Adoptive Family Relief Act
Public Law 114-70 · S. 1300 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 16, 2015 · Immigration
Sponsor: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Cosponsors (21): Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Chuck Grassley,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Adoptive Family Relief Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that if an immigrant visa was issued on or after March 27, 2013, for a child who has been lawfully adopted, or who is coming to the United States to be adopted, by a U.S. citizen, any statutory immigrant visa fees relating to a renewal or replacement of such visa may be waived or refunded if:
• the child was unable to use the original immigrant visa during the period of its validity as a direct result of extraordinary circumstances, including the denial of an exit permit; and
• such inability was attributable to factors beyond the control of the adopting parent or parents.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 2922Identical bill
Adoptive Family Relief Act
S. 1635 · became Public Law 114-323Related bill
Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Oct 16, 2015Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-70.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 8, 2015FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Oct 6, 2015FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1300.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Franks (AZ) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 15, 2015FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 14, 2015FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 9, 2015CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 145.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley without amendment. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- May 12, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2798)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.