Baucus Unveils Discussion Draft of Bill to Strengthen Adoption Programs, Welcomes Public Comment

MEMORANDUM

To: Reporters and Editors
From: Sean Neary and Meaghan Smith for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
Date: September 30, 2013
Re: Baucus Unveils Discussion Draft of Bill to Strengthen Adoption Programs, Welcomes Public Comment

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) today unveiled a discussion draft of the Strengthening and Finding Families for Children Act (SAFF-Children Act), legislation that would help more children find safe homes with adoptive parents or legal guardians.  The bill would extend the lives of two key programs through 2016 – the Adoption Incentive Payments program and the Family Connection Grants programs – and it would make several improvements that would:

• Help increase the number of children leaving foster care through adoption and legal guardianship.
• More accurately measure state performance on behalf of children in need of families.
• Provide assistance for a child in the event that a guardian dies or is incapacitated.
• Boost the availability of post-adoption and post-guardianship services.
• Continue the Family Connection Grants program, which provides services for grandparents raising grandkids, tools for locating family members for kids in need of permanent homes, and substance abuse and mental health services to keep families together.

Legislative language and a summary of the discussion draft are available here.  Chairman Baucus welcomes input on the draft from stakeholders and the public until October 7.  Those interested in offering input may contact the committee by email at feedback@finance.senate.gov.

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