BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Kevin Murray, Chairman

                                           1393 (Florez)
          
          Hearing Date:  5/25/06          Amended: 5/2/06
          Consultant: Nora Lynn           Policy Vote: Judiciary 4-0
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____
          BILL SUMMARY:   

          SB 1393 streamlines the state readoption process for residents  
          who finalize an adoption in a foreign country if its adoption  
          standards meet or exceed those of California, as certified by  
          the Department of Social Services (DSS).
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          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2006-07      2007-08       2008-09     Fund
           
          Certification          $200       $400        $400      General
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE

          State residents who adopt children in foreign countries, upon  
          meeting the requirements of the country from which the child  
          came as well as petitioning the United States government, must  
          in many cases readopt the child in California. The state  
          readoption process requires a postplacement in-home visit and  
          the filing of an adoption petition, an intercountry adoption  
          report and the final adoption order. 

          In lieu of this process, SB 1393 would require a postplacement  
          in-home visit and a final adoption order for adoptions that take  
          place in countries DSS has certified as having adoption  
          standards that meet or exceed California's. SB 1393 further  
          requires a court to grant a readoption petition if the adoption  
          was finalized in accordance with the laws of the foreign country  
          from which the child adopted and if the adopting resident  
          provides proof of the finalized adoption, the child's birth  
          certificate and visa.

          In 2005 the State Department issued an estimated 22,000  










          immigrant visas to orphans coming to the United States for  
          adoption from 21 different countries. It's not known how many of  
          these children were bound for families in California.

          DSS projects a need for five staff to conduct the necessary  
          research into international adoption laws, to translate and  
          interpret foreign law and compare other countries' legal and  
          regulatory requirements to California's in order to make  
          certification determinations. 

          Courts would see some measure of savings through reduced  
          paperwork and fewer appearances associated with the adoption  
          process.