H.Res. 729House115th Congress (2017-2019)In Committee

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that countries that are party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction should work to resolve international parental child abduction cases, and for other purposes.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 8:13 PM UTC

The resolution asks countries that have signed the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction to take stronger action to resolve cases where a parent takes a child across borders in violation of custody rights. It urges those countries to apply the Convention retroactively to cases that began before they joined, aiming to help U.S. families—especially military families—recover abducted children.

Key Provisions

Calls on Hague Convention parties to work toward resolving international parental child abduction cases.
Requests that these countries apply the Convention retroactively to cases that started before they became parties.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Affairs Committee

February 7, 2018

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

February 7, 2018

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Affairs Committee

February 7, 2018

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.Res. 729 on the floor

1 Democrat

Rep. Alcee L. HastingsD-FL-20 · Sep 13, 2018

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 2497, the Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018, introduced by two of my fellow Floridians, the…

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 2497, the Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018, introduced by two of my fellow Floridians, the Chair and Co-Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, Reps. Ileana Ros- Lehtinen (R-FL) and Ted Deutch (D-FL).

This legislation takes a number of steps to reaffirm American commitment to Israel, one of our nation's closest allies and partners in security. Two years ago, the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 729, affirming Israel's status as a major strategic partner of the United Sates, reaffirming our policy of ensuring Israel Qualitative Military Edge (QME), and calling for the expeditious finalization of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our governments. A new MOU was signed soon after, providing Israel with $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant assistance every year for the next decade. While I personally hoped that this figure would reach $4 billion annually, the new MOU nevertheless reflected our commitment to Israel's security and our numerous cooperative programs in missile defense, cyber-defense, and aerospace.

The legislation we are debating today codifies this MOU into law, ensuring that it is the policy of the United States to provide assistance to the Government of Israel in order to support funding for cooperative programs to develop, produce, and procure missile and other defense capabilities to help Israel meet its security needs, and to help develop and enhance the defense capabilities of the United States. This legislation expands Israel's access to precision guided munitions for self-defense in the event of a sustained armed confrontation with armed groups such as Hezbollah or the terrorist organization Hamas. S. 2497 extends stockpile authority for war reserves in Israel, extends American loan guarantees, modifies the procedures for rapid acquisition and deployment of defense supplies, and takes important steps to improve upon Israel's QME, including new assessments of Israel's ability to effectively defend itself

against military threats from regional non-state actors, risks posed by the unauthorized transfer or proliferation of equipment for use against Israel, and risks posed by unmanned vehicles and systems through air, land or water, and cyber and other asymmetric entities.

This bill goes even further, enhancing cooperation between our countries by establishing new partnerships for cybersecurity research and development and commercialization of cybersecurity technology and ensuring the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) continues to work with the Israel Space Agency to identify and cooperatively pursue peaceful space exploration and science initiatives in areas of mutual interest. Finally, this bill grants the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) authority to enter into a MOU with Israel in order to advance common goals on energy, agriculture and food security, democracy, human rights and governance, economic growth and trade, education, environment, global health and water sanitation, with a focus on strengthening mutual ties and cooperation with nations throughout the world.

For more than half a century, the United States and Israel have shared the common bond of democracy. This bond remains as strong today as it was when President Harry Truman first recognized the creation of a Jewish State in 1948, and we must continue to strengthen it whenever possible, including engaging the region and commit to finding a fair solution that enables both Israel and her neighbors to live in security and prosperity. I urge support for this legislation.

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Introduced in HouseIssued February 7, 2018

115th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. RES. 729

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 7, 2018

Mr. Valadao (for himself and Ms. Sinema) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that countries that are party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction should work to resolve international parental child abduction cases, and for other purposes.

Whereas international parental child abduction is the removal or retention of a child outside the child’s country of habitual residence by a parent or guardian in violation of another parent or guardian’s custodial rights;

Whereas in an increasingly integrated and mobile world international child custody disputes are likely to increase in frequency;

Whereas since 1988, the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction has been the principal mechanism for enforcing the return of abducted children to the United States;

Whereas the Hague Convention is an international treaty that provides a civil mechanism to promptly return children who have been taken outside of their country of habitual residence in violation of custodial rights;

Whereas in 2018, there were 98 countries that were parties to the Hague Convention;

Whereas in 2017, 13 of such 98 countries demonstrated a pattern of non-compliance with the Hague Convention;

Whereas some countries that are party to the Hague Convention do not apply the Convention retroactively with respect to cases initiated prior to the date on which the countries involved in such cases became a party to the Convention, and therefore there remain a large number of unresolved child abduction cases;

Whereas the United States has at least one outstanding international parental child abduction case pending with more than 100 countries, including countries that are parties to the Hague Convention and countries that are not parties to the Convention;

Whereas in California alone there are almost 200 outstanding cases of international parental child abduction from the United States; and

Whereas international parental child abduction disproportionately impacts members of the United States Armed Forces: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that countries that are party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction should work to resolve international parental child abduction cases, including by applying the Convention retroactively with respect to cases initiated prior to the date on which the countries involved in such cases became a party to the Convention.