taking ACTion!

Last Friday I got to do something different then my usual interning routine. I went to a congressional hearing held in the Russell Senate Building held by the Families for Orphans Coalition. They talked about the Families for Orphans Act and the Foreign Adoption Children Equality (FACE) Act. The Families for Orphans Act addresses the dated, ineffective, and inadequate procedures and programs in the U.S. regarding orphaned children. Under this act, the different agencies that work on behalf of orphans would collaborate, the U.S. would become a better leader and resource for adoption to other countries, and establish a U.S. coordinator to represent the U.S. in adoption issues. The FACE act promotes equal rights for children adopted internationally by eliminating the need for an immigrant visa, grant the child citizenship upon the completion of the adoption, and eliminate the need for a medical exam. It was really exciting to learn about the policy making decisions and what is being done legislatively to address some of the issues I have been hearing about. The members of the coalition were so knowledgeable and articulate, and very friendly when another intern and I introduced ourselves after the meeting. I was really glad I had the opportunity to attend this hearing. More later!