and
policies dealing with intercountry adoptions and make sure American
[[Page H3974]]
families get that information. This will make the adoption process
safer and more transparent for both parents and children.
This is a good bill. It passed the House last Congress. After we pass
it again today, I hope the other body, the Senate, will act quickly as
well to pass it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Intercountry Adoption
Information Act authored by my friend from Georgia (Mr. Collins).
The world today is full of orphaned children, but it is also full of
loving families who are ready and eager to adopt them. All too often,
American families encounter policy obstacles that delay and prevent
those adoptions. Some countries have halted adoption processing,
suspended foreign adoptions, or banned adoption altogether.
This information doesn't always make it across the world to waiting
American families. Many times, they are already midway through the
difficult adoption process when these policy changes occur.
Without full information, they cannot understand the impact on their
own cases. This leaves adoptive parents in wrenching situations,
separated from their child and unsure how to proceed.
This bill ensures that American families are not left in the dark by
requiring the State Department to publicly report on legal and policy
changes other countries make that may impact the adoption process. It
also requires the State Department to explain its efforts to resume
stalled adoption proceedings so that American parents know what their
country is doing to successfully bring their children to their new
home.
As a father of three, I can say that there is no greater feeling than
being a dad. I know other parents in this Chamber feel the same way.
This bill is an opportunity for both parties to come together to do
something positive for American families.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, we hear far too many gut-wrenching stories about
American families who have trouble adopting children overseas. This
legislation will help make that easier, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. WRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Collins), the lead Republican on the Judiciary Committee
and the author of this bill.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the two gentlemen
from Texas, and I appreciate the kind words so far on this bill.
This is something, Madam Speaker, that we can definitely rise in
support of, and I appreciate the kind words that have been spoken so
far.
I rise in support my legislation, H.R. 1952, the Intercountry
Adoption Information Act. This legislation is a critical step forward
in ensuring American families have access to the information they need
to pursue adoptions from a foreign country.
American families hoping to adopt internationally 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 practices.
I have witnessed firsthand how families in my home State of Georgia
have struggled to navigate shifting adoption policies and changing
international standards.
In 2012, Pam and Mark Romano, a family in northwest Georgia, traveled
to Russia in hopes of adopting a young boy named Bogdon. This was not a
quick decision, but one that required months and months of thoughtful
prayer and family discussion.
While overseas, 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 they began the
process of adopting Yura as well.
The Romanos were in the midst of the adoption process when Russia
instituted a ban on adoptions to the United States, tragically halting
the Romanos from bringing both Bogdon and Yura home to Georgia.
The Romanos were, of course, left completely devastated. They had
worked for months to be reunited with their sons, but they lacked
concrete information about the intercountry adoption process and what
was happening in Russia as well as diplomatically.
Since that time, Pam Romano has refused to give up on welcoming Yura
and Bogdon into her family. Her boys' room is still furnished and ready
for their arrival, and she won't stop fighting until her sons are home.
Pam and her family have been tireless advocates for their sons but
also for families across the country who are facing similar threats.
They have also taken up their cause.
Today, American families like the Romanos are still in need of the
most accurate and up-to-date information as they labor to bring their
adoptive children into loving homes. Changing foreign practices can
leave the adoptive parents heartbroken and desperately seeking answers
as they pursue intercountry adoption.
The Intercountry Adoption Information Act takes steps to shrink this
information gap by ensuring families pursuing intercountry adoptions
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 adoptions that currently remain stalled.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul of
the Foreign Affairs Committee for moving this critical bill forward. I
also thank my cosponsors, Representatives Langevin, Fitzpatrick,
Lamborn, Lynch, Smith, and others for their steadfast commitment to
advocating on behalf of these loving families and innocent children in
need of homes.
Most importantly, I would like to recognize my constituents, Pam and
Mark Romano, and the entire Romano family for their advocacy not only
for their own sons but for children all across the world who are
waiting to be welcomed home.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the many American
families who would greatly benefit from a consistent, reliable source
of information as they seek to welcome some of the world's most
vulnerable children into loving homes and support the Intercountry
Adoption Information Act.
This is something we have done before. This is something that brings
us together, and the families who are brought together by this make a
lasting impact in the world in which we live.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I again thank Representative Collins for this bill.
American parents ought to know how foreign policy decisions impact
their lives. They also deserve to know what our government is doing to
help unite them with their children.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill, and I
urge support from all Members.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1952, the
Intercountry Adoption Information Act, and thank my colleague from
Georgia, Representative Collins, for his partnership on this bipartisan
effort. I would also like to thank Chairman Engel and Ranking Member
McCaul for working together to ensure its expeditious consideration by
their committee and by the full House.
Whether adopting at home or abroad, every family should have the
information they need to navigate the process successfully. Yet,
families hoping to adopt from foreign countries can be unaware of
political and legal obstacles that may prevent them from doing so.
Russia's adoption ban in 2012 and the Democratic Republic of Congo's
intercountry adoption ban in 2013 are just two examples of policies
that left families in limbo while they were already in the process of
adopting.
More recently, more than 200 American families and Ethiopian children
with pending adoptions were stuck in heartbreaking uncertainty--unable
to unite their families--when
[[Page H3975]]
the Ethiopian government halted all foreign adoption processing.
As countries like Russia and Ethiopia change intercountry adoption
processes, or ban adoptions to the United States altogether, families
must have up-to-date information regarding policies that could make the
adoption process difficult, or even impossible. No family members
should be left in the dark, oceans away from each other, wondering if
they'll ever be united.
Under the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, the State Department is
required to provide an annual, public report on intercountry adoptions.
H.R. 1952 is simple. It would ensure that this report also includes
information on policies that may prevent or prohibit adoptions to the
United States.
This information would help families navigate the adoption process
successfully. I'm proud to lead this effort with Congressman Collins,
and I urge my colleagues to support it.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1952, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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