Political Quotes

“The bill before us today, the Family First Prevention Services Act, has a very simple goal: improve the lives of our most vulnerable children. We worked across the aisle on this legislation because we recognize the importance of ensuring that kids grow up in safe, loving, and stable homes. I mentioned that we worked together on this. Mr. Buchanan, who is the chairman of our committee, others on the Republican side, and Mr. Doggett, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Bass, and others worked so hard on this, and I think it has improved this legislation. Our foster care system provides an essential safe haven for abused and neglected children. However, when it comes to our system today, it is clear that Federal funding has been stacked against prevention efforts. That means our Federal dollars aren't being used to effectively help families and prevent child abuse and neglect in homes. In fact, less than 10 percent of dedicated child welfare funding goes toward prevention. This bill is intended to make sure families receive the help they needed before a child goes into foster care, not after, as our current system largely functions. This bill would provide substance abuse treatment for parents, support efforts to improve parenting skills and expand access to mental health care.…”