[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 5817, THE FOSTERING SUCCESS IN EDUCATION ACT

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                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 28, 2010

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I am proud to sponsor the 
Fostering Success in Education Act. This legislation is the House 
companion to Senator Franken and Senator Murray's bill and lays out a 
clear road map to assisting young people in the child welfare system.
  This legislation continues the efforts of the P.L. 110-351, Fostering 
Connections Act by improving educational assistance for those most in 
need--children and youth in the child welfare system. I hope that the 
Fostering Success in Education Act will enjoy the same bipartisan 
support and consideration to help these young people who have no one 
else.
  Today, more than half a million children are living in foster care. 
As a member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and 
Family Support, I have constantly heard from young people who struggle 
as they are constantly moved from home to home, and school to school 
when they are in foster care. Those in the child welfare system have 
not chosen this life; they did not ask to be victims of neglect and 
abuse. For a variety of reasons beyond their control, foster care 
children are uprooted from all that they know and rely on us for help.
  We all remember our years in elementary, middle, and high school. We 
recall our friends, classmates, teachers, extracurricular activities, 
favorite classes, and hardest subjects. For foster care youth, it's a 
whirlwind of memories. Names, faces, classes, teachers, grades, and 
subjects are a blur. Imagine being the new kid, over and over and over 
again without the support you need. Imagine maneuvering the bureaucracy 
and politics of different schools and school districts on your own as a 
12-year-old, as a 16-year-old, as a 6-year-old. This bill ensures that 
youth in foster care have school stability, immediate access to tools 
and resources, and the necessary support for academic success.
  Madam Speaker, I believe that each and every young person has a right 
to a childhood; each has a right to a basic education. I believe that 
in addition to consistency, friendships, and healthy relationships, 
education is the key to opportunity, stability, and success. It is a 
cornerstone of our nation's values of democracy, hope, and infinite 
possibility.
  The Fostering Success in Education Act takes us one step further in 
the right direction and responds to these all-too-real issues. Madam 
Speaker, I hope all of my colleagues will support this worthy and 
important legislative effort.

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