{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-backed-bill-to-improve-intercountry-adoption-information-signed-into-law", "Blunt-Backed Bill to Improve Intercountry Adoption Information Signed Into Law", "2020-11-02", "2020", "2020-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), co-chair of the\r\nCongressional Coalition on Adoption, today announced that legislation he\r\ncosponsored - the Intercountry Adoption Information Act of 2019 - was signed\r\ninto law. The bipartisan bill provides updated, quality information to\r\nAmericans trying to adopt children from other countries. There are millions of children around the world without a\r\nloving, safe home, said Blunt. This bill will ensure parents have more\r\ninformation to navigate the intercountry adoption process, which can be a major\r\nchallenge when trying to adopt a child from a country with restrictive adoption\r\npolicies. As co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, I'll continue\r\nworking to ensure we have policies in place that better support families who\r\nare eager to open their homes to a child in need. The bill was led by U.S. Senator Richard Burr (N.C.) and, in\r\naddition to Blunt, cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (Md.), Amy Klobuchar\r\n(Minn.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), and Sherrod Brown (Ohio). The Intercountry Adoption Information Act amends the\r\nIntercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to require the U.S. State Department to\r\nprovide additional information on the following: Countries that have enacted policies to prevent or prohibit\r\nadoptions to the United States;Actions taken by the State Department that have prevented\r\nadoptions to the United States; andThe ways in which the State Department has worked to\r\nencourage resuming adoptions in both cases. This information is critical for American families to adopt\r\nfrom countries that have established barriers to adoption, such as Russia or\r\nEthiopia, or other areas where the State Department has suspended intercountry\r\nadoption, such as abandoned children in Nepal.  As co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption,\r\nBlunt has helped lead efforts to give every child a permanent home.  Last week, Blunt led a letter urging the State Department to\r\nprioritize policies to promote intercountry adoption as the department searches\r\nfor new accrediting entities for intercountry adoption service providers. In\r\nMay, Blunt helped introduce legislation to improve access to mental health\r\nservices for children in the foster care system.  Blunt and Klobuchar, who is also a co-chair of the\r\nCongressional Coalition on Adoption, in April led a letter to Secretary of\r\nState Mike Pompeo asking the Department of State to ensure intercountry\r\nadoptions proceed in a safe and timely manner during the coronavirus pandemic. In November 2019, Blunt and Klobuchar encouraged the\r\nadministration to raise awareness for National Adoption Month. In May 2019,\r\nthey introduced the Supporting Adoptive Families Act to support adoptive\r\nfamilies and to help provide pre- and post- adoption support services, including\r\nmental health treatment, to help adoptive families stay strong. In April 2019,\r\nthey led a letter to the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State regarding\r\nthe administration's decision to close the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration\r\nServices international offices and expressed concern over the potential\r\nnegative impact these closures would have on processing intercountry adoptions.\r\nIn February 2019, they introduced legislation to improve the intercountry\r\nadoption process.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-backed-bill-to-improve-intercountry-adoption-information-signed-into-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6708150506019592, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}