[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[December 2, 2003]
[Pages 1660-1662]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 1660]]


Remarks on Signing the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003
December 2, 2003

    The President. Good to see you all. Thank you. Thanks. Please be 
seated. Hi, Mary. Thank you, Jim. Thanks for coming. Thank you all for coming. Gosh, 
we got a lot of great families with us today. We're really proud you all 
are here. I want to thank you for coming to the Roosevelt Room. I'm 
delighted you're here.
    The adoption of a boy or a girl is a moment of joy for a family, and 
it's a act of great generosity. When parents share their homes and all 
they have with a child, the child they adopt and love as their own, all 
their lives are transformed forever. Isn't that right?
    Diana Martin. Yes.
    Christopher Martin. Yes. [Laughter]
    The President. In every young life, there is a great need to belong. 
For the sake of our children, this Nation has a responsibility to 
encourage adoption of children at all ages, from infants to adolescents. 
The legislation I'm about to sign today sends a clear message: Our 
society is building a culture that values every life, and our Government 
strongly supports adoption.
    I appreciate Deputy Secretary Claude Allen from the Department of Health and Human Services for 
joining us. I want to thank three Members of the Congress who have been 
instrumental in this legislation, and I appreciate their good, hard 
work. Senator Mary Landrieu of the great State 
of Louisiana is with us, Jim Oberstar of 
Minnesota, and Dave Camp of Michigan. Thank you 
all for coming. I appreciate you taking time to come to herald this 
important piece of legislation. I'm honored you all are here.
    Bruce Willis is not with us, but I do want 
to thank him for being the national spokesperson on foster care and 
adoption. His message is helpful. It's important to help spread the word 
about the joys of adoption, and Bruce has been mighty helpful in doing 
just that.
    I want to thank the parents of adoptive children who are with us 
today. The Martin family, the Hendrix family are with us, the Morris 
family and the Schwarzwalder family. I'm honored you all are here. I 
want to thank you for giving me a chance and the Members of Congress a 
chance, after the bill signing, to personally thank you for showing 
America the generosity of spirit that makes our country such a wonderful 
place. We're really glad you're here.
    Thanks to the Congress and thanks to the groups that work on behalf 
of foster children and to moms and dads across America, these last few 
years have brought real progress in the cause of adoption. We're making 
progress here in America.
    Six years ago, Congress provided new incentives to the States to 
promote foster care adoptions, and those incentives have worked. I 
suspect these Members of Congress worked on that important legislation. 
In just 5 years, from 1998 to 2002, the States placed more than 230,000 
children in adoptive homes--about the same number that had been adopted 
in the previous 10 years. We're making some progress here in America.
    In the same period, 33 States and the District of Columbia have at 
least doubled foster care adoptions. To further promote adoption, we 
increased the adoption tax credit in 2001 from $5,000 to $10,000. I want 
to thank the Members for working on that important piece of legislation. 
I hope it helps families.
    In 2002, my administration created a new web site called 
AdoptUSKids.org, which has already helped to join nearly 2,000 children 
with adoptive parents. In other words, if you want to be a part of this 
movement of love in America, go to the web site, and the web site will 
help you understand

[[Page 1661]]

how best to become an adoptive parent. Many more still await their 
chance and their home, and we are determined to help all children in 
America.
    Today in America, more 126,000 foster children still need an 
adoptive family. And nearly half of these children are past the age of 
9. Foster parents bring help and kindness at a crucial point in a 
child's life, yet foster care is by nature temporary. And the aim of the 
system and the desire of every child is a permanent home.
    The bill I sign this morning will help bring that opportunity to 
many more children of all ages. The Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 will 
continue all the current incentives that have created new momentum for 
the adoption process in our States. In addition, we will begin 
monitoring the adoptions of foster children age 9 and older and provide 
extra incentives for States to increase adoption of older children. This 
is a proven way to increase the placement of children from foster care 
to permanent homes, and each one of those homes will be richer for the 
addition of new family members.
    Here's one example standing with me. It's what we call a good-size 
American family. [Laughter]
    Mrs. Martin. Amen.
    Mr. Martin. Yes.
    The President. Diana and Chris 
Martin, good, solid Americans, good, 
loving mom and dad, are with us with seven children, four of them 
adopted at ages 6, 8, 10, and 11 years old.
    You were 6.
    Mrs. Martin. That's right.
    The President. How old are you?
    Terrance Martin. Seven.
    The President. Okay, 7. [Laughter] I'll take it up with the fact-
checker. [Laughter] Children who, at one time, were 6, 8, 10, and 11. 
[Laughter]
    Chris says, ``Besides having to add a 
whole new wing on the house''--maybe the tax credit helps--[laughter]--
``it can be emotionally trying. They have a sense of abandonment, and 
they came with the fear of bonding to you because they've been let down, 
and they're afraid.'' He also said, ``It's been rewarding because you 
can see the love in their eyes when they finally realize they have a 
place, they have a home, and that I am their dad.''
    Adoptive parents are giving much, and they are gaining much. The 
future of many thousands of children depend on the willingness of caring 
parents to make that personal commitment. It would take less than 1 
percent of the American population to provide a home to every child 
awaiting adoption. Welcoming a child into your home and calling that 
child your son or daughter is a major decision. It is never to be made 
lightly. Yet so many parents who have made that decision count it among 
life's greatest and happiest turning points. And so I hope more 
Americans, after careful thought and prayer, will make the decision to 
adopt a boy or girl of their own.
    The act of Congress strongly affirms our national commitment to 
adoption and will encourage adoption in every part of our land. I want 
to thank you all for coming. We're honored to be with such loving 
parents and great Americans.
    And now I'd like to ask the Members of Congress to join me as I sign 
this important piece of legislation, and maybe this great family would 
like to join us as well. Thanks for coming.
    Here, Mary, get in here. All right, is everybody ready?
    Audience members. Yes.
    Child. Can I come in there too?
    The President. You want to come in here? [Laughter]
    Children. Yes.
    The President. Sure, come on. All right. They won't ask her any 
questions. [Laughter] You ready?

Note: The President spoke at 9:25 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In

[[Page 1662]]

his remarks, he referred to actor Bruce Willis, spokesman for Children 
in Foster Care. H.R. 3182, approved December 2, was assigned Public Law 
No. 108-145.