Intercountry Adoption Information Act of 2019

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill, and I urge support from all Members.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Madam Speaker, I rise today regarding missed votes due to my daughter's graduation from High School. Had I been present for roll call vote number 218, on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R. 1952, the Intercountry Adoption Information Act, I would have voted ``yea.'' Had I been present for roll call vote number 219, on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and agree on H. Res. 106, Denouncing female genital mutilation/cutting as a violation of the human rights of women and girls and urging the international community and the Federal Government to increase efforts to eliminate the harmful practice, I would have voted ``yea.'' Had I been present for roll call vote number 220, On Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 389, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1500) Consumers First Act, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1994) Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, and providing for proceedings during the period from May 24, 2019, through May 31, 2019, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``yea.'' Had I been present for roll call vote number 221, On Agreeing to the Resolution on H. Res. 389, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1500) Consumers First Act, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1994) Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, and providing for proceedings during the period from May 24, 2019, through May 31, 2019, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``nay.''