ADVISORY

FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

SUBCOMMITTEE ON INCOME SECURITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT

McDermott Announces Hearing on Racial Disproportionality in Foster Care

Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, today announced a hearing to examine racial disproportionality in the foster care system.  The hearing will take place on Thursday, July 31, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in room B-318 Rayburn House Office Building.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Subcommittee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

Research has concluded that a significantly greater portion of African American children enter and remain in the foster care system when compared to children of other races and ethnicities.  The disproportionate representation of these children in foster care occurs despite the fact that there are no inherent differences in the rates at which they are abused or neglected, according to the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect.  Native American children also experience higher rates of representation in foster care. 

A report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in July 2007 found African American children across the nation were more than twice as likely to enter foster care compared to white children in FY 2004, and these children remained in foster care roughly 9 months longer.  Furthermore, GAO found Native American children represented just 1 percent of all children in the 2000 Census, but comprised over 2 percent of children in foster care at the end of FY 2004.  Higher rates of poverty, limited access to vital support services, racial bias, and difficulty recruiting prospective adoptive families for these children are often cited as the primary factors that contribute to the problem.

The GAO report highlighted the potential benefits of increased Federal support for relatives who become legal guardians of foster children for reducing the over-representation of African American children in the system.  Bipartisan legislation (H.R. 6307) introduced by Chairman McDermott and Ranking Member Jerry Weller and passed by the House last month would provide for these guardianship payments, among other things.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman McDermott stated: “Racial disproportionality challenges our ability to ensure the well-being and permanency of every child in our nation’s foster care system.  Overcoming this problem is critical to achieving positive outcomes for all children in care.  This hearing will allow us to get a better understanding of the factors that contribute to this problem and promising strategies that will lead to a long-term solution.”    

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:                                

The hearing will examine the prevalence of racial disproportionality in the foster care system, the primary factors that contribute to this problem, and promising initiatives that are currently being implemented in several States to address it.   

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note:  Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee website and complete the informational forms.  From the Committee homepage, http://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “110th Congress” from the menu entitled, “Hearing Archives” (http://waysandmeans.house.gov/Hearings.asp?congress=18).  Select the hearing for which you would like to submit, and click on the link entitled, “Click here to provide a submission for the record.”  Once you have followed the online instructions, complete all informational forms. ATTACH your submission as a Word or WordPerfect document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by close of business August 14, 2008.  Finally, please note that due to the change in House mail policy, the U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings.  For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-1721.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record. As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee.  The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, but we reserve the right to format it according to our guidelines.  Any submission provided to the Committee by a witness, any supplementary materials submitted for the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below.  Any submission or supplementary item not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1.   All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word or WordPerfect format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments.  Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2.  Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing.  Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3.  All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons, and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers of each witness.

Note:  All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.