*10/31/16 UPDATE*

Comment Period Extended to November 22, 2016

15-Day Extension of Public Comment Period on Amendments to the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation Regulations

October 31, 2016
This past Friday, October 28, 2016, the Federal Register published a notice extending by 15 days the public comment period on our pending proposed rule. On September 8, 2016, the Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), to amend requirements for accreditation of agencies and approval of persons to provide adoption services in intercountry adoption cases. (See 81 FR 62322.) The NPRM provided a comment period of 60 days, which expires on November 7, 2016. In response to a request for extension of the comment period, the Department extends the comment period until November 22, 2016. This change will provide 75 days for the public to submit comments on this rule. Further information, including the text of the proposed rule and how to post comments, can be found on regulations.gov (search for intercountry adoption).

Concern over the State Department’s published September 8, 2016 proposed rule changes on international adoption have 70 accredited adoption agencies voicing their concerns during the rule comment period expiring November 7, 2016.   In a September 20, 2016 letter, the 7o US accredited adoption agencies voiced their concerns that the proposed rules would harm children and agencies.