[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17784-17788]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPORTING NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY AND MONTH

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1648) supporting the goals and ideals of 
National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month by promoting national 
awareness of adoption and the children in foster care awaiting 
families, celebrating children and families involved in adoption, 
recognizing current programs and efforts designed to promote adoption, 
and encouraging people in the United States to seek improved safety, 
permanency, and well-being for all children.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1648

       Whereas there are over 423,000 children in the foster care 
     system in the United States, and more than 114,000 of whom 
     are waiting for families to adopt them;
       Whereas 56 percent of the children in foster care are age 
     10 or younger;
       Whereas the average length of time a child spends in foster 
     care is more than 2 years;
       Whereas for many foster children, the wait for a permanent, 
     adoptive, ``forever'' family in which they are loved, 
     nurtured, comforted, and protected seems endless;
       Whereas the number of youth who ``age out'' of the foster 
     care system by reaching adulthood without being placed in a 
     permanent home has increased by more than 55 percent since 
     1999, as more than 29,000 foster youth ``aged out'' of foster 
     care during 2009;
       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 3 in 10 people in the United States have 
     considered adoption, a majority of them have misconceptions 
     about the process of adopting children from foster care and 
     the children who are eligible for adoption;
       Whereas 71 percent of those who have considered adoption 
     consider adopting children from foster care above other forms 
     of adoption;
       Whereas 45 percent of people in the United States believe 
     that children enter the foster care system because of 
     juvenile delinquency, when in reality the vast majority of 
     children in the foster care system were victims of neglect, 
     abandonment, or abuse;
       Whereas 46 percent of people in the United States believe 
     that foster care adoption is expensive, when in reality there 
     is no substantial cost for adopting from foster care, and 
     financial support in the form of an adoption assistance 
     subsidy is available to adoptive families of eligible 
     children adopted from foster care and continues after the 
     adoption is finalized until the child is 18, so that income 
     will not be a barrier to becoming a parent to a foster child 
     who needs to belong to a family;
       Whereas significant tax credits are available to families 
     who adopt children with special needs;
       Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services, 
     Administration for Children and Families, in a partnership 
     with the Ad Council, supports a national recruitment campaign 
     for adoptive parents;
       Whereas the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids features a 
     photolisting Web site for waiting foster children and 
     prospective adoptive families at www.adoptuskids.org, and in 
     Spanish at www.adopte1.org;
       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, over 
     30,000 children have joined forever families during National 
     Adoption Day;
       Whereas in 2009, adoptions were finalized for nearly 5,000 
     children through more than 325 National Adoption Day events 
     in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico;
       Whereas National Adoption Month celebrates the gift of 
     adoption, recognizing the adoptive and foster families who 
     share their hearts and homes with children in need, and 
     raises awareness of the need for families for the many 
     waiting children, particularly older children and teens, 
     children of color, members of sibling groups, and children 
     with physical and emotional challenges; and
       Whereas November 2010 is National Adoption Month, and 
     November 20, 2010, is National Adoption Day, and activities 
     and information about both are available at 
     www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/activities.cfm: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day 
     and National Adoption Month;
       (2) recognizes that every child in foster care deserves a 
     permanent and loving family;
       (3) recognizes the significant commitment of taxpayers to 
     support adoption, including the $1,900,000,000 provided to 
     support adoption through the Title IV-E Adoption Assistance 
     program, as well as the assistance provided through the Title 
     IV-E Foster Care program to 114,000 children waiting for 
     adoptive families, among other important programs; and
       (4) encourages the citizens of the United States to 
     consider adoption of children in foster care who are waiting 
     for a permanent, loving family.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott) and the

[[Page 17785]]

gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) each will control 20 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1648.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1648, 
which supports the goals and the ideals of National Adoption Day and 
National Adoption Month. Children deserve nothing less than to grow up 
in a safe, stable, and loving home. While the vast majority of children 
are raised in such settings, there are a number of vulnerable children 
who are victims of child maltreatment or may have lost their parents in 
a tragedy and are now in search of a new home to call their own.
  Today, there are more than 423,000 children in the foster care system 
in this country. Many of these children will be reunited with their 
biological parents when it is safe for them to do so, while others will 
find a permanent home with a grandparent or other relative. Meanwhile, 
more than 114,000 children will be unable to safely return to their 
biological parents and need to find a new home.
  Over the last several years, Congress has worked in a bipartisan 
manner to provide services that promote foster care outcomes for 
children in foster care that are positive and to facilitate the timely 
placement of a child into an adoptive home. In 2008, Congress passed 
the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, 
which provided an array of new services to strengthen the foster care 
system. The legislation expanded the number of permanency options made 
available to children who are in search of new homes by allowing States 
to use Federal assistance to relatives to agree to become the legal 
guardians of foster children. The bill also extended and improved the 
Adoption Incentives Program and required States to inform prospective 
adoptive parents of their potential eligibility for the Federal 
Adoption Tax Credit.
  So far, we have seen positive results in the area of adoption. Last 
year, 57,000 children were adopted out of foster care. That's a 3.5 
percent increase over the previous year. The increase in the number of 
children adopted out of care reflects a trend that occurred over the 
last several years. Since 2006, the number of children adopted out of 
foster care has increased by 10.5 percent. Remarkably, this increase 
has occurred as the number of children who are served by the foster 
care system has steadily declined by 14 percent over the same period.
  Earlier this year, as part of the landmark legislation that provided 
for health care coverage to all Americans, additional incentives and 
initiatives were taken to promote adoption. The Affordable Care Act 
included legislation that repealed the sunset date on the adoption tax 
credit for 1 year--from 2010 to 2011--and increased the maximum amount 
under the credit. The legislation also made the Adoption Tax Credit 
refundable for tax years 2010 and 2011.
  While Congress has had great success in promoting the adoption of 
children out of foster care, there are still far too many children in 
foster care who are waiting far too long to find a permanent home. We 
need to continue to work together to ensure that States have the 
resources they need to swiftly move children into adoptive homes when 
it is appropriate to do so.
  I look forward to continuing to work with all my colleagues to 
achieve that goal. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. 
Res. 1648.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
support of House Resolution 1648, which recognizes the goals and ideals 
of National Adoption Day and Month. As you know, November 20 will mark 
this year's annual National Adoption Day celebration. All across our 
great country, communities will gather together to celebrate the 
adoptions that have been finalized this year and those that we hope 
will be finalized next year. In this spirit of community and family, 
this is what makes the National Adoption Day so very effective and also 
so very important in the lives of the Nation's more than 423,000 foster 
children--more than half of whom are under the age of 10.
  The issue truly is an urgent one, Mr. Speaker. Each year as children 
grow older, it becomes harder and harder to place them with ``forever'' 
families. In fact, sadly, last year, 29,000 children ``aged out'' of 
the foster care system and are now on their own. As someone who adopted 
an older child, I know what this means to so many families and so many 
children--in particular, to older children. I call adopting an older 
child the toughest job I've ever had but also the one that was the most 
rewarding.
  In so many cases, adoption is the key to breaking the cycle of abuse 
for children who otherwise would languish in dangerous homes. Perhaps 
it goes without saying how important it is for children to grow up in 
loving and supporting families. Yet with thousands upon thousands of 
children still being denied this most fundamental opportunity, Congress 
must continue to do what it can to support their efforts to find a 
home.

                              {time}  1850

  As such, the Federal Government has rightly stepped in to relieve the 
financial burden on adoptive families, and in doing so has made 
adoption more affordable to people of all income levels, but much still 
remains to be done. The resolution that we are considering today is an 
important reaffirmation of our commitment to improving the lives of 
foster children everywhere, and I thank my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle for their support and attention to this matter.
  While we are on the subject of adoption, Mr. Speaker, I want to 
mention one more thing. It has been brought to my attention that the 
Democratic leadership has pulled another very important adoption bill 
from the schedule this week. Actually, I understand that they hope to 
use it as a vehicle to pass an unrelated measure called the DREAM Act. 
The adoption bill in question is called the Help HAITI Act. It was 
introduced by Congressman Fortenberry in response to the tragic 
earthquake in Haiti some months ago. His legislation has passed the 
House and the Senate, and it was designated to assist children orphaned 
by one of the greatest natural disasters in recent memory.
  A family in my district has adopted one of those children. He is a 3-
year-old boy named Samuel. After being abandoned, with no record of who 
his parents were, Samuel got a second chance at having a family. Sadly, 
his adoption is stuck in limbo now because of this action. Congressman 
Fortenberry's bill would change that. It has passed the House, and it 
has passed the Senate. All little Samuel needs is one clean vote and a 
stroke of the President's pen.
  To hold these children hostage in an effort to disguise a vote on a 
controversial piece of legislation that has no hope of becoming law is 
completely unacceptable. Frankly, Mr. Speaker, this is exactly the kind 
of skullduggery that the American people have grown so sick of. If the 
DREAM Act or any other piece of legislation cannot stand on its own 
merits, then the sponsors of the bill need to go back to the drawing 
board and find something that can stand on its own merits.
  The Help HAITI Act is one vote away from being sent to the 
President's desk. I strongly urge the Senate Democrat leaders to allow 
the House to vote to pass the Haiti adoption bill. If they choose not 
to, I hope that the current Speaker will at least have the decency to 
look Samuel and his parents in the eyes and explain the nefarious 
decision to them.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman of the

[[Page 17786]]

Ways and Means Committee, and I thank the Ways and Means Committee for 
the very fine leadership that it has exhibited, particularly tonight, 
by bringing to the floor legislation sponsored by a very good friend, 
Mr. Oberstar.
  Mr. Speaker, I chair the Congressional Children's Caucus, and I 
really wanted to rise and speak from the heart, for Mr. McDermott 
shared with us, as the minority manager as well, some of the pain that 
goes with children who need to be adopted.
  Some years ago, I chaired the Foster Parent Task Force for Harris 
County, and I had the privilege of chairing it with one of our former 
colleagues, Congressman Mike Andrews. We chaired that task force to 
recruit, to restore, to rejuvenate foster parents, and to encourage 
them in their parenting and in their loving of foster children. In the 
course of that task, I learned of aging out--children who were in the 
foster care system and not adopted. Therefore, at the end of the foster 
care timeframe, they were aged out without any parental jurisdiction, 
love, affection, or nurturing. I met many of those children on the 
streets of Houston. I imagine, if I were to travel from the east coast 
to the west coast, I would meet children like that, children of America 
who deserve better lives.
  So I rise to support this legislation. I applaud Mr. Oberstar, the 
Ways and Means Committee, Mr. McDermott, and of course the staff who 
saw fit to acknowledge that this is National Adoption Day and National 
Adoption Month, because, if there is anything precious in our sights--
and for those whose faiths point them to a higher authority--it is that 
about children. Adoption is an honorable and welcomed next step for a 
child in foster care, a child who is abused and possibly, if you will, 
unloved.
  I ask my colleagues to support this enthusiastically because we need 
to end the pain in the eyes of the children and in their hearts by 
allowing them and hoping for them to be adopted.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry).
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. I thank the gentlelady from Florida for the time and 
also for her good words earlier.
  Mr. Speaker, the selfless love inherent in adoption shows the 
remarkable capacity of the human heart to strengthen a fractured world 
one child in need at a time, and I am very glad that Congress today is 
taking the time to honor adoption.
  I must add, however, that I am very disheartened that a bill to help 
Haitian orphans, which has passed this House, as the gentlelady from 
Florida has said, and which has passed the Senate with amendments, has 
now been abandoned in secret meetings by this body's leadership.
  The Help HAITI Act helps 1,200 Haitian orphans who were in the 
process of being adopted before the tragic earthquake hit that country. 
We could have passed this on Monday, and it could be law by now. Yet 
now, I understand, this bipartisan Help HAITI Act may be used as a 
vehicle for a controversial immigration measure for which there is no 
consensus in this body or across America.
  While the legal status of these vulnerable Haitian orphans remains in 
limbo, they have fewer legal protections. They may not be eligible for 
critical resources, and they may be at risk of being returned to Haiti. 
Now, surely, we can act to solve this problem free of partisan 
provocation.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I say this: These poor children and their heroic 
American families deserve better than what we are giving them today.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, adoption was very near and dear to the heart of a friend 
of mine who passed away a few years ago. His name was Dave Thomas. Many 
of you have heard of him because he started a chain of restaurants 
called Wendy's, which is now known worldwide.
  Dave was a child who was adopted. His adoptive mother died, and his 
father, because he couldn't take care of him, left him in Fort Wayne, 
Indiana, at a YMCA when he was about 14 years old, and he was left 
pretty much to fend for himself. Because of that experience that Dave 
wrestled with as a boy, he ended up becoming one of the strongest 
advocates for adoption that I have ever known.
  He worked very hard to get a postage stamp adopted--it was adopted--
which spelled out the need to adopt children who didn't have homes. On 
every one of his restaurant maps, he had the ways to adopt a child, and 
he had pictures of children who should have been adopted. So, from a 
person who had that personal experience, who was Dave Thomas, I learned 
that adoption was extremely important for the security and the future 
of these children.
  Now there are these children we are talking about from Haiti. 
Obviously, the problems there are herculean. Right now, there is a 
cholera epidemic down in Haiti, and it's probably going to get worse. 
They're talking about maybe thousands of people becoming infected with 
this deadly disease. Can you imagine if any of these children had to be 
sent back there under Haiti's current conditions? Even if they didn't 
have that kind of an epidemic, you wouldn't want to send them back 
there.
  So I think the legislation this young lady is talking about is 
extremely important. It sends a message that we really care about those 
who don't have homes and who need to be adopted.

                              {time}  1900

  I sincerely hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will 
do everything they can to make sure this gets passed and to the 
President as quickly as possible.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no more Members 
who wish to speak on this, but I'd just like to close by saying I think 
that this House Resolution 1648 is a very good one. I urge my 
colleagues to support it but also to keep up the pressure on the 
current Speaker to release the Haiti adoption bill.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I think in closing it's important to 
point out that children are children, and while we may talk about some 
Haitian children who want to be adopted in the United States, we have 
an immigration policy in this country that is sending children back 
from my district to their country because we have got an immigration 
system that does not work. I actually think we ought to think a little 
bit more about people in this country and how we get the immigration 
policy rather than trying to say, well, we've got to worry about these 
people somewhere else. Part of this election was fought over the issue 
of immigration policy, and this country needs a fair way for people to 
proceed toward an ability to become a citizen.
  Now, you want these Haitian kids to come in here. What about their 
citizenship? I mean, they just get here; they're going to sit here 
forever and never get citizenship? I have a boy in my district who was 
6 years old when he came here, and no one told him he had to go down 
and fill out some papers when he got to be 18 and choose his 
citizenship. So now we're trying to send him back to a country that he 
never lived in since he was 6 when he came, and so there are real 
problems with children in this country, and I think we can deal with 
this one and we'll deal with the other one.
  The other body has kept their foot on these issues over and over and 
over again, and I think we ought to deal with this issue and then we'll 
deal with the other issue. We'll see whether they're really serious 
about all children.
  I urge my friends and the Members of the Congress to vote for this 
resolution.
  Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in support of H. 
Res. 1648, a resolution that recognizes the importance of federal 
efforts to encourage adoption, and honors National Adoption Day and 
Month.

[[Page 17787]]

  As an avid adoption supporter, I believe that Congress must continue 
to promote the adoption of children into safe and loving homes. Through 
our work in 1997 as part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and 
more recently through the Fostering Connections to Success and 
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Congress made significant advances in 
providing more options for children in need.
  Yet, far too many children, about 114,000, are waiting in foster care 
programs throughout our country for families to adopt them. These 
children should be given every opportunity to lead successful lives, 
and one way to make that happen is to increase the adoption of these 
children into safe, permanent, loving homes.
  That is why National Adoption Day and Month are so important. This 
year, National Adoption Day will take place on November 20, 2010, and 
is designed for communities around the country to highlight adoptions. 
Over the last decade, these events have grown more and more successful. 
Last year there were events in all 50 states during which the adoptions 
of 4,800 children were finalized. Since its inception, more than 30,000 
adoptions have been finalized on National Adoption Day.
  I have been honored to participate in National Adoption Day over the 
past several years. To be part of such a special occasion reinforces 
the need for further efforts to move kids into adoptive homes.
  I would also like to highlight the efforts of the Congressional 
Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) to promote adoption through its 
annual Angels in Adoption Awards Ceremony, held in October. This event 
also highlights those that have opened their hearts and their homes.
  These initiatives are critically important to not only recognizing 
those who have promoted adoption, but also to highlight the need for 
greater action on this important topic.
  Before I close, I would like to recognize the efforts of 
Representative Jim Oberstar, the sponsor of this resolution, for his 
work on behalf of adoption and children in foster care. Jim and I 
worked closely together on these important issues as co-chairs of 
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. As an adoptive parent 
himself, he knows firsthand how life-changing adoption is, and with his 
experiences he has been an effective and tireless leader for children 
who need loving homes. His expertise will be missed, but his 
contributions in support of adoption will be lasting.
  I would also like to congratulate and publicly thank Representative 
Ginny Brown-Waite for her role in promoting adoption and the wellbeing 
of all children. As a Member of the Ways and Means Committee, she has 
been an active supporter of efforts to promote adoption and child 
wellbeing, continuing her prior work as a member of the Congressional 
Coalition on Adoption Institute. Ginny is retiring at the end of this 
Congress, and her deep compassion for and active efforts on behalf of 
children who have been or are awaiting adoption will continue to 
inspire those of us she leaves behind. I wish both Jim and Ginny all 
the best in the years ahead and thank both of them for their 
distinguished service to our families and country.
  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 1648, which recognizes the goals and ideals of National Adoption 
Day and National Adoption Month. I would also like to thank Chairman 
Oberstar for introducing this resolution and for his recognition of 
this important issue.
  As a practicing OB/GYN physician for nearly 30 years before being 
elected to Congress, I have seen first hand the life-changing role of 
adoption services for families and children all across the Nation. 
Adoption and foster care are extraordinary means for child 
survivability. In fact, 45 percent of Americans believe that children 
are placed in foster care due to some form of juvenile delinquency, but 
the unfortunate reality is that these children are primarily victims of 
abuse or neglect. For so many of these youth, the care they receive in 
foster homes and adoption agencies provides them the only home they 
ever know. Sadly, year after year, we see thousands of children ``age 
out'' of foster care and enter adulthood.
  Mr. Speaker, every child in this Nation and around the world deserves 
a loving family that will take care of them and provide for their basic 
needs. I applaud the many organizations across the United States that 
tirelessly strive to provide a home for foster care children and offer 
them a temporary place to live until they are placed in a permanent 
home. With local adoption agencies and foster homes doing their part, 
we must also do ours. I am proud that this body has voted to provide 
significant tax credits to families adopting children with special 
needs.
  Today there are over 423,000 children in the United States foster 
care system, and 114,000 of these young individuals are waiting for a 
loving family to adopt them. The vast majority of these youth are 
victims of abandonment, abuse, or neglect, and they are in dire need of 
a family that will provide a home so that they can grow into successful 
adults.
  Mr. Speaker, families that adopt should also be recognized for their 
commitment to improving the lives of children through the expansion and 
strengthening of their own families. These families come from all walks 
of life, but what ties them together is an abounding love for the 
neglected and the happiness that their new families enjoy after 
adoption. Their noble actions in caring for our youth are a public 
service--but more importantly--an act of service and humility in love 
for humanity.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes and honors the foster care 
and adoption agencies around the Nation that provide our youth with a 
sense of hope and a future. I support and congratulate all of these 
agencies and families in their honorable endeavors, and charge them to 
continue their efforts into the future.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1648, 
the annual National Adoption Day and National Adoption month 
resolution. I would like to thank my colleagues on the House Ways and 
Means Committee for their work to bring this resolution to the Floor, 
and I want to commend in particular, my friend Jim McDermott, the 
Chairman of the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee, for 
his leadership on adoption, foster care and child welfare issues.
  Adoption has been an essential part of my life and legislative 
service since 1968, when my late wife, Jo, unsuccessful in our hope for 
biological children, turned enthusiastically to adoption.
  Like all prospective adoptive parents, we completed the paperwork and 
the home study process--which every adoptive parent can remember. We 
were overjoyed to welcome home our adorable 3-week old son Ted in 1968. 
Jo and I had no doubt that since we made the decision to accept as our 
own, one of God's children, that He blessed us with Noelle, Annie and 
Monica.
  For these past 36 years, I have reveled in wearing my legislative 
hat, as a Member of Congress, as an advocate for effective public 
policy to eliminate the barriers to adoption and the need to work on 
behalf of children and families to promote this life-affirming 
experience.
  Adoption has made enormous strides in these 36 years. In the late 
1970s, I had the opportunity to bend the ear of President Carter with 
my radical proposal for an adoption deduction that would be equivalent 
to the cost of childbirth. In the 1980s, I joined with my former 
colleague, Tom Bliley, to create the Congressional Coalition on 
Adoption. In the 1990s, we enacted the $5,000 tax credit for adoption 
and in 2001, we were successful in doubling the adoption tax credit to 
$10,000. That same year, we created CCAI, the Congressional Coalition 
on Adoption Institute, to enhance our adoption advocacy.
  As part of that advocacy, CCAI is one of the sponsoring organizations 
for National Adoption Day that celebrates the adoption finalization for 
thousands of families. National Adoption Day also raises awareness for 
the 114,000 children in foster care who are available for adoption and 
are seeking their ``forever family.'' I also want to commend the 
following sponsors for their leadership in promoting National Adoption 
Day: The Alliance for Children's Rights, Casey Family services, 
Children's Action Network, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and 
the Freddie Mac Foundation. I also want to express my appreciation for 
the work of my Legislative Director, Chip Gardiner, who has been a 
great advocate for the cause of adoption for the past 25 years.
  It is fitting and proper for the House of Representatives to approve 
this resolution in November which is National Adoption Month and 
National Adoption Day which will take place this year on Saturday, 
November 20. As families prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, 
National Adoption Day is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving as we 
celebrate this very special day when the dream of family has been 
realized for so many Americans. This year, more than 350 events will 
take place across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to finalize over 
4,500 adoptions from foster care.
  When I have the opportunity to share my personal experience of 
adoption, I am reminded of the words of the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean 
poet, Gabriella Mistral. ``We are guilty of many errors and faults, but 
our worst crime is abandoning children, neglecting the fountain of 
life. Many things we need can wait; the child cannot. To the child, we 
cannot answer: `Tomorrow' The child's name is `Today!'''

[[Page 17788]]

  Today, let us reaffirm our support to assist the thousands of 
children in America in foster care who seek the love, support and 
stability of a family.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1648.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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