42 USC 14914 – Annual report on intercountry adoptions
(a) Reports required
Beginning 1 year after the date of the entry into force of the Convention for the United States and each year thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General and other appropriate agencies, shall submit a report describing the activities of the central authority of the United States under this chapter during the preceding year to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Finance, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.
(b) Report elements
Terms Used In 42 USC 14914
- Attorney General: means the Attorney General, acting through the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. See 42 USC 14902
- central authority: means the entity designated as such by any Convention country under Article 6(1) of the Convention. See 42 USC 14902
- Convention: means the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, done at The Hague on May 29, 1993. See 42 USC 14902
- Convention adoption: means an adoption of a child resident in a foreign country party to the Convention by a United States citizen, or an adoption of a child resident in the United States by an individual residing in another Convention country. See 42 USC 14902
- Secretary: means the Secretary of State. See 42 USC 14902
- State: means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. See 42 USC 14902
Each report under subsection (a) shall set forth with respect to the year concerned, the following:
(1) The number of intercountry adoptions involving immigration to the United States, regardless of whether the adoption occurred under the Convention, including the country from which each child emigrated, the State to which each child immigrated, and the country in which the adoption was finalized.
(2) The number of intercountry adoptions involving emigration from the United States, regardless of whether the adoption occurred under the Convention, including the country to which each child immigrated and the State from which each child emigrated.
(3) The number of Convention placements for adoption in the United States that were disrupted, including the country from which the child emigrated, the age of the child, the date of the placement for adoption, the reasons for the disruption, the resolution of the disruption, the agencies that handled the placement for adoption, and the plans for the child, and in addition, any information regarding disruption or dissolution of adoptions of children from other countries received pursuant to section 622(b)(12) of this title.
(4) The average time required for completion of a Convention adoption, set forth by country from which the child emigrated.
(5) The current list of agencies accredited and persons approved under this chapter to provide adoption services.
(6) The names of the agencies and persons temporarily or permanently debarred under this chapter, and the reasons for the debarment.
(7) The range of adoption fees charged in connection with Convention adoptions involving immigration to the United States and the median of such fees set forth by the country of origin.
(8) The range of fees charged for accreditation of agencies and the approval of persons in the United States engaged in providing adoption services under the Convention.
(9) A list of countries that established or maintained a significant law or regulation that prevented or prohibited adoptions involving immigration to the United States, regardless of whether such adoptions occurred under the Convention.
(10) For each country listed under paragraph (9), the date on which the law or regulation was initially implemented.
(11) Information on efforts taken with respect to a country listed under paragraph (9) to encourage the resumption of halted or stalled adoption proceedings involving immigration to the United States, regardless of whether the adoptions would have occurred under the Convention.
(12) Information on any action the Secretary carried out that prevented, prohibited, or halted any adoptions involving immigration to the United States, regardless of whether the adoptions occurred under the Convention.
(13) For each country listed pursuant to paragraph (12), a description of—
(A) what policies, procedures, resources, and safeguards the country lacks, or other shortcomings or circumstances, that caused the action to be carried out;
(B) what progress the country has made to alleviate those shortcomings; and
(C) what steps the Department of State has taken in order to assist the country to reopen intercountry adoptions.
(14) An assessment of the impact of the fee schedule of the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity on families seeking to adopt internationally, especially low-income families, families seeking to adopt sibling groups, or families seeking to adopt children with disabilities.
(c) Public availability of report
The Secretary shall make the information contained in the report required under subsection (a) available to the public on the website of the Department of State.