[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 659 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 659
Recognizing the goals and ideals of National Foster Care Month.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 16, 2012
Ms. Bass of California (for herself, Mr. Andrews, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr.
Bartlett, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Bishop of New York, Mrs. Black, Mrs.
Blackburn, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Braley of Iowa,
Mrs. Capps, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms.
Castor of Florida, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Clarke of
Michigan, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cohen,
Mr. Cooper, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Costa, Mr. Costello, Mr. Courtney, Mr.
Critz, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. DeGette, Ms. DeLauro,
Mr. Doggett, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms.
Hahn, Ms. Hanabusa, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Ms. Hirono,
Mr. Holden, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Huelskamp, Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas, Mr.
Johnson of Illinois, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr.
Latham, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mrs. Maloney, Mr.
Marino, Mr. Markey, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Ms.
McCollum, Mr. McDermott, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Moore, Mr. Moran, Mrs.
Myrick, Mr. Nunnelee, Mr. Olver, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr.
Peters, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Platts, Mr. Polis, Mr. Rangel, Ms.
Richardson, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Schiff, Mr.
Schilling, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Stark,
Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Walz of Minnesota, Ms.
Wilson of Florida, Ms. Woolsey, and Mr. Yarmuth) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and
Means
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the goals and ideals of National Foster Care Month.
Whereas the Nation's foster care system provides for approximately 408,000
children each day who are unable to live safely with their biological
parents due to abuse and neglect;
Whereas we all have a legal and moral responsibility to provide the best care
possible for children when they cannot remain in their homes;
Whereas foster children, like all children, deserve no less than a safe, loving,
and permanent home;
Whereas there were approximately 254,000 youth that entered the foster care
system in 2010 while over 107,000 youth were eligible and awaiting
adoption at the end of 2010;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2010, almost 53,000 children were adopted out of foster
care while the number of those who ``aged out'' of the foster care
system without finding a permanent family was over 27,900;
Whereas foster parents are the frontline caregivers for children who cannot
safely remain with their biological parents and provide physical care,
emotional support, education advocacy, and are the largest single source
of families providing permanent homes for children leaving foster care
to adoption;
Whereas children in foster care who are placed with relatives, compared to
children placed with non-relatives, have more stability (fewer changes
in placements), have more positive perceptions of their placements, are
more likely to be placed with their siblings, and demonstrate fewer
behavioral problems;
Whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial assistance and support
services than do foster caregivers;
Whereas recent studies show foster children enrolled in Medicaid were prescribed
antipsychotic medications at nearly 9 times the rate of other children
receiving Medicaid;
Whereas children in foster care are much more likely to face educational
instability with 65 percent of former foster children experiencing at
least 7 school changes while in care;
Whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and reunification services is
necessary to reduce the number of children that are forced to remain in
the foster care system;
Whereas children ``aging out'' of foster care need and deserve a support system
as they work to secure affordable housing, obtain health insurance,
pursue higher education, and acquire adequate employment;
Whereas Federal legislation over the past 3 decades, including the Adoption
Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, the Adoption and Safe Families
Act of 1997, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing
Adoptions Act of 2008, and the Child and Family Services Improvement and
Innovation Act of 2011 provided new investments and services to improve
the outcomes of children in the foster care system;
Whereas State and local governments, and other child serving agencies, have also
invested in child welfare service improvements in order to provide
stable, permanent homes for children;
Whereas more work and investments are needed to provide the necessary array of
services to these children; and
Whereas May would be an appropriate month to designate as National Foster Care
Month to provide an opportunity to acknowledge the accomplishments of
the child welfare workforce, foster parents, advocacy community, and
mentors and the positive impact they have on children's lives: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Foster Care
Month;
(2) recognizes foster children throughout the Nation for
their ongoing tenacity, courage, and resilience while facing
life challenges;
(3) honors the tireless efforts of those who work to
improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system;
(4) acknowledges the exceptional alumni of the foster care
system who serve as advocates and role models for children who
remain in care;
(5) recognizes the significant improvements to Federal,
State, and local child welfare policy; and
(6) reaffirms the need to work through the programs
provided under parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security
Act, and through other programs, to support vulnerable
families, invest in prevention and reunification services,
promote adoption in cases where reunification is not in a
child's best interest, adequately serve those children brought
into the foster care system, and facilitate the successful
transition into adulthood for children that ``age out'' of the
foster care system.
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