III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 471 

Expressing support for the goals of National Adoption Day and National 

Adoption Month by promoting national awareness of adoption and the 

children awaiting families, celebrating children and families involved in 

adoption, and encouraging the people of the United States to secure 

safety, permanency, and well-being for all children. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 16 (legislative day, NOVEMBER 15), 2023 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. CRAMER, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, 

Mr. BENNET, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. 

CASEY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. DAINES, Ms. 

DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. HASSAN, 

Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. KING, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. 

MANCHIN, Mr. RISCH, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. SCOTT of South 

Carolina, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. TUBERVILLE, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BRAUN, 

Ms. LUMMIS, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, and Mr. THUNE) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the goals of National Adoption Day 

and National Adoption Month by promoting national 

awareness of adoption and the children awaiting families, 

celebrating children and families involved in adoption, 

and encouraging the people of the United States to secure safety, permanency, and well-being for all children. 

Whereas there are millions of unparented children in the 

world, including 391,000 children in the foster care sysVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:36 Nov 16, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR471.ATS SR471

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•SRES 471 ATS 

tem in the United States, approximately 114,000 of 

whom are waiting for families to adopt them; 

Whereas the average length of time a child spends in foster 

care waiting to be adopted is 33.7 months; 

Whereas, for many unparented children, the wait for a loving 

family, in which the children are nurtured, comforted, 

and protected, seems endless; 

Whereas, in 2021, 14,380 children were at risk of aging out 

of foster care by reaching adulthood without being placed 

in a permanent home; 

Whereas, every day, loving and nurturing families are 

strengthened and expanded when committed and dedicated individuals make an important difference in the life 

of a child through adoption; 

Whereas, while nearly a quarter of individuals in the United 

States have considered adoption, a majority of individuals 

in the United States have misperceptions about the process of adopting children from foster care and the children 

who are eligible for adoption; 

Whereas family reunification, kinship care, and domestic and 

intercountry adoption promote greater permanency and 

stability for children; 

Whereas the Children’s Bureau, an office of the Administration for Children and Families within the Department of 

Health and Human Services, supports programs, research, and monitoring to help eliminate barriers to 

adoption and find permanent families for children; 

Whereas National Adoption Day is a collective national effort 

to find permanent, loving families for children in the foster care system; 


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•SRES 471 ATS 

Whereas, since the first National Adoption Day in 2000, 

more than 75,000 children have joined permanent families on National Adoption Day; 

Whereas the President traditionally issues an annual proclamation to declare the month of November as National 

Adoption Month, and the President has proclaimed November 2023 as National Adoption Month; and 

Whereas the Saturday before Thanksgiving has been recognized as National Adoption Day since at least 2000, and 

in 2023, the Saturday before Thanksgiving is November 

18: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 

3 Adoption Day and National Adoption Month; 

4 (2) recognizes that every child should have a 

5 permanent and loving family; and 

6 (3) encourages the people of the United States 

7 to consider adoption during the month of November 

8 and throughout the year. 

Æ 


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