[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7390]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                 CONGRESSIONAL FOSTER YOUTH SHADOW DAY

  (Ms. BASS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today in celebration of 
63 foster youth and 63 bipartisan Members of Congress who are 
participating in the fourth annual Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth 
Shadow Day experience.
  The goal of this event is to give foster youth the opportunity to 
share their unique experience with Members of Congress, as well as gain 
intimate insight into the legislative process.
  Far too often, we legislate from a glass tower, far removed from the 
people and places that our laws affect. Shadow Day was created to 
address this very issue, empowering foster youth from across the 
country to come to our Nation's Capital and share their stories, while 
giving Members of Congress the opportunity to learn from the very young 
people whose lives we genuinely want to improve.
  Shadowing me today is Briana, a beautiful young woman from my 
hometown of Los Angeles. Briana became an open case of the department 
of child and family services at the age of 15 due to abuse by her 
father. Multiple placements, neglect, and instability defined her 
foster care experience.
  As she pursues her bachelor's degree in accounting at Dillard 
University in New Orleans, Briana strives to voice the real concerns of 
foster youth and give strength to her foster peers by moving towards 
change. Briana's ultimate goal is to become a foster care advocate, 
encouraging other youth like her to stand up for themselves in the 
child welfare system.
  I look forward to hearing more about Briana's experience and 
listening to her legislative recommendations. Thank you, Briana, for 
your resiliency and your commitment to reforming the child welfare 
system.
  In honor of Briana and the other 62 foster youth here on the Hill, I 
invite my colleagues to join the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth.

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