,,iv #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #egg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #h1 #bjad ,ms4 ,bass 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,bachmann1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,barletta1 ,mr4 ,cummings1 ,mr4 ,bentivolio1 ,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,georgia1 ,mrs4 ,davis of ,california1 ,ms4 ,bonamici1 ,mr4 ,de,fazio1 ,mr4 ,braley of ,iowa1 ,ms4 ,de,gette1 ,ms4 ,brown of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,de,lauro1 ,ms4 ,brownley of ,california1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,mrs4 ,bustos1 ,mr4 ,doggett1 ,mrs4 ,capps1 ,ms4 ,edwards1 ,mr4 ,crdenas1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,mr4 ,carson of ,indiana1 ,ms4 ,frankel of ,florida1 ,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,mr4 ,franks of ,arizona1 ,ms4 ,chu1 ,ms4 ,fudge1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 ,mr4 ,al ,green of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4 ,clay1 ,ms4 ,hahn1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 ,mrs4 ,hartzler1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,mr4 ,hastings of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,cook1 ,mr4 ,heck of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,cooper1 ,mr4 ,himes1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,honda1 ,mr4 ,jeffries1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,keating1 ,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,kildee1 ,mr4 ,kilmer1 ,ms4 ,kuster1 ,mr4 ,langevin1 ,mr4 ,latham1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,lewis1 ,ms4 ,michelle ,lujan ,grisham of ,new ,mexico1 ,mr4 ,sean ,patrick ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,marino1 ,mr4 ,matheson1 ,ms4 ,matsui1 ,mr4 ,mc,dermott1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,mc,nerney1 ,mr4 ,messer1 ,mr4 ,murphy of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,nunnelee1 ,mr4 ,o',rourke1 ,mr4 ,pallone1 ,mr4 ,payne1 ,mr4 ,peters of ,california1 ,mr4 ,peterson1 ,mr4 ,pierluisi1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mr4 ,price of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,rangel1 ,mr4 ,reichert1 ,mr4 ,richmond1 ,ms4 ,roybal-,allard1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,david ,scott of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,virginia1 ,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama1 ,ms4 ,shea-,porter1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,ms4 ,speier1 ,mr4 ,stockman1 ,mr4 ,takano1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,california1 ,ms4 ,titus1 ,ms4 ,tsongas1 ,mr4 ,vargas1 ,mr4 ,waxman1 ,mr4 ,welch1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,yarmuth1 ,mr4 ,holt1 and ,mr4 ,veasey7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means ,,resolution ,recognizing ,national ,foster ,care ,month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system1 and encouraging ,congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system4 ,whereas ,national ,foster ,care ,month was established more than #bj years ago to-- 7#a7 bring foster care issues to the forefront2 7#b7 highlight the importance of permanency for every child2 and 7#c7 recognize the essential role that foster parents1 social workers1 and advocates have in the lives of children in foster care throughout the ,united ,states2 ,whereas all children deserve a safe1 loving1 and permanent home2 ,whereas the primary goal of the foster care system is to ensure the safety and well-being of children while working to provide a safe1 loving1 and permanent home for each child2 ,whereas there are approximately #djj1jjj children living in foster care2 ,whereas there were approximately #beb1jjj youth that entered the foster care system in #bjab1 while nearly #ajb1jjj youth were eligible and awaiting adoption at the end of #bjab2 ,whereas foster care is intended to be a temporary placement1 but children remain in the foster care system for an average of #b years2 ,whereas ,african-,american and ,native ,american children are more likely to stay in the foster care system for longer periods of time and are less likely to be reunited with their biological families2 ,whereas foster parents are the front-line caregivers for children who cannot safely remain with their biological parents and provide physical care1 emotional support1 education advocacy1 and are the largest single source of families providing permanent homes for children leaving foster care to adoption2 ,whereas children in foster care who are placed with relatives1 compared to children placed with nonrelatives1 have more stability1 including fewer changes in placements1 have more positive perceptions of their placements1 are more likely to be placed with their siblings1 and demonstrate fewer behavioral problems2 ,whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial assistance and support services than do foster caregivers2 ,whereas recent studies show children in foster care are prescribed psychotropic medication at rates up to #aa times higher than other children on ,medicaid and in amounts that exceed the ,food and ,drug ,administration's guidelines2 ,whereas youth in foster care are much more likely to face educational instability with #cd percent of foster youth ages #ag to #ah experiencing at least #g changes while in care2 ,whereas youth in foster care are often cut off from other youth and face hurdles in the participating in activities common to their peers1 such as sports or participating in extracurricular activities2 ,whereas youth in foster care are more susceptible to being trafficked1 and more needs to be done to prevent1 identify1 and intervene when a child becomes a victim of the crime2 ,whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and reunification services is necessary to reduce the number of children that are forced to remain in the foster care system2 ,whereas more than #bc1djj youth 8age-out0 of foster care annually without a legal permanent connection to an adult or family2 ,whereas children who age-out of foster care lack the security or support of a biological or adoptive family and frequently struggle to secure affordable housing1 obtain health insurance1 pursue higher education1 and acquire adequate employment2 ,whereas nearly half of children in foster care for five or more years experience #g or more different foster care placements1 which often leads to disruption of routines and the need to change schools and move away from siblings1 extended families1 and familiar surroundings2 ,whereas children entering foster care often confront the widespread misperception that children in foster care are disruptive1 unruly1 and dangerous1 even though placement in foster care is based on the actions of a parent or guardian1 not the child2 ,whereas ,states1 localities1 and communities should be encouraged to invest resources in preventative and reunification services and post-permanency programs to ensure that more children in foster care are provided with safe1 loving1 and permanent placements2 ,whereas ,federal legislation over the past three decades1 including the ,adoption ,assistance and ,child ,welfare ,act of #aihj 7,public ,law #if-bgb71 the ,adoption and ,safe ,families ,act of #aiig 7,public ,law #aje-hi71 the ,fostering ,connections to ,success and ,increasing ,adoptions ,act of #bjjh 7,public ,law #aaj-cea71 the ,child and ,family ,services ,improvement and ,innovation ,act 7,public ,law #aab-cd71 and the ,uninterrupted ,scholars ,act 7,public ,law #aab-bgh7 provided new investments and services to improve the outcomes of children in the foster care system2 ,whereas the ,u4,s4 ,department of ,health and ,human ,services' ,children ,bureau has designated ,may as ,national ,foster ,care ,month under the theme to help build blocks toward permanent families for foster youth2 ,whereas ,may would be an appropriate month to designate as ,national ,foster ,care ,month to provide an opportunity to acknowledge the accomplishments of the child-welfare workforce1 foster parents1 advocacy community1 and mentors for their dedication1 accomplishments1 and positive impact they have on the lives of children2 and ,whereas much remains to be done to ensure that all children have a safe1 loving1 nurturing1 and permanent family1 regardless of age or special needs3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes ,national ,foster ,care ,month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster-care system2 7#b7 encourages ,congress to implement policy to minimize the number of children entering the foster care system1 to improve the lives of children in the foster care system1 and to maximize the number of children exiting foster care to the protection of safe1 loving1 and permanent families2 7#c7 supports the designation of ,national ,foster ,care ,month2 7#d7 acknowledges the unique needs of children in the foster-care system2 7#e7 recognizes foster youth throughout the ,united ,states for their ongoing tenacity1 courage1 and resilience while facing life challenges2 7#f7 acknowledges the exceptional alumni of the foster-care system who serve as advocates and role models for youth who remain in care2 7#g7 honors the commitment and dedication of the individuals who work tirelessly to provide assistance and services to children in the foster-care system2 and 7#h7 reaffirms the need to continue working to improve the outcomes of all children in the foster-care system through parts ,b and ,e of title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fja et seq47 and other programs designed to-- 7,a7 support vulnerable families2 7,b7 invest in prevention and reunification services2 7,c7 promote guardianship1 adoption1 and other permanent placement opportunities in cases where reunification is not in the best interests of the child2 7,d7 adequately serve those children brought into the foster-care system2 and 7,e7 facilitate the successful transition into adulthood for children that age-out of the foster-care system4