I 171H campaign! Everyone please help!

Hi all...I haven't been around for awhile but hoping this is a worthy cause. On many of the websites..yahoo groups and the CCAI website are asking folks to email their representative and the USCIS....even if you have done so in the past...please take the time to do it again! Here is all the info you need...pass it along to everyone in the Int'l adoption community...not just China! Thanks______________________________________________[font=Times New Roman]Here is a copy of a sample letter! Please edit for your info! [/font][font=Times New Roman]Also included are the links to find your cogressman/sentator and where to send at USCIS. Thanks![/font][font=Times New Roman][url="http://www.senate.gov/general/conta...enators_cfm.cfm"]http://www.senate.gov/general/conta...enators_cfm.cfm[/url] [/font][font=Times New Roman]TO FIND YOUR SENATOR[/font][font=Times New Roman][url="http://www.house.gov/writerep/"]http://www.house.gov/writerep/[/url] [/font][font=Times New Roman]TO FIND YOUR REPRESENATIVE[/font][font=Times New Roman]www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/contactus [/font][font=Times New Roman]ann.palmer@dhs.gov [/font][font=Times New Roman]To Whom It May Concern,[/font][font=Times New Roman]We are writing to you and your department both as US citizens and parents-to-be of a child from China regarding current USCIC regulations that affect the process and cost of China adoption. This letter contains a little bit about us and a proposal for changing the current system. [/font][font=Times New Roman]Our dream of completing a family has been, and continues to be, a "long and winding road". To fulfill our dream we chose China. At times we have found the process to be both difficult and confronting. We have had to submit to the scrutiny of our adoption [/font][font=Times New Roman]agency, our state, our federal government, and the Chinese government. If we had given birth to our child, we would not have had a social worker come to our house to ask us questions about our childhood, our marriage, and our parenting ideas. If we had given [/font][font=Times New Roman]birth to our child, we would not have had to provide everyone with proof that we were not criminals, and that we had not ever abused, neglected or abandoned a child. If we had given birth to our child, we would not have had to prove that we were physically and [/font][font=Times New Roman]financially healthy and stable. But, this is only a part of what it takes if you want to parent a child from China! The investment of our time, money and emotions has been substantial. We have followed [/font][font=Times New Roman]all the rules of both the United States and the Peoples Republic of China. We filled out the dozens of required forms, ordered the required documents, prepared our dossier and immigration files and [/font][font=Times New Roman]sent them to China. Finally, after all this, we have allowed ourselves to be filled with the myriad of hopes, fears, dreams and desires of all waiting parents! [/font][font=Times New Roman]As part of this process we are required to obtain USCIS approval (form I-171H/I-797C). Our approval was processed over a year ago and according to current regulations, is valid for 18 months. Until recently, this approval period served families in the process of [/font][font=Times New Roman]China adoption quite well. They were able to receive their child referral, travel to China, receive their child and submit an I-600 in Guangzhou for their child's visa. This is what we had been looking forward to for our family, our adoption journey. Unfortunately, China is now experiencing a significant increase in the length of time it will take to match us with our child. [/font][font=Times New Roman]This increased waiting timeline has occurred quickly and with dramatic effects. It is a certainty that every family who has a dossier in China will experience the expiration of their: 1) fingerprints (valid for 15 months) and I-171H/I-797C approval (valid for 18 months). The cost, both emotionally and financially of filing a new I-600A will be very high. The cost to your USCIS offices for processing a new I-600A will be very costly and time consuming. We [/font][font=Times New Roman]would like to propose the following: [/font][font=Times New Roman]1) Effective immediately, set the valid period for all newly issued I-171H/I-797C from 18 to 24 months. [/font][font=Times New Roman]2) Effective immediately, allow all families holding a valid I-171H/I-797C to file and be approved for an extension to 24 months within 30 days after submitting the following documents: [/font][font=Times New Roman]A copy of their current I-171H/I-797C and valid fingerprints A Home Study update to ensure that families still qualify to adopt from China. [/font][font=Times New Roman]Why, you may ask, is this important? The burden of paying and submitting a new I-600A for a file that is already approved seems frivolous and a poor use of USCIS resources. The cost to families can be up to $2,000.00 and the USCIS offices are already overworked. [/font][font=Times New Roman]Aren't our time and money, and our government's time and money, better spent? Please help us with relief of the burden to submit another I-600A for a new I-171H when we have not even had the chance to use the one you gave us initially. Our desire to adopt a Chinese [/font][font=Times New Roman]child is even stronger now! Please do not add additional time and cost simply because we want to be the parents of a needy orphan! We implore you to look at the need and rational behind a completely new [/font][font=Times New Roman]file when these timelines are now here through no fault of our own. [/font][font=Times New Roman]Thank you for your time and thoughtfulness about this matter. [/font][font=Times New Roman]Sincerely, [/font][font=Times New Roman]Name [/font][font=Times New Roman]Email address [/font][font=Times New Roman]address[/font]