Mike Levin: “I very much support this bill and am glad to rise in support of it. It is a common sense proposal that hopefully will…”

“I very much support this bill and am glad to rise in support of it. It is a common sense proposal that hopefully will bring to fruition the goal of a permanent home for kids in foster care. This is a balanced, activist approach. Right now there is stagnation. Kids stagnate or sometimes just move from place to place while they are stagnating. Family reunification is the primary goal, but a recognition that in some circumstances this is not workable and beneficial for the child. In some circumstances, such as abandonment, chronic abuse or sexual abuse, efforts to keep the family together, those efforts do not serve the interest of the child. So there is a redefinition of the requirement of reasonable effort to make sure that the child's interest is primary. The bill also requires more frequent status reviews for children in foster care, and it gives foster parents the opportunity to be heard at the hearings. I want to thank, if I might, and express on behalf of so many the appreciation to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Camp] and to the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Mrs. Kennelly] for their work and the efforts of the chairman, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Shaw]. I hope we will keep our eye on the ball here and not go overboard one way or the other, but keep a balanced position here. That is what will keep in mind the key goal, the interest of the child. Making termination of the parental interest occur too soon will not help the child.”