IV 
★
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 729 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that countries that 
are party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International 
Child Abduction should work to resolve international parental child ab-
duction cases, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 
Mr. VALADAO (for himself and Ms. SINEMA) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
countries that are party to the Hague Convention on 
the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction should 
work to resolve international parental child abduction 
cases, and for other purposes. 
Whereas international parental child abduction is the removal 
or retention of a child outside the child’s country of ha-
bitual residence by a parent or guardian in violation of 
another parent or guardian’s custodial rights; 
Whereas in an increasingly integrated and mobile world inter-
national child custody disputes are likely to increase in 
frequency; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Feb 09, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR729.IH
HR729
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 729 IH1S 
Whereas since 1988, the Hague Convention on the Civil As-
pects of International Child Abduction has been the prin-
cipal mechanism for enforcing the return of abducted 
children to the United States; 
Whereas the Hague Convention is an international treaty 
that provides a civil mechanism to promptly return chil-
dren who have been taken outside of their country of ha-
bitual residence in violation of custodial rights; 
Whereas in 2018, there were 98 countries that were parties 
to the Hague Convention; 
Whereas in 2017, 13 of such 98 countries demonstrated a 
pattern of non-compliance with the Hague Convention; 
Whereas some countries that are party to the Hague Conven-
tion do not apply the Convention retroactively with re-
spect to cases initiated prior to the date on which the 
countries involved in such cases became a party to the 
Convention, and therefore there remain a large number 
of unresolved child abduction cases; 
Whereas the United States has at least one outstanding 
international parental child abduction case pending with 
more than 100 countries, including countries that are 
parties to the Hague Convention and countries that are 
not parties to the Convention; 
Whereas in California alone there are almost 200 outstanding 
cases of international parental child abduction from the 
United States; and 
Whereas international parental child abduction disproportion-
ately impacts members of the United States Armed 
Forces: Now, therefore, be it 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Feb 09, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR729.IH
HR729
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 729 IH1S 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that countries that are party to the Hague 
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Ab-
duction should work to resolve international parental child 
abduction cases, including by applying the Convention 
retroactively with respect to cases initiated prior to the 
date on which the countries involved in such cases became 
a party to the Convention. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Feb 09, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR729.IH
HR729
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS