1998 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 776 – Int’l adoptions/humanitarian reason

HOUSE BILL NO. 776

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Daily Data Tracking History



H0776.....................................................by WAYS AND MEANS
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS - Amends existing law to provide a judicial
procedure for the adoption of foreign born children recognizing permission
by the United States Department of State or the United States Department of
Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service for the child to enter the
United States for humanitarian reasons relating to adoption by citizens of
the United States.

02/25    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/26    Rpt prt - to St Aff
03/02    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/03    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/06    3rd rdg - PASSED - 65-0-5
      AYES -- Alltus, Barraclough, Barrett, Bell, Bieter, Bivens,
      Black(15), Black(23), Boe, Bruneel, Callister, Campbell, Chase,
      Crane, Crow, Deal, Denney, Ellsworth, Field(13), Field(20), Gagner,
      Geddes, Gould, Hadley, Henbest, Hornbeck, Jaquet, Jones(9),
      Jones(22), Judd, Kellogg, Kempton, Kendell, Kjellander, Kunz, Lake,
      Linford, Loertscher, Mader, Marley, McKague, Meyer, Miller,
      Mortensen, Newcomb, Pischner, Pomeroy, Reynolds, Richman, Ridinger,
      Robison, Sali, Stevenson, Stoicheff, Stone, Stubbs, Taylor, Tilman,
      Tippets, Trail, Watson, Wheeler, Wood, Zimmermann, Mr Speaker
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- Clark, Cuddy, Hansen, Jones(20), Schaefer
    Floor Sponsor - Simpson
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/09    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to St Aff
03/17    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/18    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/19    3rd rdg - PASSED - 35-0-0
      AYES -- Andreason, Boatright, Branch, Bunderson, Burtenshaw, Cameron,
      Crow, Danielson, Darrington, Diede, Dunklin, Frasure, Geddes, Hansen,
      Hawkins, Ingram, Ipsen, Keough, King, Lee, McLaughlin, Noh, Parry,
      Richardson, Riggs, Risch, Sandy, Schroeder, Sorensen, Stennett,
      Sweeney, Thorne, Twiggs, Wheeler, Whitworth
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- None
    Floor Sponsor - Ipsen
    Title apvd - to House
03/20    To enrol - rpt enrol - Sp signed
03/20    Pres signed - to Governor
03/24    Governor signed
         Session Law Chapter 313
         Effective: 03/24/98

Bill Text


H0776


                                                                        
 ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
Fifty-fourth Legislature                 Second Regular Session - 1998
                                                                        

                             IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 776

                               BY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE

 1                                        AN ACT
 2    RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION; AMENDING SECTION 16-1514, IDAHO  CODE,  TO
 3        RECOGNIZE  THAT  IF   A CHILD HAS BEEN ADMITTED INTO THE UNITED STATES FOR
 4        HUMANITARIAN REASONS RELATING TO ADOPTION IN THE UNITED STATES, THAT  FACT
 5        MAY  BE  INCLUDED  IN THE ADOPTION PETITION, AND TO PROVIDE APPLICATION OF
 6        THE STATUTE TO A CHILD ENTERING THE UNITED STATES FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS
 7        RELATING TO ADOPTION BY UNITED STATES CITIZENS;  AND  DECLARING  AN  EMER-
 8        GENCY.

 9    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

10        SECTION  1.  That  Section 16-1514, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
11    amended to read as follows:

12        16-1514.  INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION. (1) Proceedings to adopt a foreign  born
13    child who has been allowed to enter the United States for the purpose of adop-
14    tion  shall be commenced by the filing of a petition under this section. Simi-
15    larly, United States citizen parents who have adopted a  child  in  a  foreign
16    country  may  commence proceedings to have the foreign adoption recognized and
17    granted judicial comity by the filing of a  petition  under  this  section.  A
18    petition  under  this section shall be initiated by the person or persons pro-
19    posing to adopt the child and shall be filed with the district  court  of  the
20    judicial district in which said person or persons reside. The petitioner shall
21    have  resided and maintained a dwelling within the state of Idaho for at least
22    six (6) consecutive months prior to the filing of  a  petition.  The  petition
23    shall set forth the following:
24        (a)  The name and address of the petitioner or petitioners;
25        (b)  The name of the child proposed to be adopted and the name by which he
26        or she shall be known when adopted;
27        (c)  The degree of relationship of the child, if any, to the petitioner or
28        petitioners;
29        (d)  The child's country of origin, and date of birth, if known;
30        (e)  That  the  child has been issued a visa or other document authorizing
31        entry into the United States as an immigrant or for the purpose  of  adop-
32        tion   or for humanitarian reasons relating to adoption  in the
33        United States and the date of the person's entry into the United States;
34        (f)  That a home study of the petitioner or petitioners was  prepared  and
35        the  name of the person or agency performing the home study. A copy of the
36        home study shall be attached to the petition;
37        (g)  That, to the information and belief of the petitioners, the  biologi-
38        cal parents of the child to be adopted are residents of another country;
39        (h)  That the adoption of such child is in the child's best interests.
40        (2)  At  the  time  fixed for the hearing on a petition for adoption under
41    this section, the person or persons adopting the child and  the  child  to  be
42    adopted  must  appear before the court where the petition was filed. The judge
43    shall examine the petitioner or petitioners at the hearing and,  if  satisfied


                                          2

 1    that  the  proposed  adoption  is  in  the  best  interests of the child to be
 2    adopted, shall enter a decree of adoption. The petitioner or petitioners shall
 3    at such time execute an agreement to  the  effect  that  the  child  shall  be
 4    adopted and treated in all respects as the petitioner's own lawful child.
 5        (3)  This  section  governs  the adoption of all foreign born children who
 6    have entered the United States to be adopted or who have  entered  the  United
 7    States as immigrants  after having been adopted in a foreign country by United
 8    States  citizens. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, no con-
 9    sent shall be required from the biological parents of the child to be  adopted
10    if  the  child  has been granted permission by the United States department of
11    state or United States department of justice, immigration  and  naturalization
12    service  to  enter the United States for the purpose of adoption , or for
13    humanitarian reasons relating to adoption by United States citizens,  or
14    as an immigrant after having been adopted  in  a  foreign  country  by  United
15    States citizens. A visa or other document from the United States department of
16    state  or  United States department of justice, immigration and naturalization
17    service  authorizing  entry  into  the  United  States  for  the  purpose   of
18    adoption  ,  or  for  humanitarian reasons relating to adoption by United
19    States citizens,  or as an immigrant due to adoption in a foreign  coun-
20    try  by    a   United States citizen s , shall be deemed
21    conclusive evidence of the termination of the parental rights of the  biologi-
22    cal  parents and compliance with the laws of the country of the child's birth.
23    The provisions of chapter 20,  title  16,  Idaho  Code,  shall  not  apply  to
24    adoptions under this section.
25        (4)  The  decisions  and orders of foreign courts and government agencies,
26    authorized to approve adoptions, shall be accorded judicial comity or the same
27    full faith and credit accorded a judgment of a sister state without additional
28    proceedings or documentation, provided the United States department  of  state
29    or United States department of justice, immigration and naturalization service
30    has  allowed  the  child to enter the United States as set forth in subsection
31    (3) of this section.

32        SECTION 2.  An emergency existing  therefor,  which  emergency  is  hereby
33    declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after its
34    passage and approval.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


    





                          STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
    
                                RS08140
    
    This proposes a change in Idaho law related to international 
    adoptions to provide that entry of a child into the United States 
    for humanitarian reasons relating to adoption by United States 
    citizens shall be considered by Idaho's courts as evidence of 
    termination of parental rights of the biological parents and 
    compliance with the laws of the country of the child's birth.
    
    This amendment is needed in cases where children to be 
    adopted are allowed entry into the United States for humanitarian 
    reasons due to problems such as civil unrest or revolution in the 
    child's country of birth which have placed the child at risk and 
    the courts of that country are not functioning, therefore cannot 
    complete the adoption or termination of parental rights in that 
    country. With passage of this bill, international adoption 
    proceedings in such cases will be simplified and the child will 
    be protected.
    
    FISCAL NOTE
    
    This bill will have no fiscal impact.
    
    CONTACT: J.D. Williams
             334-3100
             Speaker Mike Simpson
             332-1111
    
    Bill No. H 776