Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to join with my colleagues in expressing the importance of the Hope for Children Act. In our country, there are thousands of children without a family to care for them. At the same time, there are thousands of families who would like to bring these children into their homes but cannot because of the rising cost of adoption. Families today often spend between $8,000 and $30,000 just to adopt a child. Yet, the adoption credit to them is only $5,000. For many families, this makes adoption impossible simply because of the huge financial burden. Last year, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services consummated 6,281 adoptions. However, this year, DCFS reports that 1,600 children are still waiting to be adopted immediately; and there are 29,000 children in Illinois living in non-permanent substitute homes. By increasing the adoption tax credit to $10,000, the Hope for Children Act will allow more families to adopt, give them the opportunity to adopt. It will help more children bypass the foster care system and become part of a permanent family.”