On the recordMay 20, 2015
As we celebrate National Foster Care Month, first recognized by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, I would like to thank the dedicated foster families, social workers, and service providers for their commitment to help children. May is also a time to shed light on the plight of nearly 400,000 children and youth who are currently in our country's foster care system, and we call for safe and nurturing environments for these vulnerable members of our society. In an effort to give qualified adoptive and foster parents an opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of these children, I will be introducing bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would help ensure that more children have the opportunity to be raised in a loving and supportive home that they can call their own. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act would ensure that prejudices plays no part in adoption and foster care placements. A parent's ability to care for a child should not be determined by any parent's sexual orientation or gender identity, but by their love. ____________________
