[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 190 (Wednesday, November 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 471--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

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. Cramer, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, 
Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Casey, Ms. 
Collins, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, 
Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, 
Mr. King, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Risch, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rubio, 
Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Tuberville, 
Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
Braun, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Scott of Florida, and Mr. Thune) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 471

       Whereas there are millions of unparented children in the 
     world, including 391,000 children in the foster care system 
     in the United States, approximately 114,000 of whom are 
     waiting for families to adopt them;
       Whereas the average length of time a child spends in foster 
     care waiting to be adopted is 33.7 months;
       Whereas, for many unparented children, the wait for a 
     loving family, in which the children are nurtured, comforted, 
     and protected, seems endless;
       Whereas, in 2021, 14,380 children were at risk of aging 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, 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 family reunification, kinship care, and domestic 
     and intercountry adoption promote greater permanency and 
     stability for children;
       Whereas the Children's Bureau, an office of the 
     Administration for Children and Families within the 
     Department of Health and Human Services, supports programs, 
     research, and monitoring to help eliminate barriers to 
     adoption and find permanent families for children;
       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, 
     more than 75,000 children have joined permanent families on 
     National Adoption Day;
       Whereas the President traditionally issues an annual 
     proclamation to declare the month of November as National 
     Adoption Month, and the President has proclaimed November 
     2023 as National Adoption Month; and
       Whereas the Saturday before Thanksgiving has been 
     recognized as National Adoption Day since at least 2000, and 
     in 2023, the Saturday before Thanksgiving is November 18: 
     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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