Political Quotes

“May is National Foster Care Month. Due to the opioid crisis and other substance abuse issues plaguing communities in Iowa and all across America, the number of kids in foster care is rapidly rising. In 2017, there were 443,000 kids in care. Ninety-six thousand entered foster care because of parental substance abuse. These families need help. That is why Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act, which will allow States to receive Federal reimbursement for services to help keep kids with their parents. These services include substance abuse treatment programs. As we celebrate this month of May as National Foster Care Month, I hope we will think about the number of kids who are there and do what we can to help those kids have permanency and parents. As chairman of the Caucus on Foster Youth, those are the two things I hear from them when listening to them talk about going from foster home to foster home, sometimes two or three times a year. They tell me they would like to have parents and they would like to have a home. They want stability. I yield the floor. ____________________”