[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14464]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, Saturday is National Adoption Day. It is an 
annual celebration of the thousands of new adoptions that take place 
every year. It is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the 
thousands of children who are still in foster care in need of permanent 
homes.
  Since National Adoption Day was started 16 years ago, several 
children advocacy groups, including the Congressional Coalition on 
Adoption Institute, have worked with foster care agencies and courts in 
all 50 States to finalize more than 40,000 adoptions to take place on 
that day. This is amazing work that helps bring wonderful additions to 
selfless, committed families. It is great to see so many children 
finding new beginnings through adoption, but it is also important to 
remember those who are still in need of permanent homes.
  There are more than 100,000 children who are waiting for an adoptive 
family in foster care, and, on average, they wait nearly 3 years to be 
adopted. Every child deserves to grow up in a loving family and a safe 
and open-hearted home.
  Mr. Speaker, adoption is a joyous occasion for thousands of children 
and families, and National Adoption Day is a reminder of how to create 
more of these powerful life-changing experiences.

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