[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 11306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4461]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 5006]
 RIN 1400-AA-88


Department of State Selection of Accrediting Entities Under the 
Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000

AGENCY: Department of State

ACTION: Notice

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SUMMARY: The Department of State (the Department) is the lead Federal 
agency for implementation of the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of 
Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the 
Convention) and the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (the IAA). Among 
other things, the IAA gives the Secretary of State responsibility for 
the accreditation of agencies and approval of persons to provide 
adoption services under the Convention. The IAA requires the Department 
to enter into agreements with one or more qualified entities under 
which such entities will perform the task of accrediting or approving 
agencies and persons. This notice is to inform the public that the 
Department will be conducting meetings with potential accrediting 
entities in order to reach agreements with those that are qualified to 
be designated as IAA accrediting entities. The agreements will set 
forth how the accrediting entities will perform their functions under 
the IAA. The final agreements will be published in the Federal 
Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Vogel at 202-736-9108. Hearing or 
speech-impaired persons may use the Telecommunications Devices for the 
Deaf (TDD) by contacting the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department, pursuant to section 202(a) 
of the IAA, must enter into at least one agreement to designate an 
accrediting entity. Accrediting entities may be: (1) Nonprofit private 
entities with expertise in developing and administering standards for 
entities providing child welfare services; or (2) State adoption 
licensing bodies that have expertise in developing and administering 
standards for entities providing child welfare services and that 
accredit only agencies located in that State. Five potential State 
licensing bodies (Colorado, Connecticut, New Mexico, Utah, and Vermont) 
and one potential nonprofit accrediting entity (Council on 
Accreditation) have submitted statements of interest indicating that 
they may be eligible and may wish to be designated as accrediting 
entities under the IAA. The Department now intends to begin meeting 
with these potential accrediting entities to develop agreements. The 
agreements will set forth how the accrediting entities will perform 
their functions under the IAA and how the Department will oversee their 
performance of such functions, and will address related matters such as 
the fees that an accrediting entity may charge agencies and persons for 
accreditation/approval services.
    These meetings with potential accrediting entities will be open 
only to the eligible applicants. They will focus on the development of 
agreements. No agreements will be signed or published in the Federal 
Register until the Department has issued a final rule on the 
accreditation and approval of agencies and persons, for which a 
proposed rule (for 22 CFR part 96) was published in the Federal 
Register (68 FR 54064, September 15, 2003). The public comment period 
for that proposed rule is now closed. Post-comment period comments on 
the rule are discouraged. If the planned meetings to develop agreements 
result in the Department receiving additional comments from a potential 
accrediting entity, however, the Department will consider their 
possible addition to the public file. Interested persons are free to 
check the public file on an ongoing basis for such comments. The 
Department is not required to consider comments provided to it after 
the comment period has closed, and is making no commitment to do so; 
any addition of comments to the public file is intended to promote the 
transparency of the regulatory process.
    Public comments and supporting materials submitted in connection 
with the proposed rule are available for viewing and copying at: U.S. 
Department of State, SA-29, 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, 
DC 20520. To review docket materials, members of the public must make 
an appointment by calling Delilia Gibson-Martin at 202-736-9105. The 
public may copy a maximum of 100 pages at no charge. Additional copies 
cost $0.25 per page. The Department has also posted public comments at: 
http://travel.state.gov.

    Dated: March 1, 2005.
Daniel B. Smith,
Acting, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 05-4461 Filed 3-7-05; 8:45 am]
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