Statements on Introuced Bills and Joint Resolutions
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. DeWINE (for himself and Mr. ROCKEFELLER):
S. 1679. A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to strengthen courts for at-risk children, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill with my colleague, Senator ROCKEFELLER, which would impact the lives of many at-risk children living in foster care. This bill is called WE CARE Kids: Working to Enhance Courts for At-risk and Endangered Kids Act of 2005.
How well a child welfare system functions is often related to how well the accompanying court system functions. The important role of the courts was noted last year when the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care released their recommendations to overhaul the Nation's foster care system. As observed by the Pew Commission, it is the courts that decide whether a child has been abused or neglected and whether that child should be placed in the foster care system. It is the courts that oversee whether the parents are making progress on their case plan and enforce the timelines for permanency. It is the courts that decide whether a parent's rights should be terminated or whether a family should be reunified. These judges are making tough, life-changing decisions for all parties involved.
To strengthen the courts making these life-altering decisions, the Pew Commission recommended: 1. The adoption of court performance measures by every dependency court; 2. incentives and requirements for effect collaboration between courts and child welfare agencies; 3. a strong voice in court for parents and children, as well as effective and well-trained representation by attorneys and volunteer advocates; and 4. leadership from chief justices and other State court leaders to organize their systems to better serve the needs of children, train judges, and promote effective standards for courts, judges and attorneys.
The legislation that Senator ROCKEFELLER and I are introducing today incorporates many of the recommendations of the Pew Commission. Among other provisions, the legislation provides $10 million for grants for training of judges and court personnel, of which a significant portion must be used for joint training between courts and child welfare agencies. It also provides $10 million for grants to the highest State court for the development and implementation of outcome measures related to safety, permanency, due process, and timeliness of court proceedings. The bill requires States to develop standards of practice for attorneys appearing in child abuse and neglect proceedings, as well as provides loan forgiveness for attorneys who practice in family, domestic, and juvenile courts and for social workers who work within the child welfare system. The bill increases funding for the expansion of the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, and it includes a provision that would ease the placement of children in foster care from one State to another, for the purposes of speeding adoptions out of the foster care system.
Let me conclude by saying that when Congress passed the Adoption and Safe Families Act, I believed it was a good start. Congress, however, would have to do more to make sure that every child has the opportunity to live in a safe, stable, loving and permanent home. One of the essential ingredients is an efficiently operating court system--a system that puts the principles embodied in the law into practice. Our bill would help the court system do just that.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
S. 1679
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