OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

North Korea Refugee Adoption Act of 2011

Floor Speech

Date: Sept. 12, 2012
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Minors and Children Foreign Affairs

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of H.R. 1464, the North Korea Refugee Adoption Act of 2011, I rise to thank Mr. Royce and Ranking Member Berman for bringing this important bipartisan bill to the floor on September 11, 2012.

This bill was introduced to assist North Korean children living ``stateless'' outside of that country who face starvation and neglect because they are neither North Korean citizens nor citizens of the country where they currently reside. There are many American families who would love to give a home to these orphans and refugee children if they could. This legislation will help make that process easier.

The bill encourages the Homeland and State Departments to develop strategies to help reunite North Korean refugee children with their families or to facilitate the adoption of the children by citizens of South Korea, China or other countries. Many of these children have Chinese fathers and North Korean mothers but are not claimed by either parent, and being stateless, don't have access to the resources of either country. This bill will help provide for their immediate care and begin the process of getting them settled.

I am proud to support this bill and ask my colleagues to join me.


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