[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4173-H4175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING FORMER FOSTER CARE YOUTH

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1208) expressing the sense of the 
House of Representatives that youth who age out of foster care should 
be given special care and attention.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1208

       Whereas 12,000,000 Americans spend time in foster care;
       Whereas every year, more than 24,000 youth turn age 18 
     while in foster care;
       Whereas the safekeeping of most youth who age out of foster 
     care is the responsibility of the State governments, which 
     receive Federal funding to assist them in doing so;
       Whereas family reunification, kinship care, and adoption 
     are the preferred solutions for children who are placed in 
     foster care;
       Whereas Congress created a new Independent Living 
     initiative in 1986, and expanded the program by passing the 
     Chaffee Foster Care Independence Act in 1999 to assist youth 
     who are emancipated while in foster care: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports former foster care youth as they overcome many 
     emotional, physical, and social obstacles in the pursuit of 
     healthy, independent, and fulfilling lives;
       (2) recognizes former foster care youth organizations for 
     their dedication to reforming and improving the foster care 
     system;
       (3) appreciates individuals, mentors, and social workers 
     who provide assistance to former foster care youth beyond 
     resources available through Federal, State, and local 
     services; and
       (4) encourages reviews of Federal and State programs 
     conducted under title IV of the Social Security Act that 
     would improve services to help former foster care youth 
     succeed in their transition to adulthood and independence.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H. Res. 1208.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today to ask my colleagues to support House Resolution 1208. 
This

[[Page H4174]]

resolution is very simple. It recognizes the many problems that face 
young people who spend time in foster care, and it thanks the many 
others who work to ease their transition from foster care to adulthood 
and independence.
  In Georgia, there are thousands of children in foster care. Living in 
foster care is not a choice. These young people of all races, ages, and 
backgrounds were victims of neglect and abuse. Child welfare services 
share a common goal of finding safe, stable, and loving homes for these 
young people. Unfortunately, this dream is not always realized.
  I have the privilege to serve on the Ways and Means Income Security 
and Family Support Subcommittee chaired by my good friend and 
colleague, Mr. McDermott of Washington.
  Last year, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) invited two 
young people from our congressional district to testify about what it 
is like to transition from foster care to adulthood. Anthony Reeves and 
Shalita O'Neal both aged out of the Georgia foster care system. They 
shared with us how difficult it is to find housing, health care, 
education, liveable wages, jobs, security, and stability.
  At a young age, when most are still relying on financial and 
emotional support from their parents and family, these young people 
have no one to fall back on. Mr. Speaker, these are the stories that 
break your heart.
  Today, we honor those like Anthony and Shalita, and Kevin Brown, a 
recent graduate of Clark Atlanta University, who are determined to find 
their way despite so many problems before them.
  We also pay tribute to the mentors, volunteers, parents, 
organizations, and many others who fill in the gaps in Federal and 
State coverage to help these young people during the most difficult 
times of their young lives.
  Most important, this resolution sends a message to the half million 
young people currently in the foster care system. Congress tells them: 
You are not alone. We love you. We support you. You are not forgotten. 
There is hope. You will survive. And you will succeed.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I urge all of my colleagues to support this 
very simple resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 
1208 on foster care youth aging out of care, an important resolution 
before us today. I join my colleagues in support of the more than 
500,000 children who are in foster care today and in support of this 
resolution. I hope we can craft substantive bipartisan legislation to 
help address the challenges in our Nation's foster care system.
  One of the greatest challenges is helping the more than 24,000 youth 
who age out of foster care each year. Projected outcomes for too many 
of these young people are sobering: lower high school graduation rates, 
higher rates of homelessness, and a higher chance of becoming 
incarcerated than of other youth of their own age.
  In hearings before our subcommittee, the Income Security and Family 
Support Subcommittee, which I serve as ranking member, we have been 
privileged to hear from many outstanding young men and women who have 
personally shared their personal stories of life in our Nation's child 
welfare system.
  For instance, Jamal Nutall, a young man from the congressional 
district which I represent, has worked as an intern in my office. He 
testified before our subcommittee about the challenges he faced in 
foster care and the progress he was making towards completing his 
college education. More recently, we heard from Misty Stenslie with the 
Foster Care Alumni Association which represents former foster youth. 
Listening to these stories and understanding what they tell us reveals 
how much more needs to be done to help those who spend the longest time 
in foster care, including the thousands who age out of the system each 
year.
  A good place to start would be to ensure that every young person in 
foster care completes at least their high school diploma. Last year, I 
introduced House Resolution 733, which recognizes the importance of 
improving the high school graduation rate of foster youth. I thank the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for being one of the bipartisan 
cosponsors of this legislation. We can and should make improving the 
educational outcomes of foster youth a key test in measuring any 
legislation designed to help foster children.
  Congress is not alone in recognizing the importance of high school 
graduation for today's youth. America's Promise Alliance, an 
organization founded by former Secretary of State and General Colin 
Powell and his wife, has launched a dropout prevention campaign to 
combat the Nation's high school dropout crisis. The Alliance noted 
alarming statistics in an April 2008 report. Nearly one in three U.S. 
high school students drops out before graduating. Approximately 1.2 
million students drop out each year, and about 7,000 students drop out 
each and every day.
  To improve the high school graduation rate of foster youth, increased 
coordination between child welfare and educational agencies is 
necessary. New foster family placements should not necessarily mean a 
new school, and foster children should have to be able to remain in a 
single school in their own community so they can build lasting 
relationships with friends, teachers, and mentors.
  All these steps can and should contribute to raising graduation rates 
and increasing chances of future success for foster children, 
especially those who age out of the system.
  I urge all Members to join me in supporting this important resolution 
today. But we should also commit ourselves to producing bipartisan 
legislation to improve the Nation's foster care and child welfare 
programs and improving the high school graduation rates and other 
educational outcomes for children in foster care. Without that simple 
step, too many will continue to face a desperate future. We owe them 
far better.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I now recognize the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott), the chairman of the subcommittee, for such 
time as he may consume.
  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join with my colleague and 
friend John Lewis in fighting to do what is right for America's foster 
kids.
  Every year, an estimated 24,000 foster kids reach their 18th 
birthday. Instead of a celebration, they hit a dead end. Try and 
remember what it was like when you were 18 years old. As it stands 
today for foster kids, the support system simply stops for those kids 
on the day at a point when they are not quite ready for everything they 
are going to face in the world. No place to live, no money for food, no 
money to go on for education, no place to live while they finish high 
school. All of those things are what face our youngsters in foster care 
today when they hit 18 in many States in this country.
  Many of these children do not have access to critical support 
services like health care. If they are on medication, it ends that day.

                              {time}  1115

  They don't get the Medicaid, they don't get the coverage after that. 
There is no transition for these young people at all. Many are not 
connected to an adult who can serve as a mentor or someone who can be 
someone to get advice from when they go on. The system simply discards 
them. Not surprisingly, trouble can be the end result. Far too many 
become disconnected from the educational system and the labor force and 
become much of the homeless that we see on the streets of our city. 
Many of them wind up in our jails.
  When the State removes a child from their biological parents because 
of abuse or neglect and places that child in foster care, we become the 
foster parents. Now, most of us did not have parents who threw us out 
on our own on the day we were 18. In fact, the whole boomerang idea of 
going back to your parents when you've been through college is very 
common in this country. We continue to have contact with our children 
when they're gone, after they're 18. Eighteen is not some magic date. 
And I believe a child in foster care deserves no less than anyone 
else's children. So we have some work to do to deliver on that promise, 
and we can take a big step by approving this bill.

[[Page H4175]]

  Like many other young people, foster kids need the guidance and 
support of a caring adult that will last a lifetime. It's our job to 
make that happen. One way is to transition a child out of the system. 
We should make sure that when a child leaves foster care, they have a 
connection with someone, perhaps a lost sibling or some other relative 
that can be a source of love and support for them. Nurturing doesn't 
stop at 18, and if it continues, the odds for that foster kid doing 
well rise dramatically.
  We should also provide a significant support system for these 
children after they become 18. The Chafee Foster Care Independence 
Program was partly designed to fill this need. But additional supports 
are needed to provide these young people with skills and resources they 
need to become successful adults. It's time for Congress to follow suit 
and ensure that when a child leaves foster care they have an 
opportunity to prosper as an adult.
  I thank Congressman Lewis for offering this important resolution, and 
urge my colleagues to support it and to work with us to strengthen our 
Nation's foster care system, so that young people who age out of the 
system are not thrown out of it but instead have the same opportunities 
that other kids have.
  Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time. I urge bipartisan 
support.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I 
urge all my colleagues to support this resolution. I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1208.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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