[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 105 (Thursday, July 28, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 1539. A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act to promote the adoption of children with special needs; to the 
Committee on Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, throughout my career in the Senate, I 
have sought to strengthen and improve policies for the most vulnerable 
children children who are at-risk of abuse and neglect in their own 
homes. The foster care system is the basic safety net for such 
children, but common sense tells us that a safe permanent home is the 
best place for a child. As Congress clearly stated in the 1997 Adoption 
and Safe Families Act, every child deserves a safe, permanent home. Now 
the challenge is to reform our program to deliver on this promise.
  To truly fulfill that goal, we need to improve the Federal adoption 
assistance program, which is why I am introducing the Adoption Equality 
Act today. Current law only provides adoption assistance to special 
needs children whose parents would have been eligible for the old Aid 
to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) as of July 1996. It is 
ridiculous to base a child's eligibility for assistance on the income 
of the abusive parents from whom they will have been taken for their 
own health and safety. Because of this Federal regulation, only half of 
special needs children get Federal assistance under current law. I 
firmly believe that every child with special needs who will not be 
adopted without assistance deserves Federal support. It is a basic 
investment to delivering on our commitment to help provide a safe, 
permanent home.
  As we talk about the importance of families, shouldn't we invest in 
helping to create and maintain such families, especially for our most 
vulnerable children?
  By supporting the Adoption Equality Act, we send a clear signal that 
every child deserves a safe, permanent home.
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