Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

Iowa House Bill HCR7

Caption

A concurrent resolution calling upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to support efforts to naturalize certain legally adopted children who were born outside the United States.

Impact

The resolution specifically references the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which provided pathways to citizenship for many children, including those adopted by U.S. citizens. However, it notes that the act did not extend citizenship to adoptees over the age of eighteen at the time the act came into effect, leading to significant numbers of individuals who remain undocumented and subject to the risk of deportation. This lack of citizenship not only affects the individuals but also poses challenges to family unity, as some adoptees have been deported, separating them from their families in the U.S.

Summary

HCR7 is a concurrent resolution introduced in the Iowa legislature that calls upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to support efforts to naturalize certain legally adopted children who were born outside the United States. The resolution highlights the historical commitment of Iowa to international adoptions and acknowledges the myriad challenges faced by adoptees who remain without U.S. citizenship, despite being raised by American families. HCR7 seeks to address these barriers by urging legislative action to enable citizenship for these individuals.

Contention

While the resolution enjoys bipartisan support, it also underscores ongoing conversations about immigration and citizenship policy in the U.S., particularly concerning vulnerable populations like adoptees. Advocates for HCR7 argue that granting citizenship could alleviate numerous difficulties faced by these individuals, including barriers to access basic services such as banking, education, and health care. Critics may raise concerns regarding the broader implications of changing citizenship laws and potential impacts on immigration policy; however, this resolution primarily focuses on rectifying the oversight related to adoptees from the Child Citizenship Act.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

IA HR14

A resolution calling upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to support efforts to naturalize certain legally adopted children who were born outside the United States.

IA HR103

A resolution calling upon the United States Congress to support efforts to recognize all United States troops who served in Honduras from 1981 to 1992.

IA HCR1025

Concurrent Resolution; supporting the elimination of the United States Department of Education; urging the United States Congress to fully cooperate with such efforts.

IA SCR4009

A concurrent resolution urging Congress to support admitting Washington, D.C. into the Union as a state of the United States.

IA SCR35

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to oppose the United Nations Pact for the Future.

IA HR0055

A resolution to support the devolution of power from the United States Department of Education to the states and to urge the United States Congress to fully cooperate with these efforts.

IA HR0033

A resolution calling on the United States Congress to reinstate United States Agency for International Development funding to research universities.

IA SB146

Relating to the voter registration of naturalized United States citizens.

IA HB1296

Relating to the voter registration of naturalized United States citizens.

IA HCR19

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to allow users of medical cannabis to own firearms.

Similar Bills

TX HB5337

Relating to requiring a person to submit proof of citizenship to register to vote; creating criminal offenses.

TX SB16

Relating to requiring a person to submit proof of citizenship to register to vote, including the eligibility of certain voters to vote a limited federal ballot if the voter cannot supply the required proof and the procedures for the counting of those ballots; creating criminal offenses.

AZ HB2038

Voter registration; citizenship proof

CA AJR5

Birthright citizenship.

IA SF2203

A bill for an act relating to the verification of United States citizenship of persons registering to vote and registered voters. (Formerly SSB 3045.)

IA HR14

A resolution calling upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to support efforts to naturalize certain legally adopted children who were born outside the United States.