Sean Patrick Maloney: “this sense of Congress resolution addresses the needs of 85,000 to 125,000 children who will be left motherless by AIDS…”

“this sense of Congress resolution addresses the needs of 85,000 to 125,000 children who will be left motherless by AIDS by the end of this decade. The tragedy is enormous, but even worse, many of these children will be forced into foster care homes at the most vulnerable moment of their lives simply because most State laws prevent parents from naming guardians for their children in advance of their death. As the Journal of the American Medical Association noted in December 1992, "Every State should review its existing guardianship laws, many of which leave children in legal limbo at the time of a parent's death, even when a guardian has been named in the parent's will." Standby guardianship laws would require just such a review by closing legal gaps which have failed vulnerable children and their families and allowing parents to choose standby guardians without giving up their parental rights. Using a simple process, standby guardians can be pre-approved by the courts and take on the responsibility of caring for their charges immediately upon the death or incapacitation of the ill parent. This sense of Congress, if enacted into law, could save States and the Federal Government money by reducing the amount of time children spend in the incredibly expensive and sometimes destructive foster care system.”