FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: (202) 225-1025
April 15, 1999
No. HR-4
Congresswoman Nancy L. Johnson (R-CT), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the implementation of a Federal review system to hold States accountable for their child protection systems and the impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-89) on the number of adoptions in the U.S. The hearing will take place on Thursday, April 22, 1999, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include representatives from the Administration, the Congressional Research Service, State policymakers, and advocacy groups. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
Under both the Interethnic Adoption Act of 1996 (Section 1808 of P.L. 104-188) and the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-89), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for reviewing State child protection systems and for holding States accountable for how children are faring in these systems. HHS had been responsible for overseeing child protection programs under previous legislation as well, especially the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-272). However, in 1989, Congress imposed a moratorium on the collection of penalties levied on States for failing to comply with Federal law. Then in 1994, Congress directed HHS to develop a child protection review system to monitor State compliance with Federal foster care and adoption laws. Congress further required that the new review system allow for corrective action and impose penalties. Final regulations from HHS were to take effect in 1996. In November of 1998, HHS published preliminary regulations and invited public comment. Final regulations are still pending.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was intended to increase the number of adoptions out of foster care. Preliminary survey findings confirm that the new adoption law is having its intended effect with significantly more children adopted out of foster care in 1998 than in 1997. Several States have reported that the unprecedented rise in adoptions can be attributed to the new adoption law as well as several innovative State initiatives.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Johnson stated: "The Subcommittee has a strong interest in how HHS is monitoring State compliance with Federal adoption reforms and other Federal child protection laws. In addition, our Subcommittee wants to know what has caused the recent increase in adoptions so we can do more of it."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will focus on two main issues. First, the Subcommittee wants to examine the status and adequacy of the Federal child protection review system proposed by HHS last November. Of particular importance are the performance measures adopted by the Administration, the methods used to determine State performance, the measures used to determine permanency, and the use of penalties for violations of Federal requirements. Second, the Subcommittee wants to learn as much as possible about the causes of the recent increase in adoption. In addition, it is interested in learning about the details of how specific States and localities have changed their policies to increase adoption.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect 5.1 format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Thursday, May 6, 1999, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Human Resources office, room B-317 Rayburn House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette WordPerfect 5.1 format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.