[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 65 (Monday, April 23, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H3728-H3731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL FOSTER PARENTS DAY

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 179) expressing support for a National 
Foster Parents Day.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 179

       Whereas the family, serving as the primary source of love, 
     identity, self-esteem, and support, is the very foundation of 
     our communities, and our United States;
       Whereas foster families, who open their homes and hearts to 
     children whose families are in crisis, play a vital role in 
     helping children heal and reconnect and in launching those 
     children into successful adulthood;
       Whereas over 500,000 youth are in foster care with at least 
     380,000 in a family-home setting;
       Whereas numerous individuals and public and private 
     organizations work to increase public awareness of the needs 
     of children in foster care and leaving foster care as well as 
     of the enduring and valuable contributions of foster parents; 
     and
       Whereas those families who are able to serve a role as 
     foster parents should be wholeheartedly encouraged to do so: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that--
       (1) a National Foster Parents Day should be established to 
     recognize the contributions of foster parents across the 
     Nation; and
       (2) the President should issue a proclamation calling on 
     the people of the United States and interested groups to 
     conduct appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to 
     demonstrate support for foster parents across the Nation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Hirono). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from South 
Carolina (Mr. Wilson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I would yield such time as she 
might consume to the sponsor of this legislation, Representative Nancy 
Boyda from Kansas.
  Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas. Madam Speaker, in the late 1980s, a Topeka 
couple, Clifford and Phyllis Oshel, welcomed a foster child into their 
homes and into their hearts. For 2 years, they provided shelter, food, 
and, more importantly, caring. Through their patient guidance, they led 
that child from a time of crisis to what he now calls ``the best years 
of my life.''
  That child's name was Kevin Surbagh. Ever since he left the Oshels' 
house, he has worked to repay his debt of gratitude. For 17 years, he 
has fought tirelessly for a national day of recognition for foster 
parents, one day of the year, just one day, to honor their 
contributions, and to respect their sacrifices.
  Soon after I was sworn into Congress, Kevin approached my office and 
told me about his mission. At Kevin's urging, I now submit for your 
consideration the National Foster Parents Day resolution. I ask you to 
join me in saying thank you, not only to Clifford and Phyllis Oshel, 
but to the hundreds of thousands of foster parents across our great 
Nation.
  When I think back to the support I received from my mom and dad, I 
recognize the crucial role of our parents. My mom set me on the path 
that has led me to Congress today. She taught me my faith. She taught 
me to do unto others as I would have them do unto me. She taught me to 
speak to everyone in a room no matter what their role or position. She 
also taught me never to wear white shoes after Labor Day. All of her 
words of wisdom led me to where I am today.
  In a perfect world, every child's biological parents would play the 
role that my parents played for me. But sometimes a family can't 
provide a safe, supportive, sufficient home. When tragedy strikes or 
turmoil rips a family apart, children are left dislocated and need a 
new place to call home, at least for a while.
  Because many of these kids grew up in unstable households, some 
suffer emotional disturbances. Some are grieving the loss of their 
parents. All have endured more than any child should and all deserve a 
caring and supportive family. Today, over 500,000 American children 
still need a temporary home, a foster home. Today, 380,000 have found 
one, thanks to foster parents.
  To the foster parents in Kansas and throughout America, today's vote 
in Congress is our way of honoring your efforts. You are deeply 
appreciated, and your contribution doesn't go unnoticed.
  I hope that our vote is more than symbolic, that it encourages more 
families to open their homes to foster children. Caring for a foster 
child is one of the greatest challenges that you'll ever face, but the 
reward is immense. You'll help a little girl piece her life back 
together. You'll help a little boy feel safe and loved. You'll earn the 
respect of your community, your country, and of this Congress.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  According to the United States Department of Health and Human 
Services, there are over 500,000 children in foster care homes around 
the country. I am proud to support legislation recognizing the 
dedicated efforts put forth by foster parents.
  These men and women open up their homes and their hearts to these 
youths by providing them with a stable, caring environment for months 
and, in some cases, years. H. Res. 179 establishes a National Foster 
Parents Day to praise their contributions to society.
  These parents provide a vital role in the welfare and upbringing of 
children who need emotional support, guidance, and mentors. They teach 
children family values and morals and help them become significant 
members of society. Foster parents teach these values to help enable 
children become stable and confident adults. Children being cared for 
in foster homes can be traced all the way back to biblical times.
  Foster care became increasingly widespread in the United States when 
Charles Loring Brace, a minister and director of the New York 
Children's Aid Society, noticed a large number of homeless immigrant 
children in New York. In 1953, Brace came up with a plan to provide 
them homes by advertising for families in other areas of the United 
States who were willing to take them in.
  While many of these children were often indentured, Brace's movement 
is the origin of today's foster care program. Today, foster parents and 
families provide a safe and nurturing temporary home for children 
living in unstable conditions. There they can learn and grow until they 
have the opportunity to return living with their family.

[[Page H3729]]

                              {time}  1415

  Foster parents are crucial towards ending the vicious cycle of 
neglect and child abuse that endanger children's lives.
  This resolution also calls on the President to issue a proclamation 
bringing greater awareness to foster care through various ceremonies, 
activities, and programs. These events educate communities and 
demonstrate support for foster parents who devote their lives lending a 
hand to children in need.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me to support this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Madam Speaker, over 500,000 children in the United States are 
involved in some form of foster care. Placements in foster care have 
increased significantly over the past 10 years. In situations of abuse 
and neglect, children may be removed from their parents' home by a 
child welfare agency and placed in foster care. Some of the reasons for 
foster care placement include severe behavior problems in the child 
and/or a variety of parental problems such as abuse, abandonment, 
illness, including physical or emotional problems, incarceration, AIDS, 
alcohol, substance abuse, and death.
  The resolution we are considering today honors foster parents. Foster 
parents are people who open their homes and their hearts to children in 
need of temporary care. The task is both rewarding and difficult. As a 
matter of fact, I have met individuals who have adopted children. I 
know one police officer who has adopted 13 children, a most unusual and 
unbelievable man, salt of the earth, pillar of the universe.
  Foster parents take children for medical care and to school events. 
They may facilitate visitation between the child and the birth parents 
in the foster home or other approved locations. Foster parents face 
many challenges in caring for the physical and emotional needs of 
children. We need more foster parents to care and nurture our children 
who are unable to remain in their homes. Foster parents should be 
commended for their big hearts and commitment to provide stable homes 
for children.
  This is an issue that is very personal to me in a very serious way. 
My congressional district has more grandparents taking care of children 
than any other district in the Nation, and it is followed closely by 
two additional congressional districts in the Chicago area. I want to 
commend the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. I also 
want to commend some of the social welfare agencies that deal seriously 
with foster parenting for children, agencies such as Sankofa an 
organization that was started out of a crisis situation and now does an 
outstanding job. Agencies like One Church One Child that attempts to 
get individuals to become foster parents to teenagers coming out of 
correctional facilities, which is not an easy task.
  So I commend the gentlewoman from Kansas (Mrs. Boyda) for introducing 
H. Res. 179, and urge its passage.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I have no other speakers 
at the moment. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I know that I had a number of 
individuals who had hoped to be here because they are very interested 
in this subject matter and who had intended to make comments, certainly 
Representative Melissa Bean who still might get here before we finish, 
Representative Michele Bachmann from Minnesota, Representative Fortney 
Pete Stark, and Representative Dennis Cardoza all had statements that 
they wanted to present.
  I would now yield to the other side to see if they have got other 
speakers, to see if any of my additional speakers will come before we 
yield back.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. I thank the gentleman, but we have no 
further speakers at this time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I don't think that our other 
speakers are going to make it; but suffice it to say that this is a 
very important resolution. It is a resolution that speaks to the heart 
and soul of America. It is a resolution that emphasizes the words of 
the blues singer who said once, ``Who will save the world? Who's 
willing to try? Who will save the world that is destined to die?''
  We are talking about saving the children, those unfortunate young 
people, many of whom their parents are incarcerated. There are more 
than 1.5 million children in America whose parents are in prison or in 
jail. They are in need of foster parenting.
  So, again, not only do we urge passage, but I commend the gentlelady 
from Kansas, and urge listeners and watchers and viewers to see whether 
or not there is an opportunity for you to open your heart and your home 
and become a foster parent.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 179, 
which calls for the establishment of a National Foster Parents Day. We 
should establish this day to recognize and appreciate our country's 
foster parents--the pillars of our child welfare system.
  These are the men and women who go out of their way to help children 
in need--children who have been maltreated or who had to be removed 
from dangerous home situations. Foster parents open their hearts and 
their homes to these children, providing them with so much more than 
shelter. They allow these children to feel safe and secure once again, 
and help them to begin the healing process.
  Children placed in foster care often come from some of the worst 
conditions imaginable. They have been abused, neglected, and broken 
down in ways beyond the physical. Many of these children enter foster 
care with serious emotional damage as well. They have learned that 
their home, the one place where they should feel safe, can actually be 
more dangerous than the world outside. It is the foster parent who 
helps build these children back up, reminding them how love and 
attention feel, and reassuring them that home can once again be a 
comfort.
  Far beyond helping a single child, quality foster care is also an 
investment in our communities. We have learned that being abused or 
neglected dramatically increases the risk that kids will grow up to 
commit violent crimes, which is why it is so important to have a strong 
foster care system to place children in as soon as possible. Research 
has shown that abused and neglected children who became wards of the 
court and initially remained at home, but were later placed in foster 
care because of continuing abuse or neglect, were more likely to become 
violent criminals than abused or neglected children who were placed in 
a safe foster home right away.
  This is why we must continue to support our foster parents. No child 
should be forced to remain in a dangerous situation because there are 
not enough available foster homes. We must make sure that funding for 
foster care is never capped or reduced so that our foster families can 
continue to receive the resources they need to provide supportive, 
loving spaces for these children in need.
  Additionally, we must increase our investment in preventing child 
abuse and neglect through programs such as the Promoting Safe and 
Stable Families program and in-home parent coaching programs. We also 
need to ensure that children in foster care find safe, permanent homes, 
either by reuniting them with their families or by adoption.
  The success of our foster care system is vital to protecting our 
children, and our child welfare system relies on people like foster 
parents to run smoothly. These men and women on the front lines of the 
child welfare fight deserve all the recognition they can get. It is my 
hope that a National Foster Parents Day will also draw attention to the 
need for quality foster care and capable foster parents, and allow this 
system to continue benefiting our children in need.
  I thank Representative Boyda for sponsoring this legislation, and I 
urge its passage.
  Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 179, 
a resolution declaring the sense of the House that a National Foster 
Parents Day should be established.
  I have a very personal interest in this issue. Seven years ago, I 
adopted two foster children. Since then, I have advocated on behalf of 
adoption and foster children in the California Assembly and in 
Congress.
  Our Nation's foster care system was created as a temporary safe haven 
for abused and neglected children. Sadly, it has become a way of life 
for too many of our youth. On average, foster children spend nearly 3 
years in the system, and move as many times from one placement to 
another and from school to school. Far too many spend much longer in 
the system, with as many as 24,000 young adults expected to ``age out'' 
of the system this year, cut loose with no family and little support. 
Several studies released in 2005 documented the special challenges 
facing these youths, especially in the areas of mental health, 
education and employment. They are especially poorly prepared to be 
self-sufficient.

[[Page H3730]]

  Despite the sometimes valiant efforts and good intentions of social 
workers, judges, foster parents and others, day-to-day life for 
children in foster care is often filled with emotional hardship. Each 
year, thousands of children entering foster care will be separated from 
their brothers and sisters, some losing touch with each other for years 
to come. The trauma of foster care takes its toll on young children. 
Over one-third will neither earn a high school diploma nor a GED. One 
in four children in foster care will be incarcerated within the first 2 
years after leaving the system, and over 20 percent will become 
homeless at some time after they turn 18.
  These children are waiting. Speaking from personal experience, there 
is no greater joy in life than helping a child.
  Every child, no matter what station they may be born to, deserves a 
chance to be raised in a stable and loving home. Innocent children 
should not be forced to bear the mistakes of others.
  This is a big problem that will require bold solutions. In order to 
save the next generation of children, we must re-dedicate ourselves to 
their welfare and pledge to do whatever necessary to nurture and 
protect them.
  This resolution, by highlighting attention to the problem, is a 
necessary first step. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. BEAN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today in support of 
National Foster Parents Day. This celebration honors the parents who 
open their hearts and their homes to children who are in need of a 
family. As an adoptee and member of the Adoption Caucus, myself, I am 
proud of the efforts Congress has made to increase adoptions both 
nationally and internationally, and to give special thanks to the many 
families who have sacrificed to provide loving homes for foster 
children.
  Currently, thousands of children are without permanent homes. 
Fortunately, for many of these children there are foster parents who 
are eager to bring a child into their home. I cannot think of a more 
rewarding pursuit than creating a family and bringing hope into a 
child's life.
  As a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, I am well 
aware of the positive impact foster parents have on our children and 
communities. I am proud of the contributions foster parents make across 
America, and I hope my colleagues will join with me in supporting a 
National Foster Parents Day.
  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
establishing a National Foster Parents Day. Individuals and families 
that open their homes and their hearts to vulnerable children are truly 
deserving of our recognition.
  Of the over 500,000 foster children in the United States, 380,000 
live with foster parents. Without the compassion of thousands of foster 
parents, our foster care system would fall apart. Foster parents are 
the glue that holds the child welfare system together.
  Every day, abused and neglected children enter the child welfare 
system and become the responsibility of our society. As the collective 
caretakers of vulnerable children, we have a moral responsibility to 
ensure that foster children receive the same love and opportunities 
that we want our own children to receive. Foster parents are the 
individuals that take on the immense responsibility of providing abused 
and neglected children with loving homes, often with very little 
government support.
  Too often our society and this body ignore the plight of foster 
children. We do so at our own peril, because foster children who are 
not provided with the supports they need to mature and grow do not 
transition into self-sufficient adults. Society bears responsibility 
for this failure and we also bear the costs of incarceration, homeless 
services, and medical care of former foster children who do not become 
independent. A National Foster Parent's Day will shed much needed light 
on the struggles of our foster children as well as the sacrifices made 
by the families that welcome those children into their homes and move 
them toward brighter futures. It will also provide a forum to discuss 
the improvements that must be made to our foster care system. Finally, 
we will encourage more families to become foster parents by recognizing 
the vital role that foster parents play in lives of children.
  The thousands of foster parents around the country are the heroes of 
our child welfare system. We should provide them with every possible 
support, including the special recognition of a National Foster Parents 
Day.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 179, in support of establishing a National Foster Parents Day.
  On any given day in the United States, half a million children and 
youth are in foster care, removed from their homes because of abuse or 
neglect. On average, these young people will wait more than 3\1/2\ 
years in the foster care system before finding a permanent home--20 
percent wait 5 years or more.
  Foster parents have one of the hardest tasks on earth. Children who 
spend many years in abusive or neglectful homes are substantially more 
likely than other kids to face emotional, behavioral, and academic 
challenges. Foster parents have the daunting task of trying to make the 
foster child feel at home, gain their trust, provide some sense of 
stability and normality, and prove that they do care.
  Foster parents give of themselves unselfishly, opening their homes, 
families, lives, and loving arms to help protect children who are not 
safe in their own homes. For some children, foster parents are 
literally lifesaving. For too many children, what should be a short-
term refuge becomes a long-term saga, involving multiple moves from one 
foster home to another.
  I have come to appreciate that foster parenting is perhaps one of the 
most challenging and most important components of the child welfare 
system. As a foster parent, you respond to the calling to care for 
children, to take them into your homes, and to transition them into the 
next phase of their lives--sometimes for weeks, and sometimes for 
almost the child's entire youth. I describe this response as a 
calling--not a job, they don't get paid enough to call it a job; and 
not a choice, because if they had the wherewithal to choose, they 
certainly would choose not to expose themselves to all of the trials 
and tribulations of fostering. It is a calling, a response to some 
inner drive to respond to the difficulties of kids who desperately need 
them.
  It is this selflessness which I applaud today, which I believe is 
deserving of national recognition. For all the time, love, and 
resources foster parents dedicate to their foster children, I would 
simply like to say thank you. They truly are a gift to the world.
  I urge my colleagues to join in support of H. Res. 179, expressing 
support for the establishment of a National Foster Parents Day.
  Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of House 
Resolution 179, expressing support for National Foster Parents Day.
  There are over half a million children in foster care in this 
country. Every child deserves to have a safe and loving home, where 
they do not have to worry about the fear of harm or of being abandoned. 
While caring for a child is never easy, foster parents have additional 
difficulties to work through. All foster care children need special 
care, support and nurturing. There are a wide array of issues that 
these children are dealing with such as abandonment, physical or sexual 
abuse, undisciplined or delinquent behaviors, and physical or emotional 
handicaps and disabilities. Foster parents are challenged with helping 
their foster children feel secure and loved, while they also work 
through many of these difficult issues.
  And while immensely challenging, foster parenting is also 
immeasurably rewarding. When foster parents open their homes and 
hearts--sacrificing, while giving support and love--they change 
children's lives. Many foster parents go on to adopt the children that 
they have in their home--60 percent of children who are adopted after 
they have been in foster care are adopted by foster parents. These 
children are given what every child deserves--a permanent home and a 
loving family.
  It is important to recognize and honor the crucial role that foster 
parents play in shaping the lives of hundreds of thousands of children 
each year. Because of this, I stand here today in support of a National 
Foster Parents Day, to honor their invaluable sacrifice, dedication, 
and selfless commitment to improving the lives of children.
  Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill, 
to express support for a National Foster Parents' Day.
  Today, there are more than 500,000 children in foster care 
nationwide.
  Most of these children come from extremely troubled homes, and 
compared to the other children, they are more likely to suffer 
educationally, socially, and emotionally.
  This is an issue that is very close to my heart. Over the years, my 
husband Marcus and I have cared for 23 foster children.
  I know from experience that foster parents have to work diligently 
with local, State, and Federal agencies as well as within their homes 
to respond to each child's individual needs.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank Representative Boyda for bringing 
attention to the foster care system, and I encourage my colleagues to 
support this bill.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of our 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 179.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.

[[Page H3731]]

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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