March 2013Vol. 14, No. 2President Signs Universal Accreditation Act
On January 14, 2013, President Obama signed the Universal Accreditation Act, requiring all intercountry adoption service providers to comply with Hague regulations. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, the new law will go into effect on July 14, 2013.
The Universal Accreditation Act will provide families adopting children from other countries assurance that all intercountry adoption service providers comply with the same ethical standards, regardless of the country from which they adopt. More information is available through the press release on the Bureau of Consular Affairs' website:
http://adoption.state.gov/about_us/uaa_becomes_law.php
Access the full-text legislation:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s3331enr/pdf/BILLS-112s3331enr.pdf (198 KB)