IV 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 660 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 16, 2012 Mr. Pallone submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform RESOLUTION Expressing support for designation of December 12, 2012, as Foster Children’s Day.

Whereas as of June 2011, approximately 408,000 children are in some type of foster care; Whereas the average age of a foster child is 9 years old, with an average of 14 to 25 months in the foster care system, 48 percent of foster children will be placed in a nonrelative home; Whereas of the 408,000 children, only 107,000 were eligible for adoption, only 53,000 were adopted, and only 51 percent are reunited with their parents or original guardians; Whereas approximately 20,000 foster children will age out when they turn 18, of these children only 38 percent of them will hold a job for more then a year, 55 percent of them will be arrested, and 18 to 26 percent of them will be incarcerated and will leave the foster system with little financial or emotional support; Whereas the overwhelming majority of foster children end up in foster care after being removed from an abusive or neglectful household; Whereas 7 years old is the average age that children are removed from their homes to enter the foster care system; Whereas foster children are more likely to have a disability and the occurrence of every disability is 2 to 3 times higher among foster children than among those not in foster care; Whereas it is essential for the United States to recommit itself to recognizing the unique needs and experiences of foster children and to aid in facilitating permanent placement of these children as well as to encouraging Federal, State, and local government, private organizations, and the general public to become involved with foster children through charitable efforts which acknowledge that these children are important and loved; and Whereas December 12, 2012, would be an appropriate date to designate as Foster Children's Day: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives supports the designation of Foster Children's Day in the United States to recognize the unique needs and experiences of foster children and to provide an opportunity for Federal, State, and local government, private organizations, and the general public to engage in charitable efforts which acknowledge that these foster children are important and loved.