[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17619-17620]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1745
                        NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, during the month of November, we celebrate

[[Page 17620]]

and promote the wonderful and selfless commitment to adoption, as it is 
National Adoption Month.
  Last year, American parents proudly adopted over 135,000 children at 
birth, in foster homes, and from overseas. However, I would like to 
bring special attention to the many American families that are no 
longer permitted to adopt children from places such as Guatemala and 
Russia.
  I have signed on to two separate letters with bipartisan support from 
Members of both the House and the Senate to urge the Guatemalan and the 
Russian Governments to once again resume intercountry adoption cases 
for American families.
  Mr. Speaker, every child deserves to grow up in a loving family. We 
should not be limited by the country they are born into. Let's refresh 
our commitment to creating more effective strategies and opportunities 
to work towards a day when every child has an opportunity to be in a 
safe and loving home.

                          ____________________