[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           FAMILIES FIRST ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM BLILEY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 18, 1999

  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, in time for Father's Day, I have introduced 
the Families First Act with Representatives James Oberstar, Dave Camp, 
Bobby Scott, Dan Burton, Earl Pomeroy, and Jim DeMint. This bill that 
would make adoptions more affordable and provide children with loving 
homes. Sadly, many families wanting to open their homes and provide 
love to children are unable to do so because of the extremely high 
costs of adoption, which range from $8,000 to $25,000. We want to 
alleviate these costs so that all children are given the chance to 
belong to a family.
  The bill would allow penalty-free withdrawals of up to $5,000 from 
IRAs for adoption expenses. In recent years, Congress has allowed 
penalty-free withdrawals for home expenses and college education. The 
Families First Act would allow people to save the penalty money from 
early IRA withdrawal and put it toward their children's education. Our 
bill would enable families to borrow money from themselves to start a 
family, as opposed to taking out a second mortgage or depleting their 
savings accounts.
  It would also repeal the December 31, 2001 sunset for Employer-
Supported Adoption benefits and make it permanent law. The Families 
First Act would exclude, for taxation purposes, any adoption benefits 
people have received from their employer. It is imperative that 
employers are supportive when employees decide to give a child a home, 
whether through adoption or birth. Many businesses provide adoption 
benefits to their employees, and we should do all we can to further 
promote these benefits.
  The Families First Act is a bipartisan bill that emphasizes the 
importance of placing families first. When it comes to providing a 
child with a loving home, families must come first--not the IRS. By 
increasing the options for parents struggling to afford the high costs 
of adoption, the Families First Act will increase the number of 
children who will finally have a place to call home next Father's Day.

                          ____________________