,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #cd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of 
,,representatives  ,january #ae1 #bjac  
,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for himself
 and ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick7 submitted the   
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs 
,,resolution  ,calling on the ,united   
,states and ,russia to continue         
cooperation in securing safe and loving 
homes for unparented children4  ,whereas
 in both the ,united ,states and        
,russia1 the number of children in need 
of loving parents far outnumbers the    
families actively seeking to adopt2     
,whereas since #aiia more than #fj1jjj  
,russian children have found safe1      
permanent1 and loving homes with ,united
 ,states families2 ,whereas in #ai      
cases1 adopted ,russian children have   
died from abuse or neglect in the care  
of their adoptive ,united ,states       
parents1 and others have suffered abuse2
 ,whereas ,russian ,president ,vladimir 
,putin said on ,december #bj1 #bjab1    

regarding ,united ,states citizens who  
have adopted ,russian children1 8,we    
know that tragedies happen but the vast 
majority of people who adopt ,russian   
children take good care of them and are 
good1 decent people02 ,whereas countries
 making children available for          
international adoption have the right   
and responsibility to set procedural    
safeguards and criteria to ensure the   
children's well-being2 ,whereas in      
response to cases of abuse and neglect1 
the ,government of ,russia negotiated   
the ,july #ac1 #bjaa1 bilateral adoption
 agreement to strengthen procedural     
safeguards in the adoption process      
between the ,united ,states and ,russia 
and to ensure the well-being of children
 adopted by ,united ,states families2   
,whereas the bilateral adoption         
agreement signed on ,july #ac1 #bjaa1 by
 ,united ,states ,secretary of ,state   
,hillary ,rodham ,clinton and ,russian  
,foreign ,minister ,sergey ,lavrov      
entered into force between the ,united  

,states and ,russia on ,november #a1    
#bjab2 ,whereas the ,russian ,government
 has expressed concern that the ,russian
 ,government's efforts to check on the  
welfare of adopted ,russian children and
 to monitor legal proceedings involving 
abuse against ,russian children have not
 been accommodated consistently2        
,whereas1 on ,december #bh1 #bjab1      
,russian ,federation ,president         
,vladimir ,putin signed into law        
legislation entitled 8,on ,measures     
,concerning the ,implementation of      
,government ,policy on ,orphaned        
,children and those without ,parental   
,care01 which includes a ban on         
adoptions of ,russian children by       
,united ,states citizens1 and may       
negatively affect adoptions that are    
already in process or completed2        
,whereas #eb1 and possibly more1        
intercountry adoptions of ,russian      
children by ,united ,states families are
 in the final legal stages of adoption  
in ,russia1 and hundreds of additional  

,united ,states families had adoptions  
pending in ,russia as of ,january #a1   
#bjac2 ,whereas adoption1 both domestic 
and international1 is an important child
 protection tool and an integral part of
 child welfare best practices around the
 world1 along with prevention of        
abandonment and family reunification2   
and ,whereas the ,united ,nations1 the  
,hague ,conference on ,private          
,international ,law1 and other          
international organizations have        
recognized a child's right to a family  
as a basic human right worthy of        
protection3 ,now1 therefore1 be it      
,that the ,house of ,representatives--  
7#a7 appeals to the ,russian ,government
 to allow the adoptions initiated before
 ,january #a1 #bjac1 to proceed to      
conclusion2  7#b7 invites the           
,government of ,russia to continue      
participation in the bilateral adoption 
agreement that went into force ,november
 #a1 #bjab2  7#c7 expresses deep sadness
 over the untimely and tragic deaths in 

the ,united ,states of #ai adopted      
,russian children and over the other    
cases of abuse2  7#d7 celebrates the    
tens of thousands of loving1 safe       
,united ,states families who have opened
 their homes and hearts to ,russian     
children2  7#e7 affirms the extensive   
work of the ,russian ,foreign ,ministry 
and the ,united ,states ,department of  
,state to create safeguards against     
future abuse through the bilateral      
adoption agreement that went into force 
,november #a1 #bjab2 and  7#f7 urges    
,federal1 ,state1 and local governments 
and adoptive families to accommodate    
official inquiries into the well-being  
of adopted ,russian children and to     
comply with all adoption requirements   
delineated by the bilateral agreement1  
including the monitoring of the child's 
living conditions and upbringing1 the   
submission of corresponding reports1 and
 registration of the child with the     
,russian consulate4