[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        SIBLINGS CONNECTION DAY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 86, and 
that the Senate proceed to its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The resolution (S. Res. 86) designating March 1, 2007, as 
     ``Siblings Connection Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution 
be printed in the Record, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 86) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 86

       Whereas sibling relationships are among the longest-lasting 
     and most significant relationships in life;
       Whereas brothers and sisters share history, memories, and 
     traditions that bind them together as family;
       Whereas it is estimated that over 65 percent of children in 
     foster care have siblings, many of whom are separated when 
     placed in the foster care system, adopted, or confronted with 
     different kinship placements;
       Whereas children in foster care are at greater risk than 
     their peers of having emotional disturbances, problems in 
     school, and difficulties with relationships later in life;
       Whereas the separation of siblings while children causes 
     additional grief and loss;
       Whereas organizations and private volunteer efforts exist 
     that advocate for preserving sibling relationships in foster 
     care settings and that give siblings in foster care the 
     opportunity to reunite;
       Whereas Camp to Belong, a nonprofit organization founded in 
     1995 by Lynn Price, heightens public awareness of the need to 
     preserve sibling relationships in foster care settings and 
     gives siblings in foster care the opportunity to be reunited; 
     and
       Whereas Camp to Belong has reunited over 2,000 separated 
     siblings across the United States, the United States Virgin 
     Islands, and Canada: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates March 1, 2007, as ``Siblings Connection 
     Day'';
       (2) encourages the people of the United States to celebrate 
     sibling relationships on Siblings Connection Day; and
       (3) supports efforts to respect and preserve sibling 
     relationships that are at risk of being disrupted by the 
     placement of children in the foster care system.

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