[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 24 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING VERONICA KRUPNICK

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MELANIE A. STANSBURY

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 9, 2024

  Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Veronica 
Krupnick of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who was selected by Casey Excellence 
for Children Awards to receive the 2024 Alumni Award. Veronica is the 
first Indigenous person to have been selected for this great honor. She 
is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and has Jemez Pueblo 
and Navajo Nation heritage.
  Veronica is a mentor, a leader, and an unwavering advocate for 
children and youth in New Mexico's child welfare system. Drawing upon 
her own experience in the foster care system, Veronica's advocacy and 
mentorship centers around the importance of connecting children and 
youth in the child welfare system to their cultural identities, 
communities, and traditions. Last year, she played a crucial role in 
upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which was under threat 
by a case heard before the Supreme Court. The ICWA mandates that when 
the government seeks foster and adoption placement for a child who is a 
member of or eligible for membership in an Indian Tribe, it must give 
preference to those with kin or Tribal relationships to the child. In 
the decades since it was enacted, the ICWA has been labeled the gold 
standard of child welfare policy. This law consistently establishes 
best practices to protect Indigenous children and preserve the 
integrity of Indigenous cultures and identities.
  Veronica currently serves as the Leadership Analyst for the Majority 
Leader in the New Mexico House of Representatives. In addition, she is 
the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Court-Appointed Special 
Advocates for Children (CASA), First Judicial District, a senior member 
of the National Foster Youth and Alumni Policy Council, a member of the 
National Child Welfare and Racial Equity (CWARE) Collaborative, and the 
Co-Chair of the Training Committee for the New Mexico Partners.
  Veronica works tirelessly to give a voice to children and youth in 
Tribal families, and in New Mexico as a whole, that are impacted by the 
child welfare system. I would like to thank Veronica for working every 
day as a champion to instill hope in our future generations.

                          ____________________