[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16531-16532]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY AND NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 595 and 
the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 595) expressing support for the goals 
     of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month by 
     promoting national awareness of adoption and the children 
     awaiting families, celebrating children and families involved 
     in adoption, and encouraging the people of the United States 
     to secure safety, permanency, and well-being for all 
     children.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. CARDIN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be considered made 
and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that 
any statements be printed in the Record as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 595) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 595

       Whereas there are millions of unparented children in the 
     world, including 400,540 children in the foster care system 
     in the United States, approximately 104,000 of whom are 
     waiting for families to adopt them;
       Whereas 59 percent of the children in foster care in the 
     United States are age 10 or younger;
       Whereas the average length of time a child spends in foster 
     care is approximately 2 years;
       Whereas for many foster children, the wait for a loving 
     family in which they are nurtured, comforted, and protected 
     seems endless;
       Whereas in 2011, nearly 26,000 youth ``aged out'' of foster 
     care by reaching adulthood without being placed in a 
     permanent home;
       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 a 2007 survey conducted by the Dave Thomas 
     Foundation for Adoption demonstrated that though ``Americans 
     overwhelmingly support the concept of adoption, and in 
     particular foster care adoption . . . foster care adoptions 
     have not increased significantly over the past five years'';
       Whereas while 4 in 10 Americans have considered adoption, a 
     majority of Americans have misperceptions 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 Americans believe that children enter 
     the foster care system because of juvenile delinquency, when 
     in reality the vast majority of children who have entered the 
     foster care system were victims of neglect, abandonment, or 
     abuse;
       Whereas 46 percent of Americans believe that foster care 
     adoption is expensive, when in reality there is no 
     substantial cost for adopting from foster care and financial 
     support is available to adoptive parents after the adoption 
     is finalized;
       Whereas family reunification, kinship care, and domestic 
     and inter-county adoption promote permanency and stability to 
     a far greater degree than long-term institutionalization and 
     long-term, often disrupted foster care;
       Whereas both National Adoption Day and National Adoption 
     Month occur in the month of November;
       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, 
     nearly 40,000 children have joined forever families during 
     National Adoption Day;

[[Page 16532]]

       Whereas in 2011, a total of 365 events were held in 47 
     States and the District of Columbia, finalizing the adoptions 
     of 4,187 children from foster care and celebrating an 
     additional 1,030 adoptions finalized during November or 
     earlier in the year; and
       Whereas the President traditionally issues an annual 
     proclamation to declare the month of November as National 
     Adoption Month, and National Adoption Day is on November 17, 
     2012: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day 
     and National Adoption Month;
       (2) recognizes that every child should have a permanent and 
     loving family; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to consider 
     adoption during the month of November and all throughout the 
     year.

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