[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 136 (Friday, September 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING NATIONAL GRANDPARENTS DAY

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 14, 2007

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of National 
Grandparents Day, which was celebrated on September 9, 2007. 
Grandparents Day, although a relatively recent holiday, is a day that 
truly deserves more recognition. As influential anthropologist Margaret 
Mead once said, ``Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to 
live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no 
support, we've put them in an impossible situation.'' As we observe the 
29th anniversary of Congress' proclamation of a National Grandparents 
Day, it is crucial that we recognize this as a day to first and 
foremost honor grandparents. National Grandparents Day gives us an 
opportunity to recognize the countless ways grandparents show love for 
their children's children, and it helps children become aware of the 
strength, information, and guidance older people can offer. After all, 
grandparents are the backbone of every family support system. 
Grandparents, especially, dedicate numerous hours to the upbringing of 
their grandchildren, often times receiving little compensation in 
return.
  This is why I, along with my colleague Tim Johnson, sponsored The 
Kinship Caregiver Support Act (RR. 2188). Recent statistics indicate 
that, as of the year 2000, more than six million children, that is 1 in 
12 children, live in households headed by grandparents or other 
relatives, and this number is steadily rising. In addition, almost one-
fifth of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren live in 
poverty. Currently, Federal financial assistance is available only to 
foster and adoptive families, with only a few States receiving a waiver 
to provide subsidized guardianship, with these guidelines sometimes 
creating financial disincentives to guardianship. Unfortunately, the 
waiver expired in 2006. This means that if you're from one of the 15 
States with existing waivers--that is if you're from Arizona, 
California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, 
Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia or 
Wisconsin--your State risks losing considerable Federal support in the 
very near future when your existing waivers expire unless legislative 
action is taken. If you're from one of the other 35 States or DC, you 
cannot benefit from the program at all unless new legislation is 
passed.
  The Kinship Caregiver Support Act amends part E of title IV of the 
Social Security Act to authorize all States to opt to enter agreements 
to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of 
children to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal 
guardianship of children for whom they have committed to care for on a 
permanent basis. A recent report by the GAO specifically identified 
subsidized guardianship as a way to address the disproportionate 
percentage of African-American children in foster care. The GAO found 
that African-American children also stay in foster care longer because 
of difficulties in recruiting adoptive parents and a greater reliance 
on relatives to provide foster care who may be unwilling to terminate 
the parental rights of the child's parent as required by adoption. As 
an alternative to adoption, subsidized guardianship is considered 
particularly promising for helping African-American children exit from 
foster care. The Kinship Caregiver bill also supplies grants to 
eligible entities to pay for the Federal share of the cost of carrying 
out kinship navigator programs.
  I urge the recognition of grandparents not just on this day but every 
day, and I also urge Congress to take action to provide kinship 
caregivers, oftentimes grandparents, with the necessary resources to 
address their children's needs. Consequently, The Kinship Caregiver 
Support Act deserves your support because it is distinctly crafted to 
address and minimize the unique challenges these kinship caregivers 
face. The ultimate goal of this legislation is to assist in the 
reunification of these families.

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