SRES-23-116
Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and an amended preamble by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S2456-2458; text: CR S2457-2458)
Sponsored by Thomas Tillis (R-NC)
What it does
This resolution designates April 2019 as "Countering International Parental Child Abduction Month" and expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should raise public awareness of the harm caused by international parental child abduction. It urges the United States to continue a leadership role in educating the public about the emotional, psychological, and physical consequences of such abductions. The resolution does not create new law, impose new requirements, or appropriate any funds.
Who benefits
Left-behind parents in the United States whose children have been taken abroad by the other parent. Children who are victims of international parental abduction, who may benefit from increased public awareness and prevention efforts. Advocacy organizations focused on international child abduction issues, which may gain visibility. The Office of Children's Issues at the State Department and the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program, which may receive greater public engagement as a result of heightened awareness.
Who is hurt
This resolution carries no binding legal force and imposes no costs or restrictions on any group. Parents who have taken children abroad and are subject to existing law under 18 U.S.C. § 1204 face no new legal exposure from this resolution alone. There are no direct negative effects on any identifiable group.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that international parental child abduction is a serious and underrecognized harm, with more than 9,000 U.S. children affected between 2008 and 2015 and active cases identified in 105 countries in 2017 alone. They contend that raising public awareness is a necessary complement to existing legal tools — such as the Hague Convention on Abduction and the Sean and David Goldman Act — because many abductions occur before parents know prevention resources like the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program exist.
Opponents argue
Opponents might argue that a non-binding awareness resolution does nothing to address the structural failures that allow abductions to persist — namely, the noncompliance of countries like Japan, India, and China with the Hague Convention — and that Senate floor time and attention would be better spent on binding legislation or diplomatic pressure. They contend that the 12 countries already identified as noncompliant in 2017 demonstrate that awareness campaigns alone are insufficient without enforceable international mechanisms.
Constitutional context
As a simple Senate resolution expressing the "sense of the Senate," this measure does not carry the force of law and does not implicate constitutional provisions in a legally operative way. The underlying subject matter — international child abduction — touches on the Treaty Clause (Art. II, §2, cl. 2), as the United States is a party to the Hague Convention on Abduction, and Medellín v. Texas (2008) is relevant background, as it established that non-self-executing treaties require implementing legislation to be enforceable domestically.
Checks and balances
This resolution is purely expressive — it does not shift power to any branch of government. No branch gains or loses authority, and no new checks are created or removed.
Historical precedent
The Senate passed substantially similar resolutions on this topic in the 112th Congress (S. Res. 543, 2012) and the 115th Congress (S. Res. 431, 2018), establishing a pattern of recurring awareness resolutions on international parental child abduction.