H. Res. 831 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

October 28, 2009. 

Whereas there are nearly 500,000 children in the foster care 

system in the United States, approximately 130,000 of 

whom are waiting for families to adopt them; 

Whereas nearly 54 percent of the children in foster care are 

age 10 or younger; 

Whereas the average length of time a child spends in foster 

care is more than 2 years; 

Whereas, for many foster children, the wait for a permanent, 

adoptive, ‘‘forever’’ family in which they are loved, nurtured, comforted, and protected seems endless; 

Whereas the number of youth who ‘‘age out’’ of the foster 

care system by reaching adulthood without being placed 

in a permanent home has increased by more than 60 percent since 1998, as nearly 28,000 foster youth ‘‘aged 

out’’ of foster care during 2007; 

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 3 in 10 people in the United States have considered adoption, a majority of them have misconceptions 
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about the process of adopting children from foster care 

and the children who are eligible for adoption; 

Whereas 71 percent of those who have considered adoption 

consider adopting children from foster care above other 

forms of adoption; 

Whereas 45 percent of people in the United States believe 

that children enter the foster care system because of juvenile delinquency, when in reality the vast majority of 

children in the foster care system were victims of neglect, 

abandonment, or abuse; 

Whereas 46 percent of people in the United States believe 

that foster care adoption is expensive, when in reality 

there is no substantial cost for adopting from foster care, 

and financial support in the form of an adoption assistance subsidy is available to adoptive families of eligible 

children adopted from foster care and continues after the 

adoption is finalized until the child is 18, so that income 

will not be a barrier to becoming a parent to a foster 

child who needs to belong to a family; 

Whereas significant tax credits are available to families who 

adopt children with special needs; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, in a partnership 

with the Ad Council, supports a national recruitment 

campaign for adoptive parents; 

Whereas the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids features a 

photolisting Website for waiting foster children and prospective adoptive families at www.adoptuskids.org, and in 

Spanish at www.adopte1.org; 
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Whereas National Adoption Day is a collective national effort 

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

Whereas, since the first National Adoption Day in 2000, 

25,000 children have joined forever families during National Adoption Day; 

Whereas in 2008, adoptions were finalized for over 4,600 

children through more than 325 National Adoption Day 

events in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 

Puerto Rico; 

Whereas National Adoption Month celebrates the gift of 

adoption, recognizing the adoptive and foster families 

who share their hearts and homes with children in need, 

and raises awareness of the need for families for the 

many waiting children, particularly older children and 

teens, children of color, members of sibling groups, and 

children with physical and emotional challenges; and 

Whereas November 2009 is National Adoption Month, and 

November 21, 2009, is National Adoption Day, and activities and information about both are available at 

www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/activities.cfm: Now, 

therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month; 

(2) recognizes that every child in foster care deserves a permanent and loving family; 

(3) recognizes the significant commitment of taxpayers to support adoption, including the 
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$1,900,000,000 provided to support adoption through 

the Title IV–E Adoption Assistance program, as well as 

the assistance provided through the Title IV–E Foster 

Care program to 130,000 children waiting for adoptive 

families, among other important programs; and 

(4) encourages the citizens of the United States to 

consider adoption of children in foster care who are waiting for a permanent, loving family. 

Attest: 

Clerk.