[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18007]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 110-21

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous 
consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following 
treaty transmitted to the Senate on September 8, 2008, by the President 
of the United States: Hague Convention on International Recovery of 
Child Support and Family Maintenance, Treaty Document No. 110-21. I 
further ask consent that the treaty be considered as having been read 
the first time; that it be referred, with accompanying papers, to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and that the 
President's message be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The message of the President is as follows:

To the Senate of the United States:
  I transmit herewith the Hague Convention on the International 
Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, 
adopted at The Hague on November 23, 2007, and signed by the United 
States on that same date, with a view to receiving the advice and 
consent of the Senate to ratification, subject to the reservations and 
declaration set forth in the report of the Secretary of State. The 
report of the Secretary of State, which includes an overview of the 
Convention, is enclosed for the information of the Senate.
  The United States supported the development of the Convention as a 
means of promoting the establishment and enforcement of child support 
obligations in cases where the custodial parent and child are in one 
country and the non-custodial parent is in another. The Convention 
provides for a comprehensive system of cooperation between the child 
support authorities of contracting states, establishes procedures for 
the recognition and enforcement of foreign child support decisions, and 
requires effective measures for the enforcement of maintenance 
decisions. It is estimated that there are over 15 million child support 
cases in the United States and that an increasing number of these cases 
will involve parties who live in different nations. United States 
courts already enforce foreign child support orders, while many 
countries do not do so in the absence of a treaty obligation. 
Ratification of the Convention will thus mean that more U.S. children 
will receive the financial support they need from both their parents.
  The Department of State and the Department of Health and Human 
Services, which leads the Federal child support program, support the 
early ratification of this Convention. The American Bar Association and 
the National Child Support Enforcement Association have also expressed 
support for the Convention. Although some new implementing legislation 
will be required, the proposed Convention is largely consistent with 
current U.S. Federal and State law. Cases under the Convention will be 
handled through our existing comprehensive child support system, which 
involves both Federal and State law. The Departments of State and 
Health and Human Services have been working on preparation of the 
necessary amendments to Federal law to ensure compliance with the 
Convention, and that legislation will soon be ready for submission to 
the Congress for its consideration. The National Conference of 
Commissioners on Uniform State Laws has worked closely with the 
Departments of State and Health and Human Services to develop the 
necessary amendments to uniform State child support legislation.
  The Convention requires only two contracting states for entry into 
force. No state has yet ratified the Convention. Early U.S. 
ratification would therefore likely hasten the Convention's entry into 
force. This would be in the interests of U.S. families, as it would 
enable them to receive child support owed by debtors abroad more 
quickly and reliably. I therefore recommend that the Senate give prompt 
and favorable consideration to the Convention and give its advice and 
consent to ratification, subject to the reservations and declaration 
described in the accompanying report of the Secretary of State, at the 
earliest possible date.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, September 8, 2008.

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