[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1464 Engrossed Amendment Senate (EAS)]

                  In the Senate of the United States,

                                                     December 28, 2012.
    Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R. 
1464) entitled ``An Act to develop a strategy for assisting stateless 
children from North Korea, and for other purposes.'', do pass with the 
following

                              AMENDMENTS:

            Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
      following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``North Korean Child Welfare Act of 
2012''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) hundreds of thousands of North Korean children suffer 
        from malnutrition in North Korea, and North Korean children or 
        children of one North Korean parent who are living outside of 
        North Korea may face statelessness in neighboring countries; 
        and
            (2) the Secretary of State should advocate for the best 
        interests of these children, including, when possible, 
        facilitating immediate protection for those living outside 
        North Korea through family reunification or, if appropriate and 
        eligible in individual cases, domestic or international 
        adoption.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Hague country.--The term ``Hague country'' means a 
        country where the Convention on Protection of Children and 
        Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, done at The 
        Hague May 29, 1993, has entered into force and is fully 
        implemented.
            (3) Non-hague country.--The term ``non-Hague country'' 
        means a country where the Convention on Protection of Children 
        and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, done at 
        The Hague May 29, 1993, has not entered into force.

SEC. 4. BRIEFINGS ON THE WELFARE OF NORTH KOREAN CHILDREN.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall designate a 
representative to regularly brief the appropriate congressional 
committees in an unclassified setting on United States Government 
efforts to advocate for the best interests of North Korean children and 
children of one North Korean parent, including efforts to address, when 
appropriate, the adoption of such children living outside North Korea 
without parental care.
    (b) Contents.--The Secretary's designee shall be prepared to 
address in each briefing the following topics:
            (1) The analysis of the Department of State of the 
        challenges facing North Korean children residing outside North 
        Korea and challenges facing children of one North Korean parent 
        in other countries who are fleeing persecution or are living as 
        de jure or de facto stateless persons.
            (2) Department of State efforts to advocate for the best 
        interest of North Korean children residing outside North Korea 
        or children of one North Korean parent living in other 
        countries who are fleeing persecution or are living as de jure 
        or de facto stateless persons, including, when possible, 
        efforts to address the immediate care and family reunification 
        of these children, and, in individual cases where appropriate, 
        the adoption of eligible North Korean children living outside 
        North Korea and children of one North Korean parent living 
        outside North Korea.
            (3) Department of State efforts to develop a comprehensive 
        strategy to address challenges that United States citizens 
        would encounter in attempting to adopt, via intercountry 
        adoption, North Korean-origin children residing in other 
        countries or children of one North Korean parent residing 
        outside North Korea who are fleeing persecution or are living 
        as de jure or de facto stateless persons, including efforts to 
        overcome the complexities involved in determining jurisdiction 
        for best interest determinations and adoption processing, if 
        appropriate, of those who habitually reside in a Hague country 
        or a non-Hague country.
            (4) Department of State diplomatic efforts to encourage 
        countries in which North Korean children or children of one 
        North Korean parent are fleeing persecution or reside as de 
        jure or de facto stateless persons to resolve issues of 
        statelessness of North Koreans residing in that country.
            (5) Department of State efforts to work with the Government 
        of the Republic of Korea to establish pilot programs that 
        identify, provide for the immediate care of, and assist in the 
        family reunification of North Korean children and children of 
        one North Korean parent living within South Korea and other 
        countries who are fleeing persecution or are living as de jure 
        or de facto stateless persons.

            Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to express the 
        sense of Congress regarding North Korean children and children 
        of one North Korean parent and to require the Department of 
        State regularly to brief appropriate congressional committees 
        on efforts to advocate for and develop a strategy to provide 
        assistance in the best interest of these children.''.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
112th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H.R. 1464

_______________________________________________________________________

                               AMENDMENTS