Bastard Nation
Action Alert!
April 17, 2000
U.S. FEDERAL ACTION REQUIRED ON INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION ACT!
Please call, fax and write
your US Congressional Representative and
Senators to urge passage of the Intercountry Adoption Act: S 682
and HR 2909 *without amendment* and *without delay*. There is a real threat
of amendment in both House and Senate, and these amendments may affect
access to adoption records.
On April 13th, the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee passed the Intercountry Adoption Act S. 682,
a mirror bill to HR. 2909, which implements the Hague Convention on International
Adoption. This bill, *as it now stands*, allows for greater accountability
in international adoption practice and does not adversely affect adult
adoptee records access.
The Senate FRC has also
voted to ratify the Hague Convention itself.
This follows a similar vote taken by the House International Relations
Committee on March 22nd. Now BOTH
bills head, respectively, to the floors of the U.S. Senate and the U.S.
House of Representatives for a final vote.
Please write to your Senator
and Representative this week (as soon as possible!) to support *unamended*
passage of the Intercountry Adoption Act.
Letters and phone calls should be polite, personalized and brief. Records access need not be emphasized -- reference
to the bills themselves, and the importance of the Hague treaty for adoptees,
will be helpful. A copy of the
House Bill, which is identical to the Senate Bill, may be found at <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.2909:>
It is *especially* important
that Congressional and Senate delegations in the following states receive
strong feedback in support from their constituents: KS (Senate), MN (House), NJ (House), UT (House and Senate),
and VA (House.) A sample letter along with contact info. for all other
states follow. Direct contact info. for legislators in the most critical
states can be found at the end of this alert.
HOUSE:
Please contact your House
members in Capitol Hill and urge them pass HR. 2909 as accepted by the
House International Relations Committee on March 22nd, WITHOUT delay or
amendment. You can find your House member's contact information quickly
and easily at http://www.house.gov/writerep/
SENATE: Please
also contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to pass S. 682 as accepted
by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 13th, as
well as ratify the treaty itself.
They should do so WITHOUT delay or amendment. You can find your
House member's contact information quickly and easily at www.capweb.net/classic/
SAMPLE LETTER (personalize):
Date
The Honorable ...
Address
Dear Representative/Senator:
I am a constituent in <your
city and state.> I am writing
to express my support of HR. 2909/S. 682 as drafted and passed out of
the House International Relations Committee on March 22nd and the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee on April 13th.
Please consider a vote in favor of this critical legislation, which
will establish a framework to properly regulate intercountry adoption
and, therefore, to properly protect the interests of American inter-country
adoptees.
<For Senate only: Please also vote in favor of Hague ratification.>
The present language with
regards to Hague ratification was the result of extensive discussion and
compromise between a number of national adoption-related advocacy organizations,
as well as the international child welfare community, adoptive parents
and adoptees. Please allow no
amendments to be made to the language as it stands.
With kind regards,
<Your name, address
and phone>
************************************
Please write today!
The contact info. for critical
House and Senate contacts in KS, MN, NJ, UT, VA follows:
KANSAS SENATE:
Senator Sam Brownback,
Republican
Hart Senate Office Building,
WDC 20510
Phone: (202) 224.6521, Fax:
(202) 228.1265
Senator Pat Roberts, Republican
302 Hart Senate Office Building,
WDC 20510
Phone: 202-224-4774, Fax:
202-224-3514
MINNESOTA HOUSE:
Representative Gil Gutknecht
Minnesota - 1st District -
Republican
425 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-2301
Phone: (202) 225-2472, Fax:
(202) 225-3264
Representative David Minge
Minnesota - 2nd District -
Democrat
1415 Longworth House Office
Building, WDC 20515-2302
Phone: (202) 225-2331, Fax:
(202) 226-0836
Representative Jim Ramstad
Minnesota - 3rd District -
Republican
103 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-2303
Phone: (202) 225-2871, Fax:
(202) 225-6351
Representative Bruce F.
Vento
Minnesota - 4th District -
Democrat
2413 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-2304
Phone: (202) 225-6631, Fax:
(202) 225-1968
Representative Martin Olav
Sabo
Minnesota - 5th District -
Democrat
2336 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-2305
Phone: (202) 225-4755, Fax:
(202) 225-4886
Representative Bill Luther
Minnesota - 6th District -
Democrat
117 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-2306
Phone: (202) 225-2271, Fax:
(202) 225-3368
Representative Collin C.
Peterson
Minnesota - 7th District -
Democrat
2159 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-2307
Phone: (202) 225-2165, Fax:
(202) 225-1593
Representative James L.
Oberstar
Minnesota - 8th District -
Democrat
2365 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-2308
Phone: (202) 225-6211, Fax:
(202) 225-0699
NEW JERSEY HOUSE:
Representative Robert E.
Andrews
New Jersey - 1st District
- Democrat
2439 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-3001
Phone: (202) 225-6501, Fax:
(202) 225-6583
Representative Frank A.
LoBiondo
New Jersey - 2nd District
- Republican
222 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-3002
Phone: (202) 225-6572, Fax:
(202) 225-3318
Representative Jim Saxton
New Jersey - 3rd District
- Republican
339 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-3003
Phone: (202) 225-4765, Fax:
(202) 225-0778
Representative Christopher
H. Smith
New Jersey - 4th District
- Republican
2370 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-3004
Phone: (202) 225-3765, Fax: (202) 225-7768
Representative Marge Roukema
New Jersey - 5th District
- Republican
2469 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-3005
Phone: (202) 225-4465, Fax:
(202) 225-9048
Representative Frank Pallone,
Jr.
New Jersey - 6th District
- Democrat
420 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-3006
Phone: (202) 225-4671, Fax:
(202) 225-9665
Representative Bob Franks
New Jersey - 7th District
- Republican
225 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-3007
Phone: (202) 225-5361, Fax:
(202) 225-9460
Representative William
J. Pascrell, Jr.
New Jersey - 8th District
- Democrat
1722 Longworth House Office
Building, WDC 20515-3008
Phone: (202) 225-5751, Fax:
(202) 225-5782
Representative Steven R.
Rothman
New Jersey - 9th District
- Democrat
1607 Longworth House Office
Building, WDC 20515-3009
Phone: (202) 225-5061, Fax:
(202) 225-5851
Representative Donald M.
Payne
New Jersey - 10th District
- Democrat
2209 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-3010
Phone: (202) 225-3436, Fax:
(202) 225-4160
Representative Rodney P.
Frelinghuysen
New Jersey - 11st District
- Republican
228 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-3011
Phone: (202) 225-5034, Fax:
(202) 225-3186
Representative
Rush Holt
New Jersey - 12nd District
- Democrat
1630 Longworth House Office
Building, WDC 20515-3009
Phone: (202) 225-5801, Fax:
(202) 225-6025
Representative Robert Menendez
New Jersey - 13rd District
- Democrat
405 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-3013
Phone: (202) 225-7919, Fax:
(202) 226-0792
UTAH SENATE:
Senator Robert Bennett
- Republican
431 Dirksen Bldg., WDC,
20510-4403
Phone: (202) 224-5444,
Fax: (202) 224-4908
Senator Orrin Hatch - Republican
131 Russell Senate Office
Building, WDC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5251,
Fax (202) 224-6331
UTAH HOUSE:
Representative James V.
Hansen
Utah - 1st District - Republican
242 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-4401
Phone: (202) 225-0453, Fax:
(202) 225-5857
Representative Merrill
Cook
Utah - 2nd District - Republican
1431 Longworth House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4402
Phone: (202) 225-3011, Fax:
(202) 225-5638
Representative Christopher
B. Cannon
Utah - 3rd District - Republican
118 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-4403
Phone: (202) 225-7751, Fax:
(202) 225-5629
VIRGINIA HOUSE:
Representative Herbert
H. Bateman
Virginia - 1st District -
Republican
2211 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4601
Phone: (202) 225-4261, Fax:
(202) 225-4382
Representative Owen B.
Pickett
Virginia - 2nd District -
Democrat
2133 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4602
Phone: (202) 225-4215, Fax:
(202) 225-4218
Representative Robert C.
Scott
Virginia - 3rd District -
Democrat
2464 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4603
Phone: (202) 225-8351, Fax: (202) 225-8354
Representative Norman Sisisky
Virginia - 4th District -
Democrat
2371 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4604
Phone: (202) 225-6365, Fax:
(202) 226-1170
Representative Virgil H.
Goode, Jr.
Virginia - 5th District -
I
1520 Longworth House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4605
Phone: (202) 225-4711, Fax:
(202) 226-5681
Representative Bob Goodlatte
Virginia - 6th District -
Republican
2240 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4606
Phone: (202) 225-5431, Fax:
(202) 225-9681
Representative Tom Bliley
Virginia - 7th District -
Republican
2409 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4607
Phone: (202) 225-2815, Fax: (202) 225-0011
Representative James P.
Moran
Virginia - 8th District -
Democrat
2239 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4608
Phone: (202) 225-4376, Fax:
(202) 225-0017
Representative Rick Boucher
Virginia - 9th District -
Democrat
2329 Rayburn House Office
Building, WDC 20515-4609
Phone: (202) 225-3861, Fax: (202) 225-0442
Representative Frank R.
Wolf
Virginia - 10th District -
Republican
241 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4610
Phone: (202) 225-5136, Fax: (202) 225-0437
Representative Thomas M.
Davis III
Virginia - 11st District -
Republican
224 Cannon House Office Building,
WDC 20515-4611
Phone: (202) 225-1492, Fax:
(202) 225-3071
Thank you for taking the time to advance the cause of equal rights and
dignity in for adult adopted citizens.
Call, fax, write today! Your letters and phone calls do make a difference.
Legislative Committee
Bastard Nation
http://www.bastards.org/
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