Benjamin Gilman: “I rise enthusiastically to bring to the House floor H.R. 2909, the Intercountry Adoption Act, and I offer a personal…”

“I rise enthusiastically to bring to the House floor H.R. 2909, the Intercountry Adoption Act, and I offer a personal word of thanks for the diligent efforts of the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson); the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp); the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith); the ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson); and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) for their collective efforts. Their efforts and their expertise enables us to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor today, which has strong congressional support with a remarkable total of 51 cosponsors. The purpose of our bill is to provide the Department of State with the necessary authorities to implement the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. As a signatory to this convention, our Nation must now meet the obligations of the convention, which includes establishing a Federal central authority and an accreditation process for agencies engaged in intercountry adoptions.”