[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 22, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Jones):
  S. 1599. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to create 
a refundable tax credit for foster families, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Foster Care Tax 
Credit Act, with my colleague Senator Jones. Enacting this bill would 
go a long way towards helping families with the expenses that come with 
taking in and providing homes for foster children.
  Currently, foster families are only eligible for the Child Tax Credit 
if the same child lives with them for at least six months. Many foster 
families take in children for shorter periods, and sometimes take in 
multiple different children throughout the year. Even if these 
placements add up to more than six months, these families are 
potentially not eligible for the tax credit. Further, state funding for 
foster care families often fails to cover the cost of meeting the 
child's basic needs.
  The Foster Care Tax Credit Act would create a new refundable tax 
credit targeted at these families that take in foster children but are 
not eligible for the Child Tax Credit. The tax credit would help ease 
the financial strain that many of these families face. Further, the 
bill instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary 
of the Treasury to conduct outreach to state and tribal agencies to 
better educate foster families about provisions of the tax code that 
may benefit them.
  I hope my colleagues will support this bill to provide assistance to 
families who have chosen to offer a loving home for children who need 
it most.
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