President signs into law Blunt’s bipartisan intercountry adoption bill

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation offered by U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) to improve information for Americans seeking to adopt children from foreign countries became law on Oct. 30 with the president’s signature. 

“As co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, I’ll continue working to ensure we have policies in place that better support families who are eager to open their homes to a child in need,” Sen. Blunt said on Tuesday. 

The Intercountry Adoption Information Act of 2019, H.R. 1952, introduced in March 2019 by U.S. Reps. Doug Collins (R-GA) and James Langevin (D-RI), directs the U.S. State Department to include additional information in its annual report to Congress on intercountry adoptions, according to the congressional record summary. Sen. Blunt joined bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) in introducing the identical bill, S. 938, in their chamber. 

Specifically, the reports shall contain a list of countries having laws that prevent or prohibit adoptions by American parents; various information related to such prohibitions; what steps the State Department has taken to help such countries reopen intercountry adoptions; and an assessment of the impact that certain fees have on families seeking to adopt international children, sibling groups, or children with disabilities, the summary states.

“There are millions of children around the world without a loving, safe home,” said Sen. Blunt. “This bill will ensure parents have more information to navigate the intercountry adoption process, which can be a major challenge when trying to adopt a child from a country with restrictive adoption policies.”