WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush today signed into law a measure that was introduced in September by U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin extending financial bonuses to states that increase adoptions of children who are in the foster care system and cannot return home.

The Adoption Promotion Act that was signed by the President renews the Adoption Incentives Payments Program, which was included in the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act. The program provides incentive payment to states that increase the number of children who are adopted out of foster care. States use the incentive payments for a variety of child welfare services, including post-adoption services for families.

Currently, states receive $4,000 per child or $6,000 per special needs child for every child adopted over a baseline, which is based on the highest annual number of children adopted out of foster care in the state since 1997.

The new law, which has bipartisan support, provides an updated baseline for all adoptions based on the highest level of adoptions since 2002. It also includes three tiers of payments: $4,000 per child, $6,000 for a special needs child and $8,000 for a child age 9 or older.

In 1999, Rep. Cardin’s Foster Care Independence Act was signed into law, helping states to provide financial and employment services, counseling and other support services to former foster care children between the ages of 18 to 21 who have aged out of the system.

"Children in the foster care system are our most vulnerable. We need to do all we can to help them find safe, stable families that will guide them to adulthood. In providing states with additional incentives to promote adoption, we are helping to improve the likelihood that these children will be permanently adopted," said Rep. Cardin, the lead Democrat on the Human Resources Subcommittee.

Since 1998, Maryland has received $3.5 million to help promote adoption. Other sponsors of this bill included Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, and Rep. Wally Herger, R-CA.

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