House Concurrent Resolution 7 - Introduced HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 7 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 Concurrent Resolution calling upon the President of 1 the United States and the United States Congress 2 to support efforts to naturalize certain legally 3 adopted children who were born outside the United 4 States. 5 WHEREAS, the state of Iowa has a long history of 6 welcoming children through international adoptions; and 7 WHEREAS, all Iowans benefit from removing barriers 8 to United States citizenship for adoptees who were born 9 outside the United States; and 10 WHEREAS, the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, Pub. L. 11 No. 106-395, provided automatic citizenship or a simple 12 path to citizenship for certain children who were born 13 outside the United States, including children legally 14 adopted by a United States citizen (adoptees); and 15 WHEREAS, the Child Citizenship Act did not provide 16 citizenship to adoptees who were over eighteen years 17 of age at the time the Child Citizenship Act became 18 effective, and as a result, a significant number of 19 adoptees remain without citizenship and are potentially 20 subject to deportation despite being raised by United 21 States citizens; and 22 WHEREAS, dozens of adoptees have been deported 23 because they are not citizens, breaking up families and 24 -1- LSB 2516HH (5) 91 dg/ko 1/ 3

H.C.R. 7 returning the adoptees to lands to which the adoptees 1 have no cultural or social ties, including Argentina, 2 Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, El 3 Salvador, India, Ireland, Haiti, Iran, Japan, Mexico, 4 Panama, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, St. 5 Kitts, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Vietnam; and 6 WHEREAS, adoptees who are unable to obtain United 7 States citizenship face numerous challenges, including 8 barriers to banking services, voting, passports, 9 driver’s licenses, social security or disability 10 benefits, financial aid for postsecondary education, 11 and entry into the armed forces; and 12 WHEREAS, Congress has been working to pass the 13 Adoptee Citizenship Act which would grant citizenship 14 to adoptees who were eighteen years of age or 15 older on the date the Child Citizenship Act became 16 effective; and 17 WHEREAS, passage of the Adoptee Citizenship Act 18 will result in the naturalization of many adoptees 19 who were brought to the United States as children 20 under the promise of finding a permanent home, and the 21 expectation of United States citizenship; and 22 WHEREAS, efforts to provide citizenship to adoptees 23 who were excluded from the Child Citizenship Act have 24 seen bipartisan support in Congress and have received 25 widespread praise from the country’s leading adoption 26 advocacy organizations; NOW THEREFORE, 27 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 28 THE SENATE CONCURRING, That the General Assembly of 29 the State of Iowa calls upon the President of the 30 -2- LSB 2516HH (5) 91 dg/ko 2/ 3

H.C.R. 7 United States and the United States Congress to support 1 efforts, including passage of the Adoptee Citizenship 2 Act, to provide citizenship to adoptees who were born 3 outside the United States and who were eighteen years 4 of age or older on the date the Child Citizenship Act 5 became effective. 6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this 7 resolution be distributed to the President of 8 the United States, the President of the Senate 9 of the United States, the Speaker of the House of 10 Representatives of the United States, the chairs and 11 ranking members of the committee on the judiciary 12 for the United States Senate and the Committee 13 on the Judiciary for the United States House of 14 Representatives, and to each member of Iowa’s 15 congressional delegation. 16 -3- LSB 2516HH (5) 91 dg/ko 3/ 3