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Photo - PRESS RELEASE: The Family First Support Act #S3065 is a bi-partisan bill introduced by Chairman Orrin Hatch (R)-UT and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D)-OR of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance that will revolutionize the way child welfare dollars are spent, with the primary aim of keeping our children safe and supported at home, or in the most family-like setting. It has passed the house, and the Ways and Means Committee. Now it is on the senate floor! Who cares if the Family First Act passes Congress? Many caseworkers, foster parents, birth parents, foster children and their families are excited about the Family First Act 2016 (FFA), which will rapidly phase out the hated Adoption Bonuses in favor of supporting In-Home services, Family placements, and drastically reducing Congregate Care (Group Homes)! The Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE), among many other groups, has come out in strong support of this bill. And of the 100 members of the senate, only three senators have reservations about this bill; KY, WY and TX. Congress is almost over. There are campaigns to be fought. Vacations to be had. Time is short, and this bill is being held hostage by three federal Senators; Michael Enzi (R)WY, Barbara Boxer (D)CA (202) 224-3553, and Two of the Senators have reasonable objections that are being worked out. The senate offices are compromising and working to get the bill passed. Even a glass half empty type of a person could agree that 97 out of 100 is pretty good odds, but these three hold outs have stopped this bill, dead in its tracks. Usually, if there are 97 senators in favor of a bill, a quick and easy vote on the floor will move the bill to the President's desk. This bill, however, will never, ever come to the floor for an open vote. The FFA must pass by unanimous consensus. Why is this? Because with an open vote comes open floor time, debate, discussion and transparency. The states that the senators represent are not willing to take the risk of exposing their states dirty laundry. So in this case it has to be 100%!!(MISSING)c(MISSING)onsensus, or no bill. There have been ugly unintended consequences of previous bills in every state of the nation; such as financial incentives are now paid out only for out-of-home and family placement or adoption, which our Senators well know always traumatize the innocent children. The damage to our American tradition cannot be repaired if we close our eyes to it. Healing begins with transparency and the singular intent to simply do the right thing in the best way, by fixing current laws to support putting kids and their families first. So now we are down to one. One public servant; Senator Cornyn (R)-TX (202)-224-2934, (956)-426-0162, (512)-469-6034, from Texas is the single remaining hold out to the passage of this bill, for political reasons that he has so far refused to divulge. Texas foster care is in deep trouble, and one would think he would be a bit more receptive to a solution. U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack has ruled that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services must overhaul how it oversees foster services for children in long-term care with the state. “The (CPS) Agency”, the judge said in a scathing 255-page order, “has ignored more than two decades of reports outlining problems and potential solutions, creating a situation where “children have been shuttled throughout a system where rape, abuse, psychotropic medication, and instability are the norm. Texas’s foster care system is broken, and it has been that way for decades. It is broken for all stakeholders, including DFPS employees who are tasked with impossible workloads,” Hon. Jack wrote. “Most importantly, though, it (Permanent Managing Conservator-ship) is broken for Texas’ children, who almost uniformly leave State custody more damaged than when they entered.” Texas is really not in a position to claim that their child welfare system is functioning well now. But without the approval of Coryn, this bill is dead in the water. Grandma Warrior Kathleen Arthur, who just returned from D.C. (where her group met with Senator's aides, rallied in support of the FFA, and even spent a night sleeping outside on the steps of the Supreme Court) says, “Baggage be damned! These are CHILDREN who are being damaged by inaction. This bill can and will shift the focus of how our federal government distributes child welfare dollars. The old way is bad. Everyone agrees. No one wants to talk about it. Congress has been aware of this problem, but has seemingly been unable to figure out what to do about changing things for years. A frank and open discussion about the demoralizing, unintended consequence of targeting poor families and disabled children for state departmental profit, is bound to uncover a giant can of worms. The truth is not always pretty. Ugly unintended consequences have occurred in every state of the nation. The damage done to our American tradition of honoring family's rights can be repaired, but not if we close our eyes to the extent of it. Our children need for us to step up and do the right thing. Healing can only begin with transparency and the intent of improving conditions for them. But we must be able to face our imperfections; to get the truth out, if we are to make any real change. Only then we will heal....even if we have some battle-scars to carry with us, and there will will be scars.” A few quotes about Foster Care Funding: "In the current system there is a basic belief that the financing structure encourages states TO REMOVE CHILDREN FROM THEIR HOMES, rather than leave them in their homes. Because that is the only way you get title IVe reimbursement....This is an incentive structure that the congress is well aware of ...and in some ways is just trying to address." ~ former Senator Bryon (D)-ND "A system that favors foster care over family must go into the dustbin of history" ~ Senator Ron Wyden (D)-OR "We are swallowing up our children alive in a sea of bureaucracy...what can we do? ~ Senator Stabenow (D)-MI What can congress do? Pass the dang bill. Either by vote or by consensus. Congress must step up to this opportunity to address the unintended consequences of the prior IVe funding structure! This must be fixed. Our kids are counting on us. They really can't wait. Another support group is heading to D.C. again for the last few days of Congress. How can we help? By contacting our senators, most especially Senator Cronyn of Texas, to ask for what we want; better lives and futures for the least supported of our children. The Family First Act 2016. Thank you! #LiftTheHold: PRESS RELEASE: The Family First Support Act #S3065 is a bi-partisan bill introduced by Chairman Orrin Hatch (R)-UT and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D)-OR of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance that will revolutionize the way child welfare dollars are spent, with the primary aim of keeping our children safe and supported at home, or in the most family-like setting. It has passed the house, and the Ways and Means Committee. Now it is on the senate floor! Who cares if the Family First Act passes Congress? Many caseworkers, foster parents, birth parents, foster children and their families are excited about the Family First Act 2016 (FFA), which will rapidly phase out the hated Adoption Bonuses in favor of supporting In-Home services, Family placements, and drastically reducing Congregate Care (Group Homes)! The Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE), among many other groups, has come out in strong support of this bill. And of the 100 members of the senate, only three senators have reservations about this bill; KY, WY and TX. Congress is almost over. There are campaigns to be fought. Vacations to be had. Time is short, and this bill is being held hostage by three federal Senators; Michael Enzi (R)WY, Barbara Boxer (D)CA (202) 224-3553, and Two of the Senators have reasonable objections that are being worked out. The senate offices are compromising and working to get the bill passed. Even a glass half empty type of a person could agree that 97 out of 100 is pretty good odds, but these three hold outs have stopped this bill, dead in its tracks. Usually, if there are 97 senators in favor of a bill, a quick and easy vote on the floor will move the bill to the President's desk. This bill, however, will never, ever come to the floor for an open vote. The FFA must pass by unanimous consensus. Why is this? Because with an open vote comes open floor time, debate, discussion and transparency. The states that the senators represent are not willing to take the risk of exposing their states dirty laundry. So in this case it has to be 100%!!(MISSING)c(MISSING)onsensus, or no bill. There have been ugly unintended consequences of previous bills in every state of the nation; such as financial incentives are now paid out only for out-of-home and family placement or adoption, which our Senators well know always traumatize the innocent children. The damage to our American tradition cannot be repaired if we close our eyes to it. Healing begins with transparency and the singular intent to simply do the right thing in the best way, by fixing current laws to support putting kids and their families first. So now we are down to one. One public servant; Senator Cornyn (R)-TX (202)-224-2934, (956)-426-0162, (512)-469-6034, from Texas is the single remaining hold out to the passage of this bill, for political reasons that he has so far refused to divulge. Texas foster care is in deep trouble, and one would think he would be a bit more receptive to a solution. U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack has ruled that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services must overhaul how it oversees foster services for children in long-term care with the state. “The (CPS) Agency”, the judge said in a scathing 255-page order, “has ignored more than two decades of reports outlining problems and potential solutions, creating a situation where “children have been shuttled throughout a system where rape, abuse, psychotropic medication, and instability are the norm. Texas’s foster care system is broken, and it has been that way for decades. It is broken for all stakeholders, including DFPS employees who are tasked with impossible workloads,” Hon. Jack wrote. “Most importantly, though, it (Permanent Managing Conservator-ship) is broken for Texas’ children, who almost uniformly leave State custody more damaged than when they entered.” Texas is really not in a position to claim that their child welfare system is functioning well now. But without the approval of Coryn, this bill is dead in the water. Grandma Warrior Kathleen Arthur, who just returned from D.C. (where her group met with Senator's aides, rallied in support of the FFA, and even spent a night sleeping outside on the steps of the Supreme Court) says, “Baggage be damned! These are CHILDREN who are being damaged by inaction. This bill can and will shift the focus of how our federal government distributes child welfare dollars. The old way is bad. Everyone agrees. No one wants to talk about it. Congress has been aware of this problem, but has seemingly been unable to figure out what to do about changing things for years. A frank and open discussion about the demoralizing, unintended consequence of targeting poor families and disabled children for state departmental profit, is bound to uncover a giant can of worms. The truth is not always pretty. Ugly unintended consequences have occurred in every state of the nation. The damage done to our American tradition of honoring family's rights can be repaired, but not if we close our eyes to the extent of it. Our children need for us to step up and do the right thing. Healing can only begin with transparency and the intent of improving conditions for them. But we must be able to face our imperfections; to get the truth out, if we are to make any real change. Only then we will heal....even if we have some battle-scars to carry with us, and there will will be scars.” A few quotes about Foster Care Funding: "In the current system there is a basic belief that the financing structure encourages states TO REMOVE CHILDREN FROM THEIR HOMES, rather than leave them in their homes. Because that is the only way you get title IVe reimbursement....This is an incentive structure that the congress is well aware of ...and in some ways is just trying to address." ~ former Senator Bryon (D)-ND "A system that favors foster care over family must go into the dustbin of history" ~ Senator Ron Wyden (D)-OR "We are swallowing up our children alive in a sea of bureaucracy...what can we do? ~ Senator Stabenow (D)-MI What can congress do? Pass the dang bill. Either by vote or by consensus. Congress must step up to this opportunity to address the unintended consequences of the prior IVe funding structure! This must be fixed. Our kids are counting on us. They really can't wait. Another support group is heading to D.C. again for the last few days of Congress. How can we help? By contacting our senators, most especially Senator Cronyn of Texas, to ask for what we want; better lives and futures for the least supported of our children. The Family First Act 2016. Thank you! #LiftTheHold

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