Proposed Federal Legislation will affect the International Matchmaking Industry

Federal Legislation has been introduced by Washington State Senator Cantwell, (SB 1455) as well as Washington State Congressmen, Inslee and Larsen, (HR 2949). This legislation, if passed, will negatively impact International Matchmaking Organazations, as well as the foreign women who use the services of IMOs.

Those of us in the industry already understand that there is existing legislation that if followed should be sufficient. We also understand that there are both private and public studies that have been done showing that there is no greater incidence of spousal abuse among couples who meet via IMO;s. The fact is, we have a major problem with spousal abuse in this country, just click here for the horrifying statistics. It is unfortunate that our government chooses to expend the time, effort, and resources to place further restrictions on a tiny segment of the population, a population where studies have proven that there is actually a lower rate of domestic violence. However, the tragic and sensationalized case of Anastasia King, a Russian woman who moved to Washington State to marry a man and was subsequently murdered, has served as the catalyst for this legislation.

We feel that because of the thousands of women who suffer from abuse each year, any legislation should address the entire matchmaking industry, not just the International segment, the one segment where it has been proven that the women are not at a higher risk.
However, we are also realistic and if there is going to be new and more restrictive Federal Legislation regarding IMO's we want to work together with the legislators and their staff to draft something that will make sense and be effective. To that end we have written a proposal that we intend to send to the legislature. The proposal is reasonable and is something that, if enacted, will serve to strengthen our industry and also protect women who may find themselves in an abusive situation.

In order to demonstrate that we have widespread industry support for this proposal it is important that you read it and approve it by filling out the form at the end of the proposal. We will collect all of the company names and signatures and submit it to Senator Cantwells Office as well as both Congressman Inslee and Larsen.

Time is of the essence, so please complete the form and submit it today! To read the proposal and submit your approval please click here. If you have questions or comments please contact me at john@wwdl.net