House Resolution 14 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 14 BY DUNWELL , LOHSE , WELDON , LAWLER , LATHAM , GEARHART , SIEGRIST , INGELS , THOMPSON , BLOM , GERHOLD , YOUNG , KNIFF MCCULLA , BARKER , MOMMSEN , SMITH , KONFRST , MATSON , NIELSEN , JAMES , ZABNER , JUDGE , SRINIVAS , and WICHTENDAHL A Resolution calling upon the President of the United 1 States and the United States Congress to support 2 efforts to naturalize certain legally adopted 3 children who were born outside the United States. 4 WHEREAS, the state of Iowa has a long history of 5 welcoming children through international adoptions; and 6 WHEREAS, all Iowans benefit from removing barriers 7 to United States citizenship for adoptees who were born 8 outside the United States; and 9 WHEREAS, the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, Pub. L. 10 No. 106-395, provided automatic citizenship or a simple 11 path to citizenship for certain children who were born 12 outside the United States, including children legally 13 adopted by a United States citizen (adoptees); and 14 WHEREAS, the Child Citizenship Act did not provide 15 citizenship to adoptees who were over eighteen years 16 of age at the time the Child Citizenship Act became 17 effective, and as a result, a significant number of 18 adoptees remain without citizenship and are potentially 19 subject to deportation despite being raised by United 20 States citizens; and 21 WHEREAS, dozens of adoptees have been deported 22 because they are not citizens, breaking up families and 23 returning the adoptees to lands to which the adoptees 24 -1- LSB 2971HH (2) 91 dg/ko 1/ 3
H.R. 14 have no cultural or social ties, including Argentina, 1 Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, El 2 Salvador, India, Ireland, Haiti, Iran, Japan, Mexico, 3 Panama, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, St. 4 Kitts, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Vietnam; and 5 WHEREAS, adoptees who are unable to obtain United 6 States citizenship face numerous challenges, including 7 barriers to banking services, voting, passports, 8 drivers licenses, social security or disability 9 benefits, financial aid for postsecondary education, 10 and entry into the armed forces; and 11 WHEREAS, Congress has been working to pass the 12 Adoptee Citizenship Act which would grant citizenship 13 to adoptees who were eighteen years of age or 14 older on the date the Child Citizenship Act became 15 effective; and 16 WHEREAS, passage of the Adoptee Citizenship Act 17 will result in the naturalization of many adoptees 18 who were brought to the United States as children 19 under the promise of finding a permanent home, and the 20 expectation of United States citizenship; and 21 WHEREAS, efforts to provide citizenship to adoptees 22 who were excluded from the Child Citizenship Act have 23 seen bipartisan support in Congress and have received 24 widespread praise from the countrys leading adoption 25 advocacy organizations; NOW THEREFORE, 26 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That 27 the House of Representatives calls upon the President 28 of the United States and the United States Congress 29 to support efforts, including passage of the Adoptee 30 -2- LSB 2971HH (2) 91 dg/ko 2/ 3
H.R. 14 Citizenship Act, to provide citizenship to adoptees 1 who were born outside the United States and who were 2 eighteen years of age or older on the date the Child 3 Citizenship Act became effective. 4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this 5 resolution be distributed to the President of 6 the United States, the President of the Senate 7 of the United States, the Speaker of the House of 8 Representatives of the United States, the chairs and 9 ranking members of the Committee on the Judiciary 10 for the United States Senate and the Committee 11 on the Judiciary for the United States House of 12 Representatives, and to each member of Iowas 13 congressional delegation. 14 -3- LSB 2971HH (2) 91 dg/ko 3/ 3