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DeLay’s Child Placement Legislation Passes House
Bill Holds States Accountable for Safety of Foster Children

WASHINGTON – House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) today said the legislation he authored, called the Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2004, will ensure the safety of foster children who must travel out of state to find permanent, loving homes.  The House of Representatives passed DeLay’s legislation today, and it is now awaiting Senate action.

“Today in the United States, an abused or neglected child who must be placed in a foster home outside their home state – often with a family member in another state – waits, on average, one full year longer to be placed than a child placed in-state,” DeLay said.  “There is, simply, no justification for this inefficiency in this day and age.  These kids need our help.

DeLay’s bill sets specific timelines for permanent placements so no child will have to wait a year or more to join a new family.  It also offers financial incentives to states in order to help the states act quickly to find safe and permanent homes in a timely manner.  Finally, the bill requires federal criminal background checks to prevent children from ever being placed into the home of anyone who has had a felony conviction involving violence or children.

“A family has volunteered to create a loving home for the child, but because of bureaucratic inefficiency and out-of-touch policies, these children are left to suffer alone with their fear and their bruises for another lost year of their young lives. Unacceptable,” DeLay said.  “This bill will get these children out of their personal hells and into the arms of a loving family, quickly and safely.”

The legislation received widespread support among groups dedicated to the protection of abused and neglected children, including the National Foster Parent Association, the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, the Consortium for Children, the National Council for Adoption, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

DeLay and his wife Christine have been involved in children's issues since September of 1994, when Christine DeLay became a trained Court Appointed Special Advocate.  Since then, the DeLays have been foster parents and have dedicated themselves to improving the plight of abused children.  The DeLays are currently developing a residential community called Oaks at Rio Bend, which will provide a permanent, safe home for abused and neglected children.