[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1185 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                          May 20, 2008.
Whereas the Nation's foster care system provides a sanctuary for children who 
        are unable to live safely in their homes;
Whereas in 2006, some 799,000 children spent at least 24 hours in foster care 
        and, on any given day, roughly 510,000 children were in the Nation's 
        foster care system;
Whereas the primary goal of foster care is to ensure the safety and well-being 
        of children while working to expeditiously provide children with a 
        permanent, safe, and loving home;
Whereas via reunification with parents, adoption, or legal guardianship, some 
        289,000 children left foster care in 2006 for a permanent home;
Whereas 303,000 children entered foster care in 2006;
Whereas more than 43 percent of the children that entered foster care in 2005 
        were age 5 and younger;
Whereas studies have found that a child's early years are critical for his or 
        her brain development, making it extremely important for all children to 
        live in a safe and loving home during this critical period in their 
        lives;
Whereas in 2005, the median age of a child in foster care was just over 10 years 
        old and the median length of stay for a child in foster care was nearly 
        16 months;
Whereas while a majority of children living in foster care had the goal of being 
        reunified with their parents, nearly 20 percent of foster children were 
        seeking adoption in 2005;
Whereas each year as many as 24,000 teens will reach the age of 18 while in 
        foster care and age out of the system without finding a permanent 
        family;
Whereas on any given day in 2006, there were as many as 129,000 children in the 
        foster care system waiting to be adopted;
Whereas in 2005, roughly 60 percent of the children who left foster care for a 
        permanent adoptive family were adopted by their foster parents and 
        another 25 percent were adopted by relatives; and
Whereas it would be appropriate to designate the month of May 2008 as National 
        Foster Care Month: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the United States House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) all Americans should work together to strengthen families and 
        reduce the need of foster care placement for children; and
            (2) Congress should continue its commitment to providing critical 
        assistance to children and families involved in the foster care system 
        through the title IV program in the Social Security Act and other 
        programs that are designed to help children reunite with their parents 
        or find a loving and permanent home when they cannot return to their 
        biological parents.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.