May 20, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 84 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[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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