Text: SSB02146                          Text: SSB02148
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Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

Senate Study Bill 2147

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  Section 600.15, Code 1997, is amended to read
  1  2 as follows:
  1  3    600.15  FOREIGN AND INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS.
  1  4    1.  a.  A decree establishing a parent-child relationship
  1  5 by adoption which is issued pursuant to due process of law by
  1  6 a court of any other jurisdiction in the United States shall
  1  7 be recognized in this state.
  1  8    b.  A decree terminating a parent-child relationship which
  1  9 is issued pursuant to due process of law by a court of any
  1 10 other jurisdiction in the United States shall be recognized in
  1 11 this state.
  1 12    c.  A document approved by the immigration and
  1 13 naturalization service of the United States department of
  1 14 justice shall be accepted by the department of human services
  1 15 in this state as evidence of termination of parental rights in
  1 16 a jurisdiction outside the United States and recognized in
  1 17 this state.
  1 18    2.  If an adoption has occurred in the minor person's
  1 19 country of origin, a further adoption must occur in the state
  1 20 where the adopting parents reside in accordance with the
  1 21 adoption laws of that state.
  1 22    3.  The department A licensed child placing agency as
  1 23 defined in section 238.2 or a certified or approved adoption
  1 24 investigator may provide necessary assistance to an eligible
  1 25 citizen of Iowa who desires to, in accordance with the
  1 26 immigration laws of the United States, make an international
  1 27 adoption.  For any such assistance the department may charge a
  1 28 fee which does not exceed the reasonable cost of services
  1 29 rendered and which is based on a sliding scale relating to the
  1 30 investigated person's ability to pay.
  1 31    4.  Any rules of the department relating to placement of a
  1 32 minor child for adoption which are more restrictive than
  1 33 comparable rules of agencies making international placements
  1 34 and laws of the United States shall not be enforced by the
  1 35 department in an international adoption.  
  2  1                           EXPLANATION
  2  2    This bill transfers the responsibility of assisting
  2  3 families to make international adoptions from the department
  2  4 of human services (DHS) to licensed child placing agencies and
  2  5 certified or approved adoption investigators.
  2  6    Currently, international adoptions are privately arranged
  2  7 by prospective adoptive parents and the agency or individual
  2  8 representing the foreign country.  Services to assist the
  2  9 family in finalizing an international adoption are provided in
  2 10 a manner similar to private, domestic adoption.  Federal law
  2 11 does not require the involvement of a state agency in
  2 12 international adoptions.
  2 13    DHS is responsible for providing adoption services to
  2 14 special needs children for whom DHS acts as guardian and has
  2 15 no legal responsibility to families or children involved in
  2 16 international adoptions.
  2 17    Regulatory activities are conducted by the department of
  2 18 inspections and appeals, the agency that monitors the
  2 19 activities of licensed child placing agencies and certified
  2 20 adoption investigators.  
  2 21 LSB 3195DP 77
  2 22 pf/cf/24
     

Text: SSB02146                          Text: SSB02148
Text: SSB02100 - SSB02199               Text: SSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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