[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 15, 2006

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Saturday, 
November 18th as National Adoption Day and to celebrate all adoptive 
families.
  On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, courtrooms across the country 
will come together to dedicate the resources of our judicial system to 
finalize adoptions of kids currently in the foster care system.
  In the 5 years since National Adoption Day was established, it has 
truly grown into a national celebration. Last year, 3,300 adoptions 
were finalized as part of 227 nationwide events.
  Unfortunately, despite the declining number of children waiting in 
foster care, there are still 118,000 children seeking adoption.
  This is simply unacceptable. It is our duty as a prosperous nation to 
unite and ensure these children find safe, loving homes.
  Six years ago, my wife and I decided to expand our family and open 
our home to two foster care children.
  Like many adoptive families, we faced many challenges during this 
process. But these experiences have only made our family stronger.
  The adoption process is often complicated and riddled with paperwork, 
meetings, and home studies--important factors when accessing the 
ability of a family to care for a new child--but they can also 
discourage qualified parents from embarking on the adoption process.
  The foster care community has been working with Congress and State 
governments across the country to streamline the adoption process and 
focus on limited resources, such as requiring frequent home visits and 
experienced caseworkers.
  As Members of Congress, it is our job to be the voice for foster 
children and make sure their dreams are recognized. We owe it to them 
to streamline the adoption process to ensure positive outcomes for 
these kids.
  It is important that we continue to make this process more accessible 
to families so that these children can be welcomed into loving homes.
  Despite the obstacles that we still need to overcome, this is a time 
to celebrate those families that have decided to make a difference in 
the life of a child.
  I commend these families and hope that children across the nation 
will find a place to call home this Saturday as part of National 
Adoption Day.

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