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October 8, 2008Historic Child Welfare Bill Becomes Law |
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North American Council on Adoptable Children: Years of advocacy by youth, parents, and child advocates culminated yesterday when President Bush signed into law the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act. A carefully negotiated House-Senate compromise bill introduced by Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Jerry Weller (R-IL) in mid-September, the measure passed the House on September 17 and—due to the efforts of Max Baucus (D-MT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)—sailed through the Senate September 22. NACAC applauds Congress for its dedicated bipartisan efforts to pass into law this significant child welfare reform legislation before the end of the fiscal year. “Though child welfare policy was reformed in 1997 with the Adoption and Safe Families Act,” observes Joe Kroll, executive director of the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC), “it has been 28 years since there was any meaningful child welfare financing reform.” The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act will: > Reauthorize and revise the adoption incentive program > Gradually de-link Title IV-E adoption assistance from income requirements so that all children with special needs eventually have access to this federal support > Provide for Title IV-E funding of kinship guardianship placements > Allow states to receive federal reimbursement for support provided to foster youth up to age 21 > Create a grant program to support kinship caregivers > Require reasonable efforts to keep siblings together > Require agencies to inform prospective adopters about the adoption tax credit
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