Congressman John Curtis will host Holly Richardson 9:00 am on Tuesday, October 16 at the Provo City Center for a roundtable event to discuss H.R. 6985, the Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee Act, and the barriers preventing families from considering international adoption. The event is open to the press and Congressman Curtis will be made available for interview. Earlier this year, one of Congressman Curtis’ constituents made their second attempt at adopting a child to grow their family, their first attempt at adopting from Japan. After a significant financial investment and what looked like the perfect path to a successful adoption, US international adoption policies unexpectedly changed and costs skyrocketed. Sadly, they were unable to move forward with the adoption process and were left with nothing—losing nearly $13,000 in the process. Congressman Curtis has invited them to join this event to share their story and raise awareness of this difficult issue. After learning of the burdensome and costly international adoption process, Congressman Curtis introduced the Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee Act, a bill championed by Utahns that brings needed reform to the adoption process. International adoptions have declined by 80% and this year we are on track to have the lowest number of international adoptions in decades. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, with oversight responsibility for the State Department, Congressman Curtis is interested in learning more about this multifaceted issue from the perspective of key, local stakeholders. Adoptive parents, adopted children, social workers, adoption service providers, elected officials and legal professionals are all invited to be in attendance. The Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee Act will help ensure that dialogue between the U.S. Department of State, Adoption Service Providers, and other key stakeholders continues and strategies are found to improve intercountry adoption. Specifically, this legislation will:

• Provide the Secretary of State the authority to establish an Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee within the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
• Focus on coordinating the development, refinement, and implementation of policy and programs on intercountry adoption.
• Develop recommendations to enhance the intercountry adoption process and collect stakeholder input in advance of new policies being developed or implemented.

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