Dear friend,
As a foster-to-adopt parent, I understand the challenges children face when entering the foster care system, the need to protect siblings from separation, and challenges they face when attending college. According to the Nebraska Children's Home Society, there are more than 6,200 children in Nebraska's foster care system. That is why I am dedicated to working in a bipartisan manner to reform our child welfare system and improve the outcomes for children in foster care.
Recently, my bipartisan bill, H.R. 8621, Strengthening Tribal Families Act of 2024, passed the House, as part of H.R. 9076, Protecting America’s Children by Strengthening Families Act. H.R. 8621 will require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide states with technical assistance to improve state implementation of the Indian Children Welfare Act (ICWA). With Native children 2.5 times more likely to be placed in the foster care system than the general population, this legislation will allow Native children to stay with their tribal communities.
I am also a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth which is co-chaired by three Democrats and three Republicans. This caucus allows me to reach across the aisle and find areas of agreement where Congress can make policy changes to ensure better outcomes for children. I also annually participate in Foster Youth Shadow Day which is a great way to hear from current and former foster youth to share their experience about the child welfare system.
Further, many siblings get separated when they enter the foster care system. My son and daughter were placed into the foster care system, and my wife and I decided to foster-adopt them both because we couldn’t separate them. We knew if we did, it would have harmful consequences and could lead to permanent separation. To address the issue of sibling separation, I introduced legislation to protect sibling relationships. H.R. 755, Protecting Sibling Relationships in Foster Care Act, aims to have HHS create pilot programs to keep sibling groups of three or more or groups with a wide age range between siblings together in foster care. This legislation also seeks to support foster children with disabilities as estimates show more than 20 percent of children under the age of 18 in the foster care system have a disability.
Moreover, I joined my colleagues in introducing H.R. 8925, Campus Housing Affordability Act, which will provide access to affordable housing for current and former foster youth attending colleges. Former foster youth experience high rates of homelessness, and this legislation will relieve the burden of the high cost of living for these students working to earn their degrees. Protecting and fighting to improve our nation’s foster care system will always be a priority for me in Congress. We can all agree working on this bipartisan issue will set up our future generations for success. As always, it is an honor to represent the people of Nebraska’s Second District.
If you need help with a federal agency or other assistance, please reach out here or call my office at 402-938-0300.
