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[Page S5918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION INFORMATION ACT OF 2019
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise to, in a minute, ask unanimous
consent to call up and pass the Intercountry Adoption Information Act
of 2019, but first let me say that this is a strong bipartisan bill
that was first introduced in March of 2019, with Senators Cardin,
Blunt, Klobuchar, Tillis, Brown, and Wicker as original cosponsors.
When the House considered its version of the bill last year, it passed
397 to 0. Let repeat that, 397 to 0. No House Member objected to it.
Our country is divided on many issues right now, but one thing that
unites most of us is the belief that all children deserve to grow up in
a permanent, loving home. This is a matter of justice and recognizing
the intrinsic dignity in every human being. Many, many Americans have
done more than just hold this belief; they have acted on it, adopting
children both domestically and internationally.
According to the most recent available statistics, however,
intercountry adoption has dramatically declined in recent years. Last
year, fewer than 3,000 children were adopted in the United States--down
from nearly 23,000 in 2004. There are numerous reasons for this
decline, many of which warrant continued efforts to ensure that orphan
children are given the chance to grow up in a loving home, whether in
their own country or here in the United States.
We must address any barriers by examining our own policies and how
they are implemented and by working internationally to help more
children grow up in families.
Each year, the State Department releases its annual report on
intercountry adoptions--a key document that keeps families, adoption
agencies, and policymakers informed about the state of adoption. The
report is publicly available, and it includes, among other things, the
number of intercountry adoptions involving immigration to the United
States and the country from which each child emigrates, the time
required for completion of the adoption, and the information on the
adoption agencies, their fees, and their work.
But to better tackle this issue, we need to provide more transparency
and accountability about some of the critical factors affecting
intercountry adoption. The Intercountry Adoption Information Act adds
additional key elements to this report by requiring the State
Department to provide information on, one, countries that have enacted
policies to prevent adoptions from the United States; two, actions the
State Department has taken which have prevented adoptions to the United
States; and, three, for each of these, how the State Department has
worked to encourage the resumption of intercountry adoptions.
There are children around the world whose only chance to grow up in a
family is through the Intercountry Adoption Program. There are families
in the United States who are eager to open their arms, their homes,
their hearts to these children.
I ask unanimous consent, at this time, to call up and pass H.R. 1952,
to further transparency accountability and to ensure we are working
toward the goal of enabling all children to have families which love
them. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations
be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1952 and the House
proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A 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.
There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be
considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (H.R. 1952) was ordered to a third reading, was read the
third time, and passed.
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