,,iii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #ehj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november 
#ag1 #bjad,mr4 ,inhofe 7for himself1    
,ms4 ,landrieu1 ,mr4 ,levin1 ,mr4       
,blunt1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1
 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4     
,cochran1 and ,mr4 ,wicker7 submitted   
the following resolution2 which was     
referred to the ,committee on ,health1  
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions       
,,resolution  ,expressing support for   
the goals of ,national ,adoption ,day   
and ,national ,adoption ,month by       
promoting national awareness of adoption
 and the children awaiting families1    
celebrating children and families       
involved in adoption1 and encouraging   
the people of the ,united ,states to    
secure safety1 permanency1 and          
well-being for all children4  ,whereas  
there are millions of unparented        
children in the world1 including        
#djb1cgh children in the foster care    
system in the ,united ,states1          

approximately #ajb1jjj of whom are      
waiting for families to adopt them2     
,whereas #fb percent of the children in 
foster care in the ,united ,states are  
age #aj or younger2 ,whereas the average
 length of time a child spends in foster
 care is approximately #b years2        
,whereas for many foster children1 the  
wait for a loving family in which they  
are nurtured1 comforted1 and protected  
seems endless2 ,whereas in #bjac1 nearly
 #bc1jjj youth aged out of foster care  
by reaching adulthood without being     
placed in a permanent home2 ,whereas    
every day1 loving and nurturing families
 are strengthened and expanded when     
committed and dedicated individuals make
 an important difference in the life of 
a child through adoption2 ,whereas a    
#bjjg survey conducted by the ,dave     
,thomas ,foundation for ,adoption       
demonstrated that although ,americans   
overwhelmingly support the concept of   
adoption1 and in particular foster care 
adoption 4 4 4 foster care adoptions    

have not increased significantly over   
the past five years2 ,whereas while #d  
in #aj ,americans have considered       
adoption1 a majority of ,americans have 
misperceptions about the process of     
adopting children from foster care and  
the children who are eligible for       
adoption2 ,whereas #ej percent of       
,americans believe that children enter  
the foster care system because of       
juvenile delinquency1 when in reality   
the vast majority of children who have  
entered the foster care system were     
victims of neglect1 abandonment1 or     
abuse2 ,whereas #ci percent of          
,americans believe that foster care     
adoption is expensive1 when in reality  
there is no substantial cost for        
adopting from foster care and financial 
support is available to adoptive parents
 after the adoption is finalized2       
,whereas family reunification1 kinship  
care1 and domestic and inter-county     
adoption promote permanency and         
stability to a far greater degree than  

long-term institutionalization and      
long-term1 often disrupted foster care2 
,whereas both ,national ,adoption ,day  
and ,national ,adoption ,month occur in 
the month of ,november2 ,whereas        
,national ,adoption ,day is a collective
 national effort to find permanent1     
loving families for children in the     
foster care system2 ,whereas since the  
first ,national ,adoption ,day in #bjjj1
 nearly #ej1jjj children have joined    
forever families during ,national       
,adoption ,day2 ,whereas in #bjac1      
nearly #djj events were held in the     
,united ,states1 finalizing the         
adoptions of approximately #d1ejj       
children from foster care2 and ,whereas 
the ,president traditionally issues an  
annual proclamation to declare the month
 of ,november as ,national ,adoption    
,month1 and ,national ,adoption ,day is 
on ,november #bb1 #bjad3 ,now1          
therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate--    
7#a7 supports the goals and ideals of   
,national ,adoption ,day and ,national  

,adoption ,month2  7#b7 recognizes that 
every child should have a permanent and 
loving family2 and  7#c7 encourages the 
people of the ,united ,states to        
consider adoption during the month of   
,november and all throughout the year4