Eliminating Race and Class Bias in Foster Care and Adoption No. 177

Adopted 2004
Amended 2005

The retrenchment in income and social supports for lower-income people has put many parents at risk of losing custody of children in poverty. Race, class, religious, and economic biases in the practices and decisions of the child welfare system mean that mothers of color and their children are especially vulnerable to forced separation. ADA deplores the removal of children from loving homes for poverty alone and supports policies to enable families to remain together. ADA further urges policy reforms to end race, class, religious, and economic discrimination in welfare, foster care, and adoption services.

Therefore:

ADA urges repeal of provisions of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) that unduly speed the termination of parental rights.
ADA urges new policies to prevent child removal for reasons of poverty alone.
ADA calls for stringent oversight of and reporting by welfare and child protection agencies to ensure that families of color, do not unjustifiably suffer separation.
ADA supports efforts to ensure that parental rights of incarcerated mothers are not terminated solely because of their incarceration.
ADA calls for policies that assure resources to poor families so that they may remain together if they wish to do so.

# # # No. 177
Social and Domestic Policy Commission

Federal Legislation Introduced on Issues of Concern to Native American Tribes

S.952 : A bill to amend the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992 to provide funds for training in tribal leadership, management, and policy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen McCain, John [AZ] (introduced 3/21/2007) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: Senate Indian Affairs
Latest Major Action: 3/21/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

S.1255 : A bill to protect Indian arts and crafts through the improvement of applicable criminal proceedings, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen McCain, John [AZ] (introduced 5/1/2007) Cosponsors (3)
Committees: Senate Indian Affairs
Latest Major Action: 6/19/2008 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.

H.R.4688
Title: To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide equitable access for foster care and adoption services for Indian children in tribal areas, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Pomeroy, Earl [ND] (introduced 12/13/2007) Cosponsors (20)
Related Bills: S.1956
Latest Major Action: 12/13/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

S.1956
Title: A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide equitable access for foster care and adoption services for Indian children in tribal areas, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Baucus, Max [MT] (introduced 8/2/2007) Cosponsors (10)
Related Bills: H.R.4688
Latest Major Action: 8/2/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

H.R.5608
Title: To establish regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration with tribal officials in the development of Federal policies that have tribal implications, to strengthen the United States government-to-government relationships with Indian tribes, and to reduce the imposition of unfunded mandates upon Indian tribes.
Sponsor: Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] (introduced 3/13/2008) Cosponsors (1)
Latest Major Action: 4/9/2008 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee Hearings Held.

S.2367
Title: A bill to provide for the issuance of bonds to provide funding for the construction of schools of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Johnson, Tim [SD] (introduced 11/15/2007) Cosponsors (2)
Related Bills: H.R.4243
Latest Major Action: 11/15/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

H.R.4243
Title: To provide for the issuance of bonds to provide funding for the construction of schools of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Pomeroy, Earl [ND] (introduced 11/15/2007) Cosponsors (3)
Related Bills: S.2367
Latest Major Action: 2/5/2008 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness.

S.792
Title: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to modify the definition of governmental plan with respect to Indian tribal governments.
Sponsor: Sen Smith, Gordon H. [OR] (introduced 3/7/2007) Cosponsors (1)
Related Bills: H.R.2119, S.1129
Latest Major Action: 3/7/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

H.R.2119
Title: To amend titles I and IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to modify the definition of governmental plan with respect to Indian tribal governments.
Sponsor: Rep Pomeroy, Earl [ND] (introduced 5/2/2007) Cosponsors (2)
Related Bills: S.792
Latest Major Action: 5/2/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Source: www.thomas.loc.gov