2
3
4
5
6
7 Cosponsors:
8 Jacob L. Anderegg
9 Gene Davis
10 Luz Escamilla
Lincoln Fillmore
Derek L. Kitchen
Kathleen A. Riebe
Todd D. Weiler
Ronald M. Winterton
11
12 LONG TITLE
13 General Description:
14 This concurrent resolution encourages United States Congress and the President of the
15 United States to support efforts related to legally adopted internationally born
16 individuals and encourages certain state agencies to support adopted children in
17 accessing adoption resources.
18 Highlighted Provisions:
19 This resolution:
20 ▸ describes the value of international adoption;
21 ▸ outlines the technical oversight in federal law that excluded legally adopted
22 internationally-born individuals from receiving automatic United States citizenship;
23 ▸ addresses the challenges that internationally-adopted children who are excluded
24 from United States citizenship face under current law;
25 ▸ describes the mental health needs of adopted children;
26 ▸ describes the need for federal legislation to address the technical oversight in federal
27 law; and
28 ▸ encourages:
29 • Utah's health and education systems to support adopted children in accessing
30 adoption resources; and
31 • United States Congress and the President of the United States to support efforts
32 to address the technical oversight in federal law.
33 Special Clauses:
34 None
35
36 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
37 WHEREAS, the state of Utah has a long history of welcoming children through
38 international adoption;
39 WHEREAS, all Utahns benefit from the removal of barriers to citizenship attained
40 through international adoption;
41 WHEREAS, in 2000, federal legislation aimed to provide automatic United States
42 citizenship to all internationally-born children of United States citizens, subject to certain
43 requirements;
44 WHEREAS, the federal legislation contained a technical oversight that prevents
45 internationally-born individuals who were adopted by United States citizens as children but
46 were over 18 years old at the time the federal legislation passed from receiving United States
47 citizenship under the federal legislation;
48 WHEREAS, as a result of the technical oversight, an estimated tens of thousands of
49 legally adopted internationally-born individuals born before February 27, 1983, remain without
50 citizenship and potentially subject to deportation despite being adopted and raised by United
51 States citizens;
52 WHEREAS, the technical oversight has caused dozens of known deportations of legally
53 adopted internationally-born individuals, breaking up families and resulting in the return of the
54 individuals to countries to which the individuals do not have any cultural or social ties;
55 WHEREAS, United States' legal international adoptees have been deported to countries
56 such as Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, El Salvador, India, Ireland,
57 Haiti, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, St. Kitts, Taiwan,
58 Ukraine, and Vietnam;
59 WHEREAS, legally adopted internationally-born individuals who are unable to obtain
60 citizenship face numerous challenges, including challenges in accessing banking services,
61 voting, applying for a passport or driver license, receiving social security or disability benefits,
62 obtaining financial aid for postsecondary education, and joining the armed forces;
63 WHEREAS, legally adopted internationally-born individuals are often English
64 language learners and face significant challenges throughout education systems;
65 WHEREAS, numerous studies have shown that adoptee populations are
66 overrepresented in mental health counseling needs, experience increased risk of substance use
67 disorders, and are uniquely impacted by various other mental health disorders that can stem
68 from high levels of childhood stress;
69 WHEREAS, congressional efforts have been made to correct the technical oversight
70 and grant United States citizenship to legally adopted internationally-born individuals who
71 were excluded under the technical oversight because the individuals were older than 18 years
72 old at the time the federal legislation passed;
73 WHEREAS, passage of federal legislation to address the technical oversight will result
74 in the naturalization of legally adopted internationally-born adults who were brought as
75 children to the United States under the promise of finding a permanent home and with the
76 expectation of citizenship that matched the adults' adopted parents; and
77 WHEREAS, congressional efforts to correct the technical oversight have seen
78 bipartisan support in United States Congress and have widespread praise among the nation's
79 leading adoption advocacy organizations:
80 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
81 Governor concurring therein, encourages United States Congress and the President of the
82 United States to support any efforts to address the technical oversight in the federal legislation
83 passed in 2000.
84 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage Utah's
85 health and education systems to assist Utah families with accessing available resources for
86 adopted children.
87 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to Utah's
88 congressional delegation, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the
89 majority leader of the United States Senate, the chairs and ranking members of the United
90 States Senate and House of Representatives Judiciary Committees, and the President of the
91 United States.