[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 29, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6552-S6553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 622--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE GOALS OF NATIONAL 
    ADOPTION DAY AND NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH BY PROMOTING NATIONAL 
 AWARENESS OF ADOPTION AND THE CHILDREN AWAITING FAMILIES, CELEBRATING 
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES INVOLVED IN ADOPTION, AND ENCOURAGING THE PEOPLE 
OF THE UNITED STATES TO SECURE SAFETY, PERMANENCY, AND WELL-BEING, FOR 
                              ALL CHILDREN

  Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Grassley, Mr. 
Portman, Mr. Graham, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Daines, Mr. Moran, Mrs. Feinstein, 
Mr. Markey, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Hatch, Mr. 
Cochran, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Risch, Mr. McCain, Mr. Wicker, 
Mr. Enzi, Mr. Booker, Mr. Peters, Mr. Casey, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Rubio, Mr. 
Scott, and Mrs. Murray) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 622

       Whereas there are millions of unparented children in the 
     world, including 427,910 children in the foster care system 
     in the United States, approximately 111,820 of whom are 
     waiting for families to adopt them;
       Whereas 62 percent of the children in foster care in the 
     United States are age 10 or younger;
       Whereas the average length of time a child spends in foster 
     care is approximately 2 years;
       Whereas for many foster children, the wait for a loving 
     family in which the children are nurtured, comforted, and 
     protected seems endless;
       Whereas, in 2015, over 20,000 youth ``aged out'' of foster 
     care by reaching adulthood without being placed in a 
     permanent home;
       Whereas every day, loving and nurturing families are 
     strengthened and expanded when committed and dedicated 
     individuals make an important difference in the life of a 
     child through adoption;
       Whereas a 2007 survey conducted by the Dave Thomas 
     Foundation for Adoption demonstrated that although 
     ``Americans overwhelmingly support the concept of adoption, 
     and in particular foster care adoption . . . foster care 
     adoptions have not increased significantly over the past 5 
     years'';
       Whereas while nearly a quarter of individuals in the United 
     States have considered adoption, a majority of individuals in 
     the United States have misperceptions about the process of 
     adopting children from foster care and the children who are 
     eligible for adoption;
       Whereas 50 percent of individuals in the United States 
     believe that children enter the foster care system because of 
     juvenile delinquency, when in reality the vast majority of

[[Page S6553]]

     children who have entered the foster care system were victims 
     of neglect, abandonment, or abuse;
       Whereas 39 percent of individuals in the United States 
     believe that foster care adoption is expensive, when in 
     reality there is no substantial cost for adopting from foster 
     care and financial support is available to adoptive parents 
     after the adoption is finalized;
       Whereas family reunification, kinship care, and domestic 
     and intercounty adoption promote permanency and stability to 
     a far greater degree than long-term institutionalization or 
     long-term, often disrupted, foster care;
       Whereas November is National Adoption Month, and National 
     Adoption Day occurs in November;
       Whereas National Adoption Day is a collective national 
     effort to find permanent, loving families for children in the 
     foster care system;
       Whereas, since the first National Adoption Day in 2000, 
     nearly 58,500 children have joined permanent families during 
     National Adoption Day; and
       Whereas the President traditionally issues an annual 
     proclamation to declare the month of November as National 
     Adoption Month, and National Adoption Day is on November 19, 
     2016: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day 
     and National Adoption Month;
       (2) recognizes that every child should have a permanent and 
     loving family; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to consider 
     adoption during the month of November and throughout the 
     year.

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