Date: 1997-11-13
Speaker: BARBARA KENNELLY (democrat)
Chamber: H

who has also been there every step of the way. and I believe. her testimony before the Senate. where she implored them to pass a bill to help children before we go home for the holidays to our own loving families. was a turning point in the negotiation. and also the ranking member. the gentleman from Michigan. Mr. SANDER LEVIN. for his support and effort in this area as well. The administration. we worked with them as well. and this has been a bipartisan bill. I think that is one of the reasons why we are on the floor today. I think today is a great day for our Nations foster .and adoptive children. Today is the day that Congress improves our foster care laws and eases the pathway for adoption. Since 1980. foster care children have entered a system that has often worked against them. making foster care a permanent answer instead of a temporary solution to their problems. In 1980 Congress enacted the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act. which sought to improve the foster care system. The 1980 law. while wellintended. has created a system where nearly half a million children currently reside in foster care. Many remain in the system for more than 2 years. which is a lifetime for a child. This legislation. however. is not about numbers and statistics. it is about children and families. For a child of any age. 2 years in foster care is far too long. It is 2 years of uncertainty. 2 years of not knowing where their next home will be. or not knowing the love of a parent. This legislation makes several changes that will ensure our children grow up in the sanctuary of a permanent. loving home instead of a temporary shelter. First. we make the health and safety of the child of paramount importance in any decision affecting. our children. No child should be returned to a dangerous environment where they may face continued abuse or even death. Our bill makes sure the childs health and safety are taken into account in that decision. We also clarify the circumstances under which States are not required to pursue reasonable efforts. Under the bill. States would not be required to pursue reasonable efforts if a child had been abandoned. tortured. chronically or sexually abused. or if the parents had murdered a sibling. Second. we. allow States to conduct what is known as concurrent planning. which allows the State to make permanency arrangements for adoption while attempts to reunite the family are made. Many children remain in foster care so long because States fail to make arrangements for the child should reunification efforts fail. Third. we provide incentive payments to States that quickly find permanent. loving homes. States will receive incentive payments of $4.000 for each adoption and $6.000 for special needs adoptions. From the beginning. Republicans and Democrats. both House and Senate. have worked together on behalf of our Nations children. I have no doubt that the commitment to helping those children will continue until this bill is signed into law. We are on the brink of a significant accomplishment. It is our children who are the beneficiaries. This bill will ensure that a permanent. loving home is within the reach of every child. In the eyes of every child. we see the boundless possibilities for our future. No child should grow up without a loving home. But in those instances where changes must be made. we must have a system that works on behalf of the child. not against them. Again. I want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his efforts. and my coauthor. the gentlewoman from Connecticut. Mrs. BARBARA KENNELLY. for bringing this bill to the floor.