H.Res. 305 (eh) ...

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108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 304

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding United 
 States citizens adopting children from the People's Republic of China.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2003

Mrs. Northup submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding United 
 States citizens adopting children from the People's Republic of China.

Whereas United States citizens adopt more children from abroad than the citizens 
        of all other countries combined;
Whereas the number of foreign children adopted annually by United States 
        citizens has more than doubled in the last decade from 6,472 to 20,099;
Whereas, over the previous 5 years, twenty-three thousand ninety-four children, 
        the largest number of international adoptions in the United States are 
        from China;
Whereas U.S. citizens are required by 8 C.F.R. 204.3(a) to obtain an I-171 
        approval issued by the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of 
        Immigration and Customs Services (formerly Immigration and 
        Naturalization Services) in order to seek adoption of a child from 
        China;
Whereas the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs, due to the Severe Acute 
        Respiratory Syndrome epidemic, suspended the referral of orphans and 
        travel to China to complete adoptions on May 15, 2003, and resumed said 
        activities on June 24, 2003;
Whereas the eighteen-month approval of I-171 forms has expired or will soon 
        expire for adoptive individuals and families during the interim period 
        that the Chinese government ceased the issuance of authorization for 
        travel to these U.S. citizens who had previously obtained a referral of 
        an orphan as well as the new referral of orphans for adoption; and
Whereas the time and costs associated with the process for I-171 approval is 
        extensive and may prove prohibitive for U.S. citizens in the final days 
        of their adoption procedure: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives, That
    (a) the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the efforts of United States citizens seeking 
        to provide a home for orphan children; and
            (2) encourages the adoption of these children from 
        countries characterized by need or extreme poverty and 
        political or social instability.
    (b) It is the Sense of the House of Representatives that the 
Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Bureau of 
Citizenship and Immigration Services should provide--
            (1) a 60-day extension of approval for U.S. citizens 
        directly affected by the cessation of travel authorization by 
        the China Center for Adoption Affairs; and
            (2) immediate notification to the families affected by this 
        extension.

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