Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Thad Cochran (R-MS) introduced the Families for Foster Youth Stamp Act (S. 3231).
In his remarks, lead sponsor Kerry recognized May as National Foster
Care Month, and acknowledged the 408,000 children in foster care and the
107,000 who are eligible for adoption. He urged Congress to do more to
connect children in foster care with a safe, loving, and permanent home.
This
bipartisan bill would increase funding for effective programs targeted
at improving permanency outcomes for youth in foster care, with profits
set-aside from the sale of postage stamps. The bill proposes splitting
funds between the Adoption Opportunities Program and the State Court
Improvement Program (CIP). Funds going to the Adoption Opportunities
Program would target programs improving permanency outcomes for youth in
foster care through adoption, guardianship, or kinship care. The CIP
funds could target improving quality of legal representation for the
children, reducing caseloads, updating systems to be more efficient, and
overall steps to improve the court’s role in achieving safe, stable and
permanent homes for children.
Kerry thanked CWLA and other national organizations that have expressed support for the bill.
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