Congressional approval of Intercountry Adoption Convention
sep202000
On 20 September 2000 the Senate of the United States of America
(1) approved a resolution of advice and consent to U.S. ratification of the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, and
(2) passed the identical lengthy and detailed implementing legislation passed a few days earlier by the U.S. House of Representatives. President Clinton signed the legislation on 6 October 2000 at the White House. This means that all Constitutional and legislative approvals required for U.S. ratification of the Convention have been granted.
The Government of the U.S.A. will now turn to preparing to implement the Convention and legislation in detail. This includes establishing the Central Authority in the Department of State; establishing a computerised case-tracking system for all adoptions to the United States and outgoing adoptions from the United States; creating by regulation a set of detailed procedures and standards for the accreditation of non-profit adoption agencies wishing to provide adoption services covered by the Convention and for approval of individual providers of Convention-covered adoption services, receiving applications for accreditation or approval, and processing the applications received; and co-ordinating with the authorities of the U.S. States and other jurisdictions for their implementation in particular of the safeguards required by the Convention with regard to children emigrating from the United States in adoption to other Convention Party States.
These and other preparations, now authorised by the implementing legislation, are expected to take over two years to put into place and are intended to ensure that the United States will be able fully and uniformly to implement the Convention throughout the country as of the day that the Convention enters into force for the United States after depositing its instrument of ratification.
(1) approved a resolution of advice and consent to U.S. ratification of the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, and
(2) passed the identical lengthy and detailed implementing legislation passed a few days earlier by the U.S. House of Representatives. President Clinton signed the legislation on 6 October 2000 at the White House. This means that all Constitutional and legislative approvals required for U.S. ratification of the Convention have been granted.
The Government of the U.S.A. will now turn to preparing to implement the Convention and legislation in detail. This includes establishing the Central Authority in the Department of State; establishing a computerised case-tracking system for all adoptions to the United States and outgoing adoptions from the United States; creating by regulation a set of detailed procedures and standards for the accreditation of non-profit adoption agencies wishing to provide adoption services covered by the Convention and for approval of individual providers of Convention-covered adoption services, receiving applications for accreditation or approval, and processing the applications received; and co-ordinating with the authorities of the U.S. States and other jurisdictions for their implementation in particular of the safeguards required by the Convention with regard to children emigrating from the United States in adoption to other Convention Party States.
These and other preparations, now authorised by the implementing legislation, are expected to take over two years to put into place and are intended to ensure that the United States will be able fully and uniformly to implement the Convention throughout the country as of the day that the Convention enters into force for the United States after depositing its instrument of ratification.