Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking my colleague and friend, Mr. Feenstra, for his work on this legislation. I think we have proven once again that while we do have our divisions in this body and some divisions in this country, there are certain issues that bring us together across party lines and across different aspects of our society. Mr. Feenstra and I, I think, proved that with our work on this legislation, along with other Members who have joined together to put this really important act together to help foster youth have a better path forward in life. This legislation, as Mr. Feenstra said, is a commonsense approach to solving one of the problems that we see in the foster care system. It will improve the recruitment and retention of foster families so that we can get more kids into safe and loving homes. Across the country, there is a severe shortage of foster parents, and retention of foster families, of foster parents, is a big part of the problem. Most foster parents stop fostering after just 1 year, and many stop fostering after their very first or second foster placement. Under current law, States have the responsibility to develop plans, known as diligent recruitment plans, outlining the actions they will take to ensure that every kid in their care is connected to a family that meets their particular needs. However, a recent review conducted by the U.S.…”