[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 693 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 693

    Expressing support for designation of June as ``National Family 
                         Reunification Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 19, 2012

   Ms. Moore (for herself, Ms. Bass of California, Mr. Conyers, Ms. 
     Richardson, Mr. Clarke of Michigan, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Lee of 
 California, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Stark, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Norton, 
and Ms. Woolsey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing support for designation of June as ``National Family 
                         Reunification Month''.

Whereas reunification with family is the preferred outcome for children removed 
        from their homes and placed in foster care;
Whereas reunification with their family is the best option for a permanent and 
        loving home for most children in foster care;
Whereas it is necessary to emphasize the importance of prevention and 
        reunification services in order to reduce the number of children that 
        are forced to remain in the foster care system;
Whereas every year, hundreds of thousands of children are successfully reunified 
        with their families;
Whereas all children need the care, love, security, and stability of family 
        unity, including parents, siblings, grandparents, and other extended 
        family members to provide a solid foundation for personal growth, 
        development, and maturity;
Whereas for many years a number of jurisdictions in the United States have been 
        celebrating the accomplishments of families who have overcome an array 
        of challenges to reunify safely and successfully and others are starting 
        this practice now;
Whereas Federal legislation over the past three decades has provided new 
        contributions and services to advance the outcomes of children in the 
        foster care system, including the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare 
        Act of 1980, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and the 
        Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008;
Whereas child-serving agencies, along with State and local governments, have 
        worked to advance child welfare services in order to provide a stable, 
        permanent return to their homes for children;
Whereas further efforts and investments are needed to provide and expand the 
        necessary array of services to these children and families;
Whereas reunification takes work, commitment, and investment of time and 
        resources by parents, family members, social workers, foster parents, 
        service providers, attorneys, courts, and the community; and
Whereas June would be an appropriate month to designate as ``National 
        Reunification Month'' to provide an opportunity to acknowledge the 
        accomplishments of the child welfare workforce, parents, foster parents, 
        advocacy community, and mentors and the positive impact they have on 
        children's lives: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``National Reunification 
        Month'';
            (2) honors the unwavering efforts of those who work to 
        advance outcomes for children in the child welfare system;
            (3) encourages child welfare agencies, courts, schools, 
        businesses, media, religious institutions, and civic and 
        service organizations to recognize ``National Reunification 
        Month'';
            (4) recognizes that substantial progress has been made by 
        Federal, State, tribal, and local child welfare policymakers; 
        and
            (5) reaffirms the importance of Title IV-B and IV-E of the 
        Social Security Act and other programs that provide support to 
        vulnerable families, and invest in prevention and reunification 
        services.
                                 <all>