[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 87 (Friday, June 13, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S7866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           FOSTER CARE REFORM

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I will take a few minutes to comment on 
some events that occurred over the last couple of days that were not 
necessarily apparent to a lot of people, either in Washington, DC, or 
around the country. It has to do with a visit from somebody everybody 
recognizes, and that is Bruce Willis.
  Mr. Willis came to our Nation's Capitol a couple of days ago to 
spotlight the issue of foster care reform. This is the first time I had 
the opportunity to speak with him on this particular issue. He is 
clearly a long-time advocate for children in foster care and has 
dedicated a huge amount of time to bring attention to the problem of 
children who are aging out of the system.
  I take this opportunity to thank Mr. Willis for his efforts and to 
take a moment to underscore the importance of the issue he came to 
share with us, and that is foster care reform.
  Thousands of children are cared for by loving families in our foster 
care system, and we owe these families a debt of gratitude for opening 
their lives, their homes, and indeed their hearts to these children. 
Because of their generosity, many foster children do become adopted and 
experience that gift of a warm and a loving family.
  But too many children--and Mr. Willis made crystal clear based on his 
experiences and the information he has gathered--end up being bounced 
from place to place, never having that opportunity to have four walls 
and what can be called a home, or even really one person they can turn 
to and call family.
  Imagine spending your entire childhood as a virtual orphan: No one to 
come to your high school graduation, no one to keep your picture in 
their wallet. Most of us do take for granted having a family, but for 
many children in America childhood is the time they spend waiting in 
vain for someone to call mom or dad.
  Even worse, some foster children end up in situations where they 
experience severe mental and physical abuse. Many develop health 
problems and suffer emotional and even physical neglect.
  It is my hope that through our efforts in this legislative body, 
through the efforts of the National Adoption Center and other groups 
such as Children in Foster Care, by public awareness campaigns such as 
National Adoption Day, through PSAs featuring well-known figures and 
the participation of people whom everybody recognizes, such as Mr. 
Willis, America's foster children will get what they need most, and 
that is a family. I applaud my colleagues for their efforts on behalf 
of America's foster children.
  A few minutes ago, I was listening to Larry Craig. He has been one of 
the Senate's leading voices on this whole issue of adoption and foster 
care. In 2001, he cosponsored the Hope For Children Act as part of the 
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act which we just passed 
and which has become the law of the land.
  Others, such as Senator Jim Bunning, the distinguished Senator from 
Kentucky, worked to pass a bill to exclude foster care payments from 
taxation. Other Senators, including Senators Hutchison, Landrieu, 
Rockefeller, and Clinton, have all worked to improve foster care and 
adoption issues. America's foster children are helped immeasurably by 
their efforts.
  As we debate the big issues, the bold issues, the issues that make 
the headlines--the Medicare modernization, the addition of prescription 
drugs to give seniors health care security, to give them greater 
choice, to have plans that better meet their needs--as we debate the 
important issues, such as energy this week and FAA reauthorization and 
tax credits, we should not forget to protect our most vulnerable 
citizens. Truly, America's foster children are depending on us to look 
out for them.

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