Expressing support for the goals of National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day by promoting national awareness of adoption and the children waiting for adoption, celebrating children and families involved in adoption, and encouraging the people of the United States to secure safety, permanency, and well-being for all children.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1220 Expressing support for the goals of National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day by promoting national awareness of adoption and the children waiting for adoption, celebrating children and families involved in adoption, and encouraging the people of the United States to secure safety, permanency, and well-being for all children. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 16, 2020 Mr. ADERHOLT (for himself, Ms. SHALALA, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LOUDERMILK, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. BACON, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. WELCH, Mr. MITCHELL, Mr. COMER, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. MARSHALL, Ms. BASS, Mr. HARDER of California, Mr. HICE of Georgia, Mr. OLSON, Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. BALDERSON, Mr. CLOUD, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. HASTINGS, and Mr. BISHOP of Utah) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor RESOLUTION Expressing support for the goals of National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day by promoting national awareness of adoption and the children waiting for adop- tion, celebrating children and families involved in adop- tion, and encouraging the people of the United States to secure safety, permanency, and well-being for all chil- dren. VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:02 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR1220.IH HR1220 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1220 IH Whereas there are far too many unparented children in the United States; Whereas the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Report- ing System Report on fiscal year 2019 foster care and adoption population characteristics indicates that, in the United States— (1) there are approximately 424,000 children in the foster care system, approximately 122,200 of whom are waiting for adoption; (2) 65 percent of the children in foster care are 10 years of age or younger; (3) the average length of time a child spends in fos- ter care is approximately 20 months; (4) during fiscal year 2019, approximately 20,400 youth ‘‘aged out’’ of foster care by reaching adulthood without being placed in a permanent home; and (5) during fiscal year 2019, the number of children who— (A) achieved permanency through adoption in- creased for the fifth year in a row; and (B) entered foster care decreased for the third year in a row; Whereas still, for many foster children, the wait for a loving family in which they are nurtured, comforted, and pro- tected seems endless; Whereas a survey conducted in 2019 showed that— (1) 21 percent of respondents had considered or were considering adoption; (2) about 1⁄2 of respondents viewed adoption through the foster care system favorably; and (3) of the respondents who had not considered adop- tion— VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:02 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1220.IH HR1220 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1220 IH (A) 20 percent believed that they could not af- ford adoption; and (B) 18 percent believed that they would be un- prepared for the emotional or health needs of an adopted child; Whereas the Children’s Bureau, an office of the Administra- tion for Children and Families within the Department of Health and Human Services, supports programs, re- search, and monitoring to help eliminate barriers to adoption and find permanent families for children; Whereas, every day, loving and nurturing families are strengthened and expanded when committed and dedi- cated individuals make an important difference in the life of a child through adoption; Whereas the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to the United States, the foster care system, prospective adoptive par- ents, and the children awaiting permanency; Whereas the President traditionally issues an annual procla- mation to declare the month of November as National Adoption Month, and the President has proclaimed No- vember 2020 as National Adoption Month; Whereas National Adoption Day has been celebrated as a col- lective national effort to find permanent and loving fami- lies for children in the foster care system; and Whereas the Saturday before Thanksgiving has been recog- nized as National Adoption Day since at least 2000, and, in 2020, the Saturday before Thanksgiving is November 21: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:02 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1220.IH HR1220 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1220 IH (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 1 Adoption Month and National Adoption Day; 2 (2) recognizes that every child should have a 3 permanent and loving family; and 4 (3) encourages the people of the United States 5 to consider adoption during the month of November 6 and throughout the year. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:02 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1220.IH HR1220 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS