Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should recognize the important contributions of Americans who serve as foster parents and, in doing so, unselfishly open their homes and family lives to children in need.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1185) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should recognize the important contributions of Americans who serve as foster parents and, in doing so, unselfishly open their homes and family lives to children in need.

Mr. Speaker, every day another 850 American children enter foster care. If you go outside and walk along the Mall today, you will see cardboard cutouts of children. Another 850 representations will be added each day this week to help us all understand who are at risk and what is at stake. The fact is, most people are unaware of how many children are in foster care right now and how many more will be in foster care tomorrow. My hope is that the image of those cardboard cutouts will be so compelling that America will take and demand action.

As the chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the foster care system, I want the House to make this issue as important as the children we need to help. Each child in this Nation deserves nothing less than a safe, loving home with a caregiver who ensures their physical and emotional well-being, supports their dreams in life and helps them become healthy and happy adults. For over a half a million children in our Nation, that home is not with their biological parents. Instead, the nurturing environment is found in the homes of foster families, who temporarily support a child until that child can either be safely returned to their biological parents or moved to a permanent home.

What I just described in a few words doesn't begin to cover the heroic actions by Americans on behalf of foster children, so we are here today to mark the month of May as National Foster Care Month. It is a designation reserved for heroes, and there are hundreds of thousands of American heroes to be noticed and thanked. They are the people who open their homes and their hearts to children who are seeking sanctuary when they are no longer able to live safely in their homes. These people are the safety net for these children, the difference between hope and disaster.

National Foster Care Month also recognizes the unsung heroes who work in the foster care system itself, these individuals who dedicate their lives to improving the well-being of children who are under the care of the State. Many of these dedicated people work for relatively little salary, with limited resources, and often face very dangerous situations. They do it because they care, and we are grateful.

There isn't anything partisan about ensuring the safety and well- being of children. We either meet our responsibility to protect these children, or we don't.

Lives indeed hang in the balance. That is why Congress must work together to improve our Nation's foster care system and to fully support these children, including those who age out of the foster care system each year and their caretakers, which includes grandparents and other relatives. It is up to us to ensure that the educational, medical, and emotional needs of foster children are met. It is up to us to make sure they know they are not alone. In truth, their outcomes in life are linked to our ability to guarantee that the State has the resources to provide these children with the assistance they need.

Foster children should have the same opportunities in life that our other children have. It is up to us to guarantee that our Federal programs support that basic right.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing May 2008 as National Foster Care Month. We salute the tireless work of foster care parents, case workers, court personnel, service providers, and advocates, many of whom are former foster children, for their commitment to supporting vulnerable children across this Nation. We must recommit ourselves to working to improve the foster care system because of the lives of innocent children who are at stake, and we have the power to make a difference.

I would like at this time to take one moment to recognize my colleague, Mr. Weller, who has been my ranking member on this subcommittee, and he and I have worked together hand in hand on this issue. This is not a partisan issue, and it has been a real pleasure to have Mr. Weller as my ranking member in this session of Congress. We have a bill coming which we hope this House will also approve at another time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1185.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, likewise to the chairman of the subcommittee, which I have the privilege of serving as the ranking member, I just want to state that I enjoy working with you very much as well, and thank you for your compliment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1185, recognizing May as National Foster Care Month. This resolution recognizes the enormous contribution of foster parents who care for so many vulnerable young people across America. And I want to commend its chief sponsors, Representative Jon Porter of Nevada and Chairman McDermott, for sponsoring and introducing this important resolution.

The House is considering this resolution right between Mother's Day and Father's Day, which is appropriate, since foster parents step in to take the place of biological mothers and fathers. Taxpayers themselves contribute literally billions of dollars each year in Federal and State assistance to this important effort. But the most important part is the simple willingness of responsible adults to step in and care for kids who cannot safely remain with their own parents. For that, as this resolution expresses, the Nation says thank you.

Many other people work to support foster parents through both public and private organizations and in paid and volunteer positions alike. We express our thanks to those dedicated people as well. One example in the congressional district I represent, groups like The Baby Fold, which provides a variety of services to support biological and foster families. We thank all of these individuals for their continuing effort and dedication to improving the lives of children and their families.

In spite of all the hard work by individuals involved at all levels in the Nation's foster care system, more work is needed to ensure all children have a safe home, are protected from abuse, and have the best opportunities to lead a healthy and productive life.

The Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, on which I serve as ranking member, has held numerous hearings in the past year on child welfare issues, reviewing whether foster children are receiving appropriate medical care, are being prescribed the right medications, are receiving the education they deserve, and are being adequately prepared for their life as adults. For some children, the answer to these questions is a ``yes,'' but for too many the answer is ``no.'' Too many children in foster care are behind their peers in terms of their health, education, and job prospects.

So there is still much that we need to do to ensure that all children in foster care receive the care and support they need to overcome these obstacles and thrive as young adults.

For those who cannot safely return home to their own parents, that means creating an environment providing as much love, support, and stability as possible. For some children, that may mean placement with relatives. For others, it involves the generosity and sacrifice of foster parents who step in when biological families don't work out.

In addition to this resolution, as Chairman McDermott noted, he and I

are currently working on a bipartisan package of legislation that we intend to have designed to improve the foster care system: Expecting more educational stability and high school completion for foster children, improving health outcomes, keeping siblings together, and extending and improving a current incentive program that rewards States for increasing adoptions. These legislative changes would implement many of the recommendations our subcommittee has heard for improving the lives of children in foster care. But even with these improvements, the tens of thousands of dedicated foster parents and those who support them will continue to remain the backbone of our foster care system. On our Nation's effort to support children who cannot safely live with their own parents, we owe them our thanks and our continued support.

Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote for this important resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleague, Mr. McDermott, and urge the support of H. Res. 1185. Since being elected to public office, I have been in advocate for children in foster care; in part because 8 years ago my wife and I adopted two of our children from foster care.

As a result, we became intimately aware of the status of America's foster care system. This resolution commends the hard work and sacrifice of the thousands of American families who care for foster children. As an adoptive foster parent, I know the joy these children bring. I also know that caring for children who, in some cases, have survived atrocious abuse and neglect can be extremely challenging. Many foster parents open their hearts and homes to children with the trauma and pain of a broken past. Many times these caregivers receive little or no support from the Federal government as they take in our Nation's most vulnerable young people.

Despite record food prices, foster families across America stretch their budgets to feed additional children that they have welcomed into their homes. Despite rising gas prices; foster families do their best to drive children to schools, take them to doctor's appointments, and attend little league games--because they know that's the kind of support these children have never had. They do a great service for America, Mr. Speaker, and deserve to be commended for their efforts.

While we recognize and commend their service, we need to do more to ensure a better future for these children when they leave foster homes. We need to do more to heal the minds and bodies of these children, so that the investment that foster parents have made in their lives is not lost to homelessness, drug addiction, and gang involvement that so many of these children turn to when they are abandoned again as they exit foster care.

The public may not be aware that on the night of their 18th birthday, most states terminate all services for foster children. Parents know that most children in our society are not self-sufficient the day they turn 18. For example: we don't expect our children to afford health coverage when they turn 18. In fact, most parents retain their children under a family policy until age 23. Yet for the 26,000 vulnerable young Americans who age out of the foster care system, we eliminate their healthcare coverage the moment they turn 18. Mr. Speaker, we need to do better. We need to extend healthcare coverage for children in foster care to age 21. The pathway to extend coverage already exists in current law, but only 17 states have implemented this option and I believe it is a moral and societal imperative to make this the standard across our Nation. Without proper healthcare many of these youth end up another sad statistic.

I know my good friend from Washington, Mr. McDermott, and I see eye- to-eye on this issue. Both he and I have introduced legislation that would make these necessary changes to healthcare coverage for foster children. Mr. Speaker, I urge the rest of my colleagues to support this resolution and to do better for America's foster children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of H. Res. 1185, recognizing National Foster Care Awareness Month.

Today, more than half a million children nationwide are living in foster care. Like children everywhere, these vulnerable young people need the safety and security of a permanent family. For many children who cannot be reunited with their parents, that means joining a new family through adoption.

Across the country there are families who have adopted children and youth from the foster care system. One of those outstanding persons is my constituent Ms. Ann Carnegie in Atlanta who has dedicated her life to the service of others. She is one of many hard-working Americans determined to make a difference for the next generation.

Ms. Carnegie became a single mother when she adopted three children. She began as a foster parent for Bernard and Latrice. Both had already spent 5 years in foster care and had special needs; Ms. Carnegie knew that if the opportunity presented itself that she would want to adopt them.

Bernard is an intelligent, artistic young man who aspires to work with computer animation one day. Latrice is a French honors student who hopes to become a lawyer. Everyone in this loving family takes time to play cars and dinosaurs with their youngest brother Matty. I have faith that all the children in the Carnegie family will fulfill their dreams one day.

Every year, the Carnegie family celebrates the children's adoptions with a special celebration. There are many important pieces of legislation that we both support that will improve child welfare services and strengthen America's families.

I have the privilege to serve on the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee under the leadership of my good friend, the Gentleman from Washington, Mr. McDermott. I know that all of us on the Subcommittee share a commitment to protect and improve the future of those in the child welfare system.

We must do all we can to help children living in foster care join loving families like the Carnegies, and I look forward to supporting reforms this year. Initiatives like the federal Adoption Incentive program encourages states like mine to finalize more adoptions of children from foster care, but there is more that can be done. Children in foster care have waited long enough.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution today, and to give strong consideration of the many legislative proposals to improve the lives of children in foster care.

Mr. Speaker, according to 2006 data, nationally, 799,000 children have spent at least 24 hours in foster care and, on any given day, roughly 510,000 children were in the Nation's foster care system. In Nevada, there are currently 5,450 children receiving foster care, including 3,947 in Clark County.

My district has faced some unique challenges recently. As Southern Nevadans, we recognize the need for a nurturing environment when biological parents abuse or neglect their own children. Foster families graciously open their doors, and offer love and guidance in the most difficult of circumstances. It is critical we honor these unsung heroes.

I would like to thank Chairman McDermott for introducing this bipartisan legislation honoring the selfless service of foster families recognizing the critical role these individuals play in communities across the nation. In addition, the resolution will mark May as National Foster Care Month. I encourage all of my colleagues to support the generosity of foster parents in their districts and throughout the nation during the month of May.