Cardoza Commemorates National Adoption Day

CARDOZA COMMEMORATES NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY

Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced) this week commemorated National Adoption Day - which will be observed tomorrow (November 18th)by delivering a statement on the House floor this week. Cardoza who is an adoptive parent and member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, brought attention to the fact that 118,000 adoption-ready children in foster are in need of permanent homes.

"As members of Congress, it is our job to be the voice for foster children and make sure their dreams are recognized. We owe it to them, to streamline the adoption process to ensure positive outcomes for these kids," said Cardoza. "Despite the obstacles that we still need to overcome, this is a time to celebrate those families that have decided to make a difference in the life of a child. I commend these families and hope that children across the nation will find a place to call home this Saturday as part of National Adoption Day."

In the five years since National Adoption Day was established, it has truly grown into a national celebration. Last year, 3,300 adoptions were finalized as part of 227 nationwide events. Despite declining number of children waiting in foster care, there are still 118,000 children seeking adoption

Last year the "Military Adoption Act" introduced by Congressman Cardoza was enacted into law as part of the 2006 Department of Defense Authorization bill. This measure granted military service members paid leave after placement of an adopted child in their home.

http://www.house.gov/list/press/ca18_cardoza/adoptday.html