A resolution recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of children in the foster care system.

Bill Number: S.Res. 250
Origin Chamber: Senate
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Families
Status: Passed Senate
Latest Action: 2025-05-22: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S3141; text: CR S3122-3123)
Last Updated: 2026-06-04T13:29:30Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

This Senate resolution (S. Res. 250) designates May 2025 as "National Foster Care Month" to raise awareness about the challenges faced by children in the U.S. foster care system. It highlights the need for safe, permanent homes for these children and encourages Congress to adopt policies that improve their lives, emphasizing prevention, reunification, adoption, and support for those aging out of the system.

Key Provisions

The resolution includes a series of "Whereas" clauses providing background on foster care issues, followed by a "Resolved" section with 10 specific recognitions and encouragements:

Supports designating May 2025 as National Foster Care Month.
Recognizes the month as a chance to spotlight foster care challenges, such as long stays in the system (average 22.6 months), multiple placements (affecting about one-third of children), educational instability, overmedication (30% on antipsychotics, with monitoring issues), and high entry rates due to parental drug abuse (about 61,585 children in 2022).
Encourages Congress to implement policies addressing these issues, including support for vulnerable families, prevention of foster care entry, family reunification when in the child's best interest, promotion of adoption otherwise, better services for children in care, and aid for youth aging out (about 18,538 in 2022 without permanent connections).
Acknowledges the unique needs of foster youth, their resilience, and the role of alumni as advocates.
Honors foster parents, social workers, advocates, and mentors for their dedication, and designates May 31, 2025, as "National Foster Parent Appreciation Day" to recognize their efforts and the ongoing need for more foster parents.
Notes positive outcomes of kinship care (placement with relatives), such as greater stability and fewer behavioral issues, compared to non-relative placements.
References past federal laws, like the Family First Prevention Services Act (2018), that have invested in prevention and reunification, and calls for continued investment in state and local prevention, reunification, and post-adoption programs.
Highlights disparities, such as children of color staying longer in care and lower reunification rates, and high turnover (20-40%) among child welfare workers due to heavy caseloads.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This is a non-binding resolution with no legal force, so it introduces no changes to existing laws. It reaffirms support for prior legislation (e.g., Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008) but does not amend or enact new statutes.

Potential Impacts

On government agencies: Encourages federal, state, and local entities to prioritize resources for prevention, reunification, and support services, potentially influencing budget allocations for child welfare programs without mandating action.
On citizens: Raises public awareness of foster care issues, which could increase recruitment of foster parents and volunteers, reduce stigma (e.g., misconceptions about foster children being "disruptive"), and highlight needs like housing and education for those aging out, who often face higher risks of instability.
On international relations: No direct impact, as the resolution focuses solely on domestic U.S. child welfare.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Children and youth in foster care (about 368,530 in the U.S., including 108,877 awaiting adoption): Directly benefits through increased visibility of their challenges and calls for better permanency options.
Foster parents and kinship caregivers: Recognized and honored, with emphasis on their role and the need for more support, including financial aid for relatives.
Social workers and child welfare workforce: Acknowledged for their efforts amid high turnover; encourages investments to address caseloads and resources.
Biological families: Benefits from pushes for prevention and reunification services to keep families together when safe.
Adoptive families and advocates: Highlighted as key to permanency, with calls to promote adoption.
Congress and policymakers: Urged to enact supportive policies, potentially guiding future legislation.
Communities and states/localities: Encouraged to invest in programs, affecting service delivery and outcomes for over 186,602 children entering care annually.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: As a simple resolution agreed to by the Senate, it has no binding effect and does not create enforceable rights or obligations; it serves as a formal expression of congressional intent on child welfare.
Constitutional: Aligns with the federal government's role in supporting child welfare under laws like the Social Security Act, without raising separation-of-powers issues since it avoids directing executive action.
Political: Demonstrates bipartisan support (introduced by Sen. Grassley with 18 cosponsors from both parties), signaling broad consensus on foster care reform. It could build momentum for future bills by framing foster care as a national priority, emphasizing equity (e.g., for children of color) and prevention over reactive measures, but its symbolic nature limits immediate policy shifts.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]

Cosponsors (17)

Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM], Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID], Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID], Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH], Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY], Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA], Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA], Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA], Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX], Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV], Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS], Sen. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK], Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH], Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL], Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR], Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN], Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]

Recent Actions

2025-05-22: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S3141; text: CR S3122-3123)
2025-05-22: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.
2025-05-22: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

Recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of children in the foster care system. — issued 2025-05-22 — PDF (7 pages)