On the recordMay 13, 2020
Mr. President, I come to the floor today to recognize this month of May as National Foster Care Month. In 1988, President Reagan brought attention to the importance of foster care. He first designated the month of May as a time to celebrate and remember all of those people in foster care, including foster parents, caseworkers, and others who work to improve the lives of those in care. We made some progress since that time with legislation, such as the Fostering Connections Act of 2008 and the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act of 2011. We provided new investments and services to improve the outcomes for children in the foster care system. More recently, in 2018, Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act. That legislation, passed in 2018, changed the way Federal reimbursement for foster care works, allowing States to provide services to parents before their kids are placed into foster care, not just after they go into foster care. It also ensures more kids will be cared for by a family, instead of being placed in a group setting outside the home. Last year, I introduced and Congress passed the Family First Transition Act to help States get moving to this new system and do it more quickly.…





