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