Expressing support for the designation of September 2020 as "National Kinship Care Month".

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1101 Expressing support for the designation of September 2020 as ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. BACON, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. MITCHELL, Mr. LANGEVIN, and Mrs. LESKO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of September 2020 as ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’. Whereas, in September 2020, ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’ is observed; Whereas, nationally, 2,800,000 children are living in kinship care with grandparents, other relatives, and family friends (also referred to as ‘‘fictive kin’’); Whereas, nationally, more than 133,405 kinship children in foster care are placed in kinship foster care, with more than 2,667,000 kinship children supported outside of the foster care system; Whereas grandparents and other relatives are increasingly providing caring homes for children because of the opioid crisis; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:45 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1101.IH HR1101 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1101 IH Whereas grandparents and other relatives residing in urban, rural, and suburban households in every county of the United States have stepped forward out of love and loy- alty to care for children during times in which biological parents are unable to do so; Whereas kinship caregivers provide safety, promote well- being, and establish stable households for vulnerable chil- dren; Whereas kinship care enables a child— (1) to maintain family relationships and cultural heritage; and (2) to remain in the community of the child; Whereas kinship care is a national resource that provides lov- ing homes for children at risk; Whereas kinship caregivers face daunting challenges to keep countless children from entering foster care; Whereas the House of Representatives is proud to recognize the many kinship care families in which a child is raised by grandparents or other relatives; Whereas the House of Representatives wishes to honor the many kinship caregivers who throughout the history of the United States have provided loving homes for parentless children; Whereas National Kinship Care Month provides an oppor- tunity to urge people in every State to join in recognizing and celebrating kinship caregiving families and the tradi- tion of families in the United States to help raise chil- dren; Whereas much remains to be done to ensure that all children have a safe, loving, nurturing, and permanent family, re- gardless of age or special needs; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:45 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1101.IH HR1101 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1101 IH Whereas, during the COVID–19 pandemic, kinship caregivers who are often older grandparents with health vulnerabilities are parenting children in their homes, often without supports; Whereas, since more that 40 States and the District of Co- lumbia have over 300 laws related to kinship caregiving and there are many Federal child welfare laws, it is clear that kinship care is acknowledged as the nationally ac- cepted term for grandparents, relatives, and fictive kin who are caring for children; Whereas over 40 States are implementing kinship navigator services that support kinship caregivers who are not fos- ter parents; and Whereas States increasingly rely on kin as foster parents, and are working to increase the percentages of kinship foster care: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Kin- 2 ship Care Month’’; 3 (2) encourages the Congress to implement poli- 4 cies to improve the lives of vulnerable children and 5 families; 6 (3) honors the commitment and dedication of 7 kinship caregivers and the advocates and allies who 8 work tirelessly to provide assistance and services to 9 kinship caregiving families; and 10 (4) reaffirms the need to continue working to 11 improve the outcomes of all vulnerable children 12 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1101.IH HR1101 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1101 IH through parts B and E of title IV of the Social Se- 1 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), and other pro- 2 grams designed— 3 (A) to support vulnerable families; 4 (B) to invest in prevention and reunifica- 5 tion services; and 6 (C) to ensure that extended family mem- 7 bers who take on the role of kinship caregivers 8 receive the necessary support. 9 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:45 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1101.IH HR1101 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS