[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 14613-14614]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I wish to spend a few moments talking about 
National Adoption Month.
  I thank the Senator from Maryland and my colleagues for letting me 
talk for a few minutes about an issue that I

[[Page 14614]]

think every single Member of the Senate cares about. The month of 
November is National Adoption Month. It gives us the opportunity to 
recognize the recent celebration of National Adoption Day, which was 
November 19.
  As cochair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, I 
have had the opportunity to work with so many of our Members and 
understand the broad bipartisan support for what we need to do to be 
looking at and more dedicated to adoption and to child welfare issues.
  Last year, Senator Klobuchar and I came to this new role as the 
Senate's cochairmen of this caucus. I am pleased to be working with her 
on a resolution that would support National Adoption Month and National 
Adoption Day again this year.
  We also have the good fortune to work with Members of the House. The 
idea that every child deserves to grow up in a loving, safe family is 
something I think we can all agree on.
  We have a lot of agreement, while we have been working with Members 
of the Congress, on adoption issues over the last year. Just last week, 
Senator Klobuchar, Congressman Trent Franks, Congresswoman Brenda 
Lawrence, and others, along with me, finalized a comment letter to the 
U.S. Department of State expressing concern over new international 
adoption regulations.
  We have specifically highlighted the negative impact some of the 
Department's proposed changes could have on the adoption process.
  Lately, the adoption process seems to have become more complicated 
internationally, and we need to make it less complicated.
  We worked--many Members, including the Members I just mentioned--very 
hard on behalf of families who have currently been trying to resolve 
pending adoption cases from a number of countries, most recently 
finalizing adoptions out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, 
Uganda, Guatemala, and other countries as well.
  In June Senator Klobuchar and I introduced the Vulnerable Children 
and Families Act, which would help more children living without 
families or in institutional care to find permanent homes by enhancing 
our U.S. diplomatic efforts rather than making those efforts more 
difficult. We need to enhance what we do as a country. We need to 
enhance what we do through the State Department to where we are more 
focused on international child welfare, ensuring that intercountry 
adoption to the United States becomes a more viable and more fully 
developed option.
  I am also continuing to support legislation to ensure that American 
families have the resources and support they need so that adoption 
domestically works. Specifically, there is the Adoption Tax Credit 
Refundability Act and the Supporting Adoptive Families Act.
  Before I conclude, I want to make a few comments to highlight three 
stories of foster children in Missouri who are currently waiting to get 
the family they would hope to have forever. According to the Missouri 
Heart Gallery, more than 1,200 Missouri children are in need of 
permanent homes. One of those children is Jason, age 15, who is an 
expressive young guy and, in his own words, ``likes to play soccer when 
it is not too hot.'' He also likes art and music. He feels like he is 
creative. He is looking for a supportive family to call his own, one 
who will also help him stay in contact with his brothers and sisters.
  Michelle, who is 9 years old, loves to dance and hopes to have her 
own pets in the future. However, she will tell you she would really 
rather have a dog than a cat. But what she would really like to find is 
a family--a family where she could have sisters, a family who would 
allow her to stay in touch with her biological sister as well.
  Lastly, Terrance, age 13, and Terion, age 10, are brothers with a 
special bond. When you first meet Terrance, he appears shy, but after 
getting to know him, he really has an incredible sense of humor. He 
enjoys listening to music, sports, and playing outside. Terion has a 
smile that just goes on and on. He is very active. He has been on a 
Little League Baseball team, and he loves to bowl. The brothers are 
strongly committed to each other. They have a strong bond to each 
other, beyond just the normal bond of brothers. They want to find a 
home where they can stay forever and stay together.
  Last year, I shared the stories of these two siblings on the Senate 
Floor. They are still looking for a family to call their own. Like so 
many children across the United States, Jason, Michelle, Terrance, and 
Terion are in need of a permanent, safe, loving home as a launching pad 
for their lives.
  I am an adoptive parent. I am always encouraged to see families 
giving children the most important gift one can give somebody else, and 
that is a family. I urge my colleagues to join Senator Klobuchar and me 
in marking November as National Adoption Month by passing this 
resolution.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.

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