# 114-hr-5454: Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016

114-hr-5454, Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016, is a 114th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5454
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 114-hr-5454
- Congress: 114
- Title: Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
- Introduced: 2016-06-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant automatic citizenship to all qualifying children adopted by a U.S. citizen parent, regardless of the date on which the adoption was finalized. An individual born outside of the United States who was adopted by a U.S. citizen parent shall automatically become a U.S. citizen when the following conditions have been fulfilled: the individual was adopted by a U.S. citizen before the individual reached age 18, the individual was physically present in the United States in the citizen parent's legal custody pursuant to a lawful admission before the individual reached age 18, the individual never acquired U.S. citizenship before the enactment of this Act, and the individual was lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act. An individual who meets such criteria, except for lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act, shall automatically become a U.S. citizen on the date on which the individual is physically present in the United States pursuant to a lawful admission. A visa may not be issued to such an individual unless: the individual was subjected to a criminal background check; and the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State coordinated with law enforcement agencies to ensure that appropriate action is taken regarding any unresolved criminal activity.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Franks, Trent [R-AZ-8] (R-AZ), 2016-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ), 2016-11-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ellison, Keith [D-MN-5] (D-MN), 2016-11-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Comstock, Barbara [R-VA-10] (R-VA), 2016-11-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2016-11-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walters, Mimi [R-CA-45] (R-CA), 2016-12-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2016-12-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 114-hr-3268: PAST Act
- 114-hr-1786: James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act
- 114-hr-5732: Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016
- 114-hr-5292: Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016
- 114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act
- 114-hr-3381: Childhood Cancer STAR Act

## Sources
- [114-hr-5454 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/5454)

## Related
- [114-hr-3268: PAST Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3268)
- [114-hr-1786: James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-1786)
- [114-hr-5732: Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5732)
- [114-hr-5292: Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5292)
- [114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4592)
- [114-hr-3381: Childhood Cancer STAR Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3381)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5454 (as of 2025-11-18).