New Adoption Legislation - A Call to ActionTwo very important pro-adoption bills have just been introduced in Congress and your support is needed to get them passed into law.Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Kidsave President Terry Baugh:"The Families For Orphans Act (Senate Bill 1458 and House Bill 3070) has just been introduced in Congress. It demonstrates our collective commitment to the millions of children living outside of permanent parental care and proactively addresses a global gap in the most basic of human rights – the right to a permanent family.... The Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act (Senate Bill 1359 and HR 3110, aka The FACE Act), which makes important changes to law that will help more teens age 16-18 be adopted and attaches the rights of citizenship to children adopted overseas at time of adoption. Both bills are sponsored by Senator Mary Landrieu and Senator John Inhofe in the Senate and Representative Diane Watson and Representative John Boozman. Now we must ensure that these bills become law. To do this, your voice is needed. Speak for those forgotten and left behind who cannot speak for themselves by joining in our Call To Action.
What can you do? Call Congresso On July 28, 29, and 30 call your Members of Congress (two in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives)o Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staffo Tell them as a constituent you are requesting their boss’ support by becoming a co-sponsor of the Families for Orphans Act -- S. 1458 in the Senate and H.R. 3070 in the House and the FACE Act -- S.1359 in the Senate and H.R. 3110 in the House. If you get voice mail leave a message.
o Find your Representatives at
http://www.house.gov/ and for information on your Senators please visit
http://www.senate.gov/.
o If you get voice mail, leave a message.Get the word out! Send this email to friends and family and post to your Facebook, My Space, Twitter, blog or website.
Learn more
http://www.kidsave.org/advocacy.shtmlOn behalf of the kids, we thank you for helping.Terry Baugh, President
"I can't say enough about how important these bills are, especially the FACE Act. Anyone who has adopted internationally will tell you what a nightmare it is navigate immigration to make sure your adopted child is a US citizen and has proof of this. This act would mean adopted children become citizens after their adoption is complete in a foreign country and are determined to be orphans by the US government. (Right now adopted children do not become citizens until they arrive in the US if their parent saw them before they were adopted. If their parent did not see them until after the court process was complete, the child has to be readopted in the US, and then the parent has to apply for an expensive Certificate of Citizenship and go for an interview with immigration.) The act would even grant retroactive citizenship to children who have been adopted but whose parents did not go through the naturalization process for them before they turned 18. Right now, those adoptees have to go through naturalization on their own as if they are an immigrant, even if they were adopted and have been in the US since they were infants.
Please call your legislators July 28 -30 and get this call to action out to more people.
