New Alabama Proposed Law to Eliminate Need for Re-Adoption UPDATED

Senate Bill 280 passed the Senate on Thursday, February 23, 2012. See the bill here, searching on “Karina’s Law”.

Bill as of February 24, 2012 reads as follows:
“To add Section 22-9A-11.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to provide for the State Registrar to issue a Certificate of Foreign Birth without judicial proceedings if certain criteria are satisfied.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:

Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as Karina’s Law.

Section 2. Section 22-9A-11.1 is added to the Code of Alabama 1975, to read as follows:

§22-9A-11.1.

(a) A child who has automatically acquired United States citizenship following a foreign adoption and who possesses a Certificate of Citizenship in accordance with the Child Citizenship Act, CAA, P.L. 106-395, shall be exempt from the provisions of Section 22-9A-11, which require a judicial report to acquire a Certificate of Foreign Birth.

(b) The State Registrar, upon written request, shall prepare a Certificate of Foreign Birth reflecting the actual date and place of birth for a child who was born in a foreign country, adopted by a United States citizen, and who has automatically acquired citizenship in accordance with the federal Child Citizenship Act upon the production of all of the following documents:

(1) The child’s Certificate of Citizenship.

(2) A certified copy of the child’s foreign birth certificate and certified English translation.

(3) The original documents related to the foreign adoption certified by the United States Embassy abroad and certified English translation.

(4) The Social Security card of the child.

(5) A valid government issued picture identification of parent or parents, such as a passport or driver’s license.

(6) Proof of residency of the parent or parents in the State of Alabama.

(c) The State Registrar shall develop any necessary forms for adoptive parents to submit in order to request a Certificate of Foreign Birth.

Section 3. This act shall be known as Karina’s Law.

Section 4. All laws or parts of laws which conflict with this act are repealed.

Section 5. This act shall become effective January 1, 2013, following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.”

Friend of Adoptive Parents Got Law in Motion

Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City “sponsored a bill to require the state registrar within the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the state Department of Public Health to issue a certificate of foreign birth for adopted children who automatically acquire U.S. citizenship.

Bill cuts foreign adoption red tape [Gadsden Times 2/23/12 by Dana Beyerle]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

THIS is the true meaning of bureaucratic red tape being eliminated. There are still states that require adoptive parents to readopt after the adoption was finalized in the foreign country. Other states need to follow in changing this.

What “bureaucratic red tape” is NOT: determining whether a child has been coerced into a foreign placement or trafficked aka investigations in Nepal, Vietnam, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Uganda etc. The adoption industry likes to group all of this into the same category.

Update: “The House on Thursday [March 22, 2012] passed a Senate bill that will decrease the bureaucratic hassle for couples who adopt children from foreign countries.

Legislature passes bill to cut red tape on foreign adoptions
[The Gadsden Times 3/23/12 by Dana Beryele]

Update 2: “A new state law goes into effect Jan.1, 2013 that’s meant to streamline the process for parents, but some adoption agencies say the new law may not make everything easier. [Only if your agency didn’t provide you with certified copies of your documentation. Yes, social security cards will need to be applied for first. Yes, you need a COC, too. ]

The new law known as “Karina’s Law” is supposed to make it easier for parents adopting international children by cutting out a process called re-adoption, where families have to go to probate court once they get back to Alabama to have their new child officially registered as an Alabamian.”

“The “Application to Prepare a Certificate of Foreign Birth” requires the following documentation:

• The child’s Certificate of Citizenship

• A certified copy of the child’s foreign birth certificate and certified English translation

• The original documents related to the foreign adoption certified by the U.S. Embassy abroad and certified English translation

• The Social Security card of the child

• A valid government-issued picture identification of parent or parents, such as a passport, driver’s license, or military identification

• Proof of current residency of the parent or parents in Alabama

Parents must send copies of all of the documents listed in order for the birth certificate to be prepared without judicial proceedings. If the parents are unable to provide the required documents to the Center for Health Statistics, an adoption through an Alabama court will still be required.

If the child was born in another country to a U.S. citizen, the parents will need to contact the U.S. State Department at (202) 955-0307 or visit the website: www.travel.state.gov.

For more information, request to speak with an adoption specialist at (334) 206-2644 or (334) 206-3060 or visit www.adph.org/vitalrecords/. Requests for application forms should be sent to Vital Records—Adoptions Section, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Ala. 36103-5625.

For more information, request to speak with an adoption specialist at (334) 206-2644 or (334) 206-3060 or visit www.adph.org/vitalrecords/. Requests for application forms should be sent to Vital Records—Adoptions Section, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Ala. 36103-5625.”

New Ala. law aims to make international adoption easier

[My Fox Alabama 12/27/12 by Jonathan Hardison]