I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6985 
To establish an Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 
Mr. CURTIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To establish an Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Intercountry Adoption 
Advisory Committee Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State may 
establish within the Bureau of Consular Affairs an inter-
country adoption advisory committee (the ‘‘Advisory Com-
mittee’’). 
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(b) DUTIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Advisory Committee is 
established under subsection (a), the Secretary of 
State shall consult the Advisory Committee, as ap-
propriate, on intercountry adoption, including on the 
development, refinement, and implementation of 
policies and programs pertaining to intercountry 
adoption. 
(2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Advisory Com-
mittee shall develop, at the request of the Secretary, 
recommendations for improvements to intercountry 
adoption. 
(3) PERIODIC REPORTS.—The Advisory Com-
mittee shall periodically submit to the Secretary of 
State— 
(A) reports on matters identified by the 
Secretary; and 
(B) reports on other matters identified by 
a majority of the members of the Advisory 
Committee. 
(4) ANNUAL
REPORT.—The Advisory Com-
mittee shall submit to the Secretary of State an an-
nual report providing information on the activities, 
findings, and recommendations of the Advisory Com-
mittee for the preceding year. Not later than 180 
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days after the date that the Secretary receives the 
annual report, the Secretary shall publish a public 
version describing the Advisory Committee’s activi-
ties and such related matters as would be inform-
ative to the public consistent with the policy of sec-
tion 552(b) of title 5, United States Code. 
(5) FEEDBACK.—Not later than 90 days after 
receiving recommendations transmitted by the Advi-
sory Committee under paragraph (4), the Secretary 
of State shall respond in writing to the Advisory 
Committee with feedback on each of the rec-
ommendations, an action plan to implement any of 
the recommendations with which the Secretary con-
curs, and a justification for why any of the rec-
ommendations have been rejected. 
(6) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later 
than 30 days after providing written feedback to the 
Advisory Committee under paragraph (5), the Sec-
retary of State shall notify Congress of the feedback. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.—Not later than 180 days after es-
tablishing the Advisory Committee under subsection (a), 
the Secretary of State shall appoint the members of the 
Advisory Committee. The members so appointed shall in-
clude groups representing adoption service providers, 
adoptive families, adoptees, adoption attorneys, social 
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