Date: 2013-10-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

So this legislation. which reauthorizes and restructures the Adoption Incentives Grant Program. will help enhance. cultivate. and advance the foster care system by making it a program that is beneficial. Mr. Speaker. I was not able to come to the floor for H.R. 2083. I also. as a cochair of the Congressional Childrens Caucus. focusing on the abuse of children. want to salute and support the Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act and ask this floor to support both of these initiatives. because when we speak for children. we speak for America. I hope that we will also see. soon. antibullying and prevention legislation on the floor. Mr. Speaker. to make that public statement. I thank the gentleman for his yielding. and I want to salute Little Audreys in Houston for the work they have done for the children in Houston. Texas. Thank you. Alma. very much for the work you have done. Mr. Speaker. as a member of the Congressional Adoption and Foster Care Caucuses and as Chair of the Congressional Childrens Caucus. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3205. the "Promoting Adoption and Legal Guardianship for Children in Foster Care Act." I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill because it promotes adoption. protects children and provides grant funding for the foster care system. Foster care serves our children and families as a temporary placement until a suitable permanent living arrangement is made that best fits the child. Most children are placed in foster care temporarily due to parental abuse or neglect. In Harris County. 2.388 children were taken into protective custody in 2011. The average number of children in foster care each month in Harris County is 5.300. In addition. 2.440 children in Childrens Protective Service (CPS) custody were placed in a permanent living arrangement in Harris County in 2011. With court approval. 28.3 percent of the children were returned to their own families. 26.5 percent were placed with relatives. and 34.4 percent were placed in adoptive homes. As of September 31. 2012. 1.740 children in the Houston Region are still waiting to be adopted (1.503 in Harris County). On average. children stay in the system for almost three years before either being reunited with their families or adopted. Children have on average three different foster care placements. Frequent moves in and out of the homes of strangers can be profoundly unsettling and quite difficult for children. and it is not uncommon to hear of children who have been in 20 or 30 different homes during their time in foster care. Many foster children have been separated not only from their parents. but from their siblings. which can be very detrimental to a child socially. emotionally and psychologically. Many children in foster care unfortunately have to undergo multiple placement changes several times while in foster care due to a wide range of factors such as licensing standards violations. court rulings. behavioral issues. or changes in the foster home or facility. In my home city of Houston. CPS does a remarkable job increase in providing placement options that will better match the needs of each individual child that goes through the foster care system. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 3205 reauthorizes and restructures the adoption incentives grant program. These grant funds will help enhance. cultivate. and advance the foster care system by making it a program that is beneficial while effectively serving children. These resources will give children in foster care the opportunity to flourish in whatever living placement they are given. Adoption is more than just a legal process. it is an emotional. social and psychological process in which children who have been removed from their biological parents become full and permanent legal members of another family. Adoption has many facets and touches people in different ways. This bill promotes adoption and will help ensure that people who are willing and able to serve will have the necessary information and means to become legal guardians of foster children in need of placement. Mr. Speaker. children are our hope for a better tomorrow. but it is up to us to promote adoption so that children may have legal guardians who will properly care for them and help them know the joy and security that comes with being a member of a loving family. For these reasons. I strongly support H.R. 3205. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important legislation.