Gwen Moore: “I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with all of the comments that have been made…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with all of the comments that have been made today in describing the importance of these bills and getting us one step closer to a really healthy, robust title IV-B reauthorization and putting that into law. I especially thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, for bringing us here today. As the chairwoman of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I am so grateful that so many of our priorities of the bipartisan caucus were addressed in this package, including ensuring that poverty is not synonymous with neglect; including enhancing peer- to-peer mentoring; listening to the voices of those with experience in the welfare system; supporting youth as they transition out of foster care; giving a larger, broader platform to considering kinship caregiving as opposed to removing children from homes; improving our child support collection mechanisms; and strengthening the Indian Child Welfare Act. This package includes a much-needed, albeit small, increase in title IV-B dollars. Whatever way it is sliced, we can't make the system better or work the way we want without making investments.…”