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Congress Passes Bill to Speed Interstate Child Placement

By ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |
November 30, 2004

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Oct. 5 titled the “Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2004″ (H.R. 4504). The proposed law, introduced by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) in June, is meant to speed up the process of sister-state permanent placement, which at present takes on average one full year more than in-state placement. DeLay said upon passage, “This bill will get these children out of their personal hells and into the arms of a loving family, quickly and safely.”

The bill encourages agencies to consider interstate placement as part of a child's permanency plan and, if passed into law in its present form, will offer states a financial incentive of $1500 for each interstate home study that it completes within 30 days. The bill also would require states to run federal criminal background checks on individuals with whom the children might be placed and to conduct child abuse registry checks of adoptive and foster parents. Such checks are, of course, already routinely conducted in most states

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