[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 145 (Friday, October 24, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11175-S11176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ANOTHER TRAGEDY

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to call the attention of my 
colleagues to a story that appeared last week in the Cincinnati Post. 
This is the story. The headline is: ``Woman Torched Nephew, Police 
Say--Youngster's Burns Untreated for Weeks''
  Mr. President, the article tells the story of the awful abuse of an 
8-year-old child in the Cincinnati area. The boy was set on fire--set 
on fire--with nail polish remover, and then sent to school for 3 weeks 
with his burns unattended.
  Cincinnati police investigated what happened to this little boy. They 
have now charged his aunt with child endangering. They charged his aunt 
with setting him on fire--and also with abusing him with a belt, an 
extension cord, and shoes.
  Mr. President, this is an obscene crime. After this woman's arrest, 
it was revealed that she had been charged with a similar crime 
involving the same little boy 2 years before. Don't we have to ask, Mr. 
President, what on Earth was that woman doing taking care of that child 
or any child? Why in the world was that child put back into that same 
home, put back with that abusive woman?
  Mr. President, 3 weeks ago, I rose on the Senate floor to tell a 
similar tragic story. That story took place in Washington, DC. It was 
the story of a little 4-year-old girl named Monica Wheeler who was 
found dead, beaten to death in the bathroom of a man who was an 
acquaintance of her mother. Three years ago, one of Monica's siblings, 
her brother Andre, then aged 2, was also found dead in the same man's 
bathroom.
  Mr. President, as I have come to the floor and cautioned before, it 
is up to the police and the courts to find out the truth about these 
particular cases. And we should not be interested in prosecuting anyone 
here on the Senate floor, no matter what we think. That certainly is 
what the courts are for. But I cannot stress enough that these awful 
crimes point to a responsibility that lies with us here in Congress, 
the responsibility to make sure we do all we can to stop these crimes 
from ever happening.
  One thing we know for certain about these two cases--the Cincinnati 
case and the Washington case, and far too many other cases--is that 
there are too many children in this country today being returned to the 
care of people who have already abused and battered them, people who 
should not be allowed to take care of these children. Children are 
being returned to homes that are homes in name only and to parents who 
are parents in name only.
  Every day in this country, three children actually die of abuse or 
neglect at the hands of a parent or their caretakers. That is 
approximately 1,200 children a year who die. And almost half of these 
children, shockingly, Mr. President, are killed after--after--their 
tragic circumstances have come to the attention of the child welfare 
agencies.
  At the end of 1996, Mr. President, over 525,000 children were in 
foster homes across this country. Over a year's time, it is estimated 
that 650,000 children will be in a foster home for at least a portion 
of that year. And shockingly, roughly 25 percent of the children in the 
foster care system at any one time will languish in foster care longer 
than 4 years. And 10 percent of these children will be in foster care 
longer than 7 years.
  Mr. President, this problem has been growing for many years. It is at 
least in part the very unintended consequence of a law passed by 
Congress in 1980, a law that I have spoken on this floor I suppose at 
least a dozen times about since I came to the Senate. It is a law that 
was passed in 1980 that requires that reasonable efforts always be made 
to reunify families. In practice, Mr. President, this law has resulted 
in unreasonable efforts, unreasonable efforts being made to reunite 
families that are families in name only, families that never should be 
reunited. Children are being sent back to abusive parents, abusive care 
givers, and many times the result is death.
  Mr. President, I have been working to change this for almost 3 years 
now. Last month, along with Senators Chafee, Craig, and Rockefeller, 
and others, I introduced a bill that I hope will represent the 
culmination of this effort. The PASS Act--the Promotion of Adoption 
Safety and Support for Abused and Neglected Children Act--would make a 
difference. It would save young lives. It would change this 1980 law 
that I referenced. It would put an end to a tragic policy that has put 
parents' interests above the health and safety and even the survival of 
innocent children.
  It would help child welfare agencies move faster to rescue these 
children. Mr. President, every child deserves a better fate than being 
shuttled from foster home to foster home for years on end.
  That is why, Mr. President, we are working to pass this very 
important bill. Let us work together, after we pass the bill, then on 
the next step, which will be to continue to try to improve the system.
  But the work that is in front of us today, Mr. President, is to pass 
the PASS Act, a bill that has been worked on extensively, a bill that 
will in fact benefit children in two ways: One, by moving them quickly 
through the system once they are in fact in foster care so that they do 
not languish in foster care for years on end so that they can have what 
every child needs, which is a caring and loving family; and the second 
thing the bill would do is save lives. We will never know what child's 
life will be saved or how many, but I am convinced, after talking with 
caseworkers throughout the State of Ohio, children service agencies, 
and after having talked to many people throughout this country, that 
the 1980 law that

[[Page S11176]]

our bill will amend will in fact, by amending that law, save lives.
  So I urge my colleagues, when this bill is brought to the floor, as I 
hope it will be in the next several weeks, to look at this bill, to 
pass it, and to move on so that we can make a very strong statement and 
do something very positive for America's children.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. CHAFEE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island is recognized.
  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I want to thank the distinguished Senator 
from Ohio very much for the work he has done on this legislation, the 
support he has given it, the kind things he has had to say about my 
part in it.
  I think it is very important to stress that the Senator from Ohio has 
long been active in children's matters, particularly this area that we 
are involved with, namely, adoption and foster care. He knows the 
existing problems in this system and has been very, very helpful in the 
meetings we have had in putting this legislation together.
  So I thank the Senator from Ohio very much for his work. And I share 
his enthusiasm and his desire to see this legislation come up this 
year, before we leave hopefully. So certainly both of us will do 
everything we can. We have had some fine meetings with the majority 
leader on it. Next week, we will be meeting with the chairman of the 
Finance Committee. Hopefully this legislation can come before us before 
we leave.
  If there is nobody else desiring to speak, Mr. President, I suggest 
the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (The remarks of Mr. Faircloth pertaining to the introduction of S. 
1313 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Thomas). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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