Wicker Champions Adoptive and Foster Parents

I recently had the privilege of meeting Ric and Kim Jordan, a remarkable couple who have devoted themselves to serving children in foster care. The Jordans relocated from Alabama to Mississippi after learning that our state needed more foster parents. In the last eight years, Ric and Kim have provided a home for over 30 children, primarily teenagers and groups of siblings.

The Jordans have four children of their own, and they both work as teachers. Yet on top of their already busy lives, Ric and Kim foster children and even equip other parents to do the same. Last year, Kim provided fifteen hundred hours of foster care training to families. The Jordans have not only personally helped dozens of children. They have multiplied Mississippians' capacity to give children a loving home.

Highlighting Mississippi's Foster Parents

Ric and Kim represent the best of our state, and I was glad to recognize them with a commendation from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). Every year, the CCAI allows members of Congress to name constituents for their "Angels in Adoption" program. The award allows us to highlight Mississippians who promote adoption, foster care, or other services.

As part of the program, the honorees traveled to Washington, D.C. The group participated in events meant to celebrate, encourage, and equip them. While they were in D.C., the Jordans visited my office. We spoke about their family, their foster children, and ways to improve child services in Mississippi.

I believe there are more parents ready to join the Jordans. This year, I introduced a bill, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act, that would help states recruit more foster parents.

Under current law, states must collect data on their foster system capacity. Then, they must make a foster parent recruiting plan based on the demographic breakdown of children in need. Though they are obligated to submit their required data to the Department of Health of Human Services (HSS), states often fail to do so. This makes it difficult to understand the challenges facing the foster care system.

This bill would once again mandate that states submit the data, and it would require HHS to publish an annual report of the findings. Ultimately, states will have a better understanding of foster system trends and will learn from the recruitment tactics used by other areas of the country.

Supporting Adoptive Families

I have also worked to support families who have opened their homes through adoption. This month, I joined a bill, called the Protect Adoptees and American Families Act, that would fix a problem that has affected thousands of adoptive families.

In 2000, Congress unanimously passed the Child Citizenship Act. The law guaranteed citizenship to most internationally adopted children, and it did so based on a simple belief: Families see adopted children as their own, and the country should, too. That law has covered nearly all international adoptions for 25 years.

Unfortunately, some adoptees slipped through the cracks. A few became legal adults before the law went into effect. Others believed their citizenship paperwork had been completed years before by their parents. These adoptees and their citizen parents have been shocked to discover that this status was never formalized.

These individuals came to America because they were adopted by American citizens. A technical legal loophole leaves them and their families in an uncertain position. It is only right that we finish the job of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 and grant adopted Americans their citizenship. If passed, this bill would bring long-awaited closure to families. It would honor the sacrificial choice parents made to open their lives and adopt children into their forever home.