| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 792 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, The observation of National Foster Care Month in |
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| 3 | 3 | | May 2015 offers a fitting opportunity to recognize those selfless |
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| 4 | 4 | | individuals who help children and youth in foster care find |
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| 5 | 5 | | permanent homes and relationships; and |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Established in 1988, National Foster Care Month |
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| 7 | 7 | | serves to raise awareness of the needs of foster children and to |
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| 8 | 8 | | encourage individuals, agencies, and organizations to take an |
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| 9 | 9 | | active role in the foster care system to ensure seamless support |
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| 10 | 10 | | for the country's most vulnerable citizens; with the theme "Get |
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| 11 | 11 | | to Know the Many Faces of Foster Care," this year's National |
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| 12 | 12 | | Foster Care Month is highlighting the diversity of the children, |
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| 13 | 13 | | youth, families, and professionals involved in the foster care |
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| 14 | 14 | | system as well as the various forms that permanence for foster |
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| 15 | 15 | | children can take: kinship care, guardianship, or lifelong |
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| 16 | 16 | | personal connections through adoption; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Currently, there are nearly 400,000 minors in the |
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| 18 | 18 | | United States foster care system and more than 30,000 in Texas; |
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| 19 | 19 | | over half of the children in foster care return to their parents, |
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| 20 | 20 | | but many others remain in the system, waiting an average of three |
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| 21 | 21 | | years before being adopted; a significant percentage of those |
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| 22 | 22 | | eligible for adoption age out of the system without ever finding |
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| 23 | 23 | | a permanent home; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, By taking foster children into their hearts as |
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| 25 | 25 | | well as their homes, adoptive and foster parents are not only |
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| 26 | 26 | | providing a safe, stable, and supportive environment for those |
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| 27 | 27 | | children to grow up in but are also helping them to develop a |
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| 28 | 28 | | sense of confidence and self-worth and hope for a brighter |
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| 29 | 29 | | future; now, therefore, be it |
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| 30 | 30 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th |
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| 31 | 31 | | Legislature, hereby recognize May 2015 as National Foster Care |
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| 32 | 32 | | Month and extend profound appreciation to all who are engaged in |
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| 33 | 33 | | providing care to foster children. |
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| 34 | 34 | | Uresti |
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| 35 | 35 | | ________________________________ |
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| 36 | 36 | | President of the Senate |
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| 37 | 37 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 38 | 38 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 39 | 39 | | the Senate on May 12, 2015. |
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| 40 | 40 | | ________________________________ |
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| 41 | 41 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 42 | 42 | | ________________________________ |
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| 43 | 43 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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