[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 173 (Thursday, December 13, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13225-S13226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROMOTING SAFE AND STABLE FAMILIES AMENDMENTS OF 2001
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 227, H.R. 2873.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 2873) to extend and amend the program entitled
Promoting Safe and Stable Families under title IV-B, subpart
2 of the Social Security Act, and to provide new authority to
support programs for mentoring children of incarcerated
parents; to amend the Foster Care Independent Living program
under title IV-E of that Act to provide for educational and
training vouchers for youths aging out of foster care, and
for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, the Senate is passing the House bill
to reauthorize the Safe and Stable Families Program. This is necessary
action to protect funding that is fundamental for promoting adoptions
and preventing child abuse and neglect. By acting today, the Senate can
secure $1.5 billion over the next 5 years for vital priorities. It
would be wrong to leave Washington without taking action to ensure
long-term support for such vulnerable children.
Earlier this year, I joined with Senator Mike DeWine and a bipartisan
group in introducing an even better legislative package to boldly
expand this vital program. Our bill, which was based on President
Bush's own proposal, would have increased the basic funding for the
Safe and Stable Families Program from $305 million to $505 million of
guaranteed annual funding. This would have provided an additional $1
billion over the next 5 years, including $60 million in funding for
scholarships for teens aging out of foster care. It would also have
provided authority to create a new program designed to mentor the
children of prisoners. I truly wish we were moving the Senate bill
today, but since that is not possible. I believe enacting the House
bill is essential for the long-term security of this program.
The House version provides a 5-year reauthorization of the Safe and
Stable Families Program. The House bill also authorizes scholarships
for teens aging out of foster care and new programs for mentoring
children of prisoners.
Thanks to the leadership of Senators Harkin and Specter, there is a
$70 million increase in this year's Senate Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations. That is good news for families who need adoption
support services and prevention services. I am proud of this increase,
and enormously grateful for the support and cooperation of the
Appropriations Committees in both the House and Senate.
Throughout my years of legislative work on child welfare, I have
worked hard to forge bipartisan compromise and consensus. I strongly
believe that we must maintain such bipartisanship. The best news is
that we have more money to provide more services to families next year.
But the challenge remains for us to work and achieve the goals of the
original Senate bill and President Bush's proposal. I remain
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committed to this, and hope that this important step forward will help
build the good will and bipartisanship necessary to deliver on all of
our long-term goals in the years ahead.
I want to especially thank my primary cosponsor, Senator Mike DeWine,
who has been a passionate leader on adoption and child welfare reform
for many years. Senator DeWine was a leader in 1997 on improving the
reasonable efforts standards to ensure that a child's health, safety,
and need for a permanent home are priorities. This change and others
have helped reform the system and dramatically increase adoptions.
I also want to thank and recognize the strong bipartisan support from
all of my Senate colleagues for our original bill, including Senators
Bingaman, Bond, Breaux, Chafee, Collins, Craig, DeWine, Graham,
Johnson, Kerry, Landrieu, Levin, Lieberman, Lincoln, and Snowe.
In West Virginia, adoptions are increasing, thanks to both the
reforms set in 1997 under the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the
new investments. My state needs increased funding to help develop local
community-based programs, so our children can get needed services in
their own communities and not be sent out-of-state, away from family,
friends and familiar schools. I am proud of my State for its
improvement, but we all understand much more must be done, in West
Virginia and nationwide, for these vulnerable children who depend on
our efforts.
Today's action provides a good foundation, but we must continue
working in a bipartisan manner to build upon today's action, and
achieve all of the goals we share.
Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Promoting Safe
and Stable Families Amendments of 2001. This legislation continues our
support for state efforts to reunify troubled families and to promote
the adoption of children in foster care who are unable to return to
their birth homes. It also authorizes additional educational assistance
to former foster children in the Independent Living program. Abused and
neglected children are among the most vulnerable of all the members of
our society--it is important that we continue to look after their
needs.
This proposal mirrors that made by the President. I thank him for his
interest in this issue. It is an important part of being a
compassionate leader, ensuring that federal efforts to assist abused
and neglected children continue. It also contains a new proposal
offered by the President, authorizing a new grant program to mentor the
children of prisoners, a particularly disadvantaged group. I commend
him for that idea.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the bill be read the
third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, and
any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (H.R. 2873) was read the third time and passed.
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