IV 
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 In-
diana, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. 
CLARKE of Michigan, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CLY-
BURN, Mr. COHEN, Mr. COOPER, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COSTA, Mr. COS-
TELLO, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. CRITZ, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, 
Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. GRI-
JALVA, 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 Geor-
gia, 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. WOOL-
SEY, and Mr. YARMUTH) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
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•HRES 659 IH 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the goals and ideals of National Foster Care 
Month. 
Whereas the Nation’s foster care system provides for approxi-
mately 408,000 children each day who are unable to live 
safely with their biological parents due to abuse and ne-
glect; 
Whereas we all have a legal and moral responsibility to pro-
vide 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 en-
tered 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 chil-
dren who cannot safely remain with their biological par-
ents and provide physical care, emotional support, edu-
cation advocacy, and are the largest single source of fam-
ilies providing permanent homes for children leaving fos-
ter 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 
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to be placed with their siblings, and demonstrate fewer 
behavioral problems; 
Whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial assist-
ance and support services than do foster caregivers; 
Whereas recent studies show foster children enrolled in Med-
icaid 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 reunifica-
tion services is necessary to reduce the number of chil-
dren 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 hous-
ing, obtain health insurance, pursue higher education, 
and acquire adequate employment; 
Whereas Federal legislation over the past 3 decades, includ-
ing the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 
1980, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, the 
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adop-
tions Act of 2008, and the Child and Family Services Im-
provement and Innovation Act of 2011 provided new in-
vestments and services to improve the outcomes of chil-
dren in the foster care system; 
Whereas State and local governments, and other child serving 
agencies, have also invested in child welfare service im-
provements in order to provide stable, permanent homes 
for children; 
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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 men-
tors 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 resil-
ience 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 pro-
grams provided under parts B and E of title IV of 
the Social Security Act, and through other pro-
grams, to support vulnerable families, invest in pre-
vention and reunification services, promote adoption 
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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. 
Æ 
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