ICARE Act

Bill: 108-hr-3896
Sponsor: Rep. DeMint, Jim [R-SC-4]
Introduced: 2004-03-04 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Admission of nonimmigrants
Adoption
Advice and consent of the Senate
Aliens
Census
Child health
Child labor
Child welfare
Citizenship
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Data banks
Department of Homeland Security
Department of State
Electronic government information
Emigration
Employee training
Executive reorganization
Families
Family services
Federal employees
Fees
Foster home care
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Health
Human rights
Immigration
International cooperation
Judicial review
Kidnapping
Labor and Employment
Law
Licenses
Orphans
Parent and child
Passports
Presidential appointments
Science, Technology, Communications
Standards
Treaties
Vaccination
Visas

Summary:
action_date: 2004-03-04
text: 
Intercountry Adoption Reform Act of 2004 or ICARE Act - Establishes an Office of Intercountry Adoptions within the Department of State (DOS). Requires the President to appoint an Ambassador at Large to head the Office. 
 
Transfers to the Office all immigration functions with respect to intercountry adoptions currently performed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant automatic U.S. citizenship to internationally adopted children upon entry of a full and final adoption decree (thus dispensing with the need for such children to obtain visas). 
 
Creates a new W nonimmigrant visa category for children traveling to the United States to be adopted by U.S. citizens.
 
Allows adopted children age 18 or under to claim an exception to immunization requirements for purposes of admissibility (currently limited to those age 10 or under).
 
Redefines the term &quot;adoptable child.&quot;
 
Requires U.S. citizen adoptive parents to obtain approval of an adoption petition prior to issuance of a W visa or a full and final adoption decree. Provides that such petitions are subject to the terms applicable to orphan petitions. Directs the Ambassador to issue regulations: (1) establishing an expedited reapproval process for families whose prior approvals to adopt have expired; and (2) governing the appeal of petition denials.
 
Requires the Office to determine whether a child is an adoptable child, pursuant to specified procedures, as a prerequisite to the issuance of a W visa or a full and final adoption decree.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-04-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims.
action_date: 2004-03-04
text: Referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2004-03-04
text: Referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2004-03-04
text: Referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2004-03-04
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2004-03-04
text: Introduced in House