OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Fair Access Foster Care Act of 2005

By: Tom Cole
By: Tom Cole
Date: Nov. 8, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Minors and Children


FAIR ACCESS FOSTER CARE ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - November 08, 2005)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1894, the Fair Access Foster Care Act of 2005.

This legislation makes a technical change to current law, which will allow foster care maintenance payments to any public or private agency that assists families who care for foster children. This will allow for-profit agencies to operate on the same footing as all other such agencies, but States will continue to decide which agencies to use based on their best judgment about what is in the interest of the children and the families they serve.

The Fair Access Foster Care Act will ease the administrative costs to States that already elect to work with nonprofit agencies, allowing the focus and the money to be concentrated on what really matters.

Speaking for my own State, in Oklahoma there are 15 agencies that provide therapeutic foster care. Five of these agencies operate under a for-profit business model.

Mr. Speaker, I will again note that this legislation does not require any State to contract with for-profit agencies. Individual State agencies charged with the oversight of custody children will continue to create their own rules for licensing child-placing agencies within the State. This legislation is identical to legislation I authored, H.R. 3008, so I am very grateful that this legislation was scheduled for consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my gratitude to the gentleman from California (Chairman HERGER), the gentleman from Washington (Ranking Member MCDERMOTT), and also to the staff of the Ways and Means Committee for guiding this bill through the legislative process.

And finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my thanks to my friend, Dr. Laura Boyd of Norman, Oklahoma. Dr. Boyd and I belong to different parties and have even been on the opposite sides of each other in various campaigns over the years, but we have always had the ability to work together across the aisle when it counted.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Boyd did a commendable job in raising awareness of this issue, and she was an effective proponent for this needed change in the law. She is a very big reason why we are at this point today.

I urge the Members to support the passage of this bill, S. 1894.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://thomas.loc.gov

arrow_upward