[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 10, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD PROGRAM (TAP) ACT

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                        HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 10, 1999

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, when children leave their families to make 
it in the world, they often do so in stages. The first step for many is 
to go away to college while still depending on their parents for 
tuition and living expenses. Others attempt to work immediately, but 
they also might rely on their family for financial assistance, not to 
mention emotional support. However, there is one group of young 
Americans that are required to become completely self-sufficient on 
their 18th birthday--kids aging out of foster care. The cruel irony of 
course is that this population is perhaps the least capable of becoming 
fully independent at such a young age. These kids have to deal with all 
the traumas and difficulties associated with being removed from their 
family because of abuse, neglect or abandonment and then being placed 
in one, two, three or more foster homes. This is hardly the most solid 
foundation from which to build the rest of their lives.
  Repeated studies have illustrated that a sink-or-swim policy for 
children aging out of foster care has resulted in many falling beneath 
the waves of poverty and despair. A national study by Westat, Inc. in 
1992 found less than half of former foster children had graduated high 
school between 2.5 and 4 years after being discharged. The study also 
found only half of former foster kids were working; one-quarter had 
spent at least one night homeless; and 40% needed some kind of public 
aid. More recent studies by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the 
University of Illinois also have illustrated the extreme difficulties 
faced by this population. The authors of these reports and many of the 
state officials responsible for overseeing our Nation's child welfare 
system have called for bold changes to help foster children make the 
transition to independence. For example, Peter Digre, Director of the 
Department of Children and Families in Los Angeles, and Nicholas 
Scoppetta, Commissioner of the Administration for Children's Services 
in New York City, released a joint statement in 1998 on youth aging out 
of foster care which declared, ``It becomes our responsibility as a 
society to provide these young people, who are proven to be at a 
heightened risk of homelessness or involvement in the criminal justice 
system, with the opportunity to succeed, (including) a safe and 
comfortable place to live--an opportunity to continue education--(and) 
access to health care.''
  I am introducing legislation today, along with my Democratic 
colleagues on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources, to 
ensure that the end of foster care does not mean the beginning of 
poverty and hopelessness for thousands of young Americans every year. 
The Transition to Adulthood Program (TAP) Act would provide States with 
the option of extending assistance to former foster youth up to the age 
of 21 as long as they are working or enrolled in educational activities 
and have a plan to become completely self-sufficient. This extension of 
foster care assistance would provide needed resources for housing, 
education, health care and employment. In addition, the legislation 
would: provide tax credits to employers who hire former foster 
children; allow children in foster care to save more resources for 
their eventual emancipation; require a collaboration among existing 
housing, educational and employment programs to help foster kids; and 
update the formula for the current Independent Living Program. In 
general, the legislation seeks to send foster children down a ramp to 
independent and productive lives, rather than off a cliff to 
destitution and welfare dependency.
  Some of my colleagues have said in the past that government programs 
too often take the role and responsibility of families. However, I 
would remind them that government is the defacto parent for foster 
children and therefore has an obligation to do a better job of helping 
them become self-sufficient. How many other parents tell their children 
at the age of 18 that they are completely and utterly on their own? Of 
course, it is true that some foster children make a seamless transition 
to self-reliance at such a young age, but the statistics show that many 
ultimately do not.
  Mr. Speaker, less than two years ago, Congress passed bipartisan 
legislation to help promote the adoption of children in foster care. 
However, adoption is not always possible for many older foster 
children, and we therefore see our TAP legislation as the next logical 
step in reforming our foster care system. We offer the bill not so much 
as the final work on helping foster children, but more as the first 
step towards building a consensus that Congress must act on this 
important issue. We stand ready to work with anyone who wants to help 
former foster youth achieve real independence.

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