SPEECH OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE RATIFICATION OF THE BICAM REPORT ON THE DOMESTIC ADMINISTRATIVE ADOPTION AND ALTERNATIVE CHILD CARE ACT

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues.

I have the distinct honor and privilege to submit to this Chamber the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 1933 and House Bill No. 8998, or The Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act. . Mr. President, in the interest of time, I would like to move that the entire joint explanatory statement of the Bicameral Conference Committee be spread into the records. While there were significant differences in the Senate and House versions, I am happy to share that the House decided to adopt the Senate version that reorganizes the Inter Country Adoption Board (ICAB) into the National Authority for Child Care or NACC.

Mr. President, just to provide a snapshot of this important law for families and children everywhere, here - very briefly -- are some salient points:

1. It provides for administrative adoption, thereby removing the judicial process that has previously made legal adoption lengthy and costly;

2. As mentioned, it reorganizes the ICAB into the NACC, which is envisioned to be a one stop shop for alternative child care;

3. It improves on our existing policies and processes on alternative child care, to better protect the best interests of the child, particularly the neglected and abandoned child, and to bring them into loving homes.

I am proud to say that this law is the product of meaningful collaboration and cooperation between all stakeholders involved in alternative child care -- legislators from both chambers who are all passionate about protecting children, government agencies and NGOs involved in this line of work, and most importantly, adoptive families whose experiences have guided and illumined this bill every step of the way.

Thank you very, very much.