Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mr. Burr, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Levin, Mr. Begich, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Casey, Mrs. Lincoln, and Mrs. Gillibrand) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

This Act may be cited as the “White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010 Act”.

(a) Findings.—Congress finds the following:

(1) In 2006 there were over 3,000,000 reports of child abuse and neglect. Only 60 percent of the children from the substantiated reports received follow-up services, and 20 percent of such children were placed in foster care as a result of an investigation.

(2) Each year there are nearly 900,000 substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect.

(3) Each year approximately 60 percent of such substantiated reports are reports of neglect, 30 percent are physical or sexual abuse reports, and more than 20 percent are reports that involve other forms of abuse.

(4) Each year child abuse and neglect costs the United States an estimated $104 billion.

(5) Over 500,000 children (including youth) were in foster care at the end of fiscal year 2006 and nearly 800,000 spent at least some time in foster care during the year.

(6) While 51,000 children are adopted from the foster care system each year, more than 125,000 children are waiting to be adopted.

(7) Each year approximately 25,000 youth leave the foster care system not because they have found permanent placements, but because they have reached the age at which foster care ends.

(8) The child welfare system includes State and local governments, tribal governments, child welfare agencies, child welfare caseworkers, private agencies, social workers, the courts, volunteer court-appointed special advocates, mental health, public health and health care professionals, educators, and advocates.

(9) There is an overrepresentation of certain populations, including Native Americans, African-Americans and Hispanic populations, in the child welfare system.

(10) Rural communities face special barriers to addressing human service needs including a lack of providers, the challenge posed by attempting to serve a widely dispersed population over a large geographic area and cultural differences.

(11) The number of children being raised by grandparents and other relatives is increasing and exceeds 6,000,000 children. The Government recognized that kinship care is a permanency option through the enactment of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.

(12) The State courts make key decisions in the lives of children involved in the child welfare system, including decisions about whether children have been victims of child abuse, whether parental rights should be terminated, and whether children should be reunified with their families, adopted, or placed in other settings.

(13) The child welfare system will never fully address its primary mission unless the courts are an integral and functioning component of a statewide system of care and protection.

(14) The child welfare system has an important role to play in preventing abuse and neglect from occurring in the first place, but is often unable to support prevention efforts due to funding and regulatory constraints.

(15) Key indicators of child health indicators demonstrate declining health of our Nation's children including increased rates of chronic disease among children, preventable deaths from childhood injury, and the potential for children born in this generation to not live as long as their parents.

Link to total bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc111/s938_is.xml

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email Comments on bill

From: joaneheff@aol.com <joaneheff@aol.com>
Subject: Re: PROPOSED BILL
To: jane@abusefreedom.com
Date: Friday, January 15, 2010, 9:35 PM