Helping make adoption affordable

In an ideal world, every child would live in a permanent, stable and safe home environment surrounded by a loving family. Unfortunately, that is not the way it is for thousands of children who have neither a home nor parents.

Nationally, there are more than a half million children in the foster care system, including some 6,000 in Nebraska. 20 percent of these children are waiting to be adopted.

As an adoptive parent myself, I know the benefits of adoption and I know it's a great commitment to make but it pays off with incredible rewards for both the parent and the child.

Help to Offset the Costs of Adoption

Adoption can be an expensive proposition. International adoptions can cost as much as $20,000-30,000 and up to $15,000 for domestic infant adoptions.

These high costs cause many couples to dismiss adoption as too expensive. By helping to ease this financial burden, we can encourage the development of more stable families and provide a brighter future for thousands of kids.

Congress acted in 2001 by passing important adoption incentives in the form of tax credits which are set to expire after December 31, 2010. With legislation introduced this year my hope is to permanently extend those adoption incentives.

$10,000 Tax Credit

This would allow those Americans who adopt a child to continue to receive a credit in the amount of their qualified expenses and guarantees the maximum $10,000 credit for those who adopt children with special needs.

The bill also removes the lag time one must wait through before receiving the adoption tax credit, allowing families to receive the adoption tax credit in the year domestic adoption expenses are incurred. International adoptions would still need to be finalized before receiving the adoption tax credit.

The bill has been endorsed by the National Council for Adoption, RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association, and the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, and was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 27 Senators.

You Don't Have to be Wealthy to be a Perfect Parent

A recent campaign sponsored by the U-S Department of Health and Human Services was designed to encourage adoption. Its theme was, "you don't have to be a hero to be a hero and you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent." My bill takes that a step further and says, "You don't have to be wealthy to be a parent and if you're not, your country will help."