Foster Care and Adoption
Though I am honored to be a United States Representative from the Sixth District of Minnesota, the role I cherish most is that of being a mom to my five biological and 23 foster children. All of my children inspire me every day to improve the well-being of children across America.
In 2012, my colleagues and I in the House formed the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth with my colleagues. I am proud to co-chair this with Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) and Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA). My caucus colleagues and I are working to bring stability, support and permanency to the lives of foster youth across this great nation.
Each September, members of Congress nominate and recognize constituents as Angels in Adoption for enriching the lives of foster children and orphans. In 2012, it was my honor to nominate Jim and Melanie Matthews of Buffalo, MN. They graciously opened their home to five children from Colombia, not only providing them a new chance at life, but also keeping a family intact. Adoption is a difficult and emotionally exhausting process, but the Matthews family handled it with grace. Jhon, Derly, Estefania, Jesus and Prospero are better off for it.
I am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 5871, the A+ PLUS Act. This bill seeks to provide relief for children and youth in foster care who are often the most at risk and overlooked of all student populations. Currently, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), unintentionally hinders the educational success of students in foster care by creating a barrier between school records and the temporary guardians of the youth – the child welfare agencies. Without access to a student’s records, child welfare agencies and social workers are limited in their ability to ensure that the youth are enrolled in school in a timely fashion or advocate for the youth’s educational success. The A+ PLUS Act will rectify this situation by granting child welfare agencies direct access to school records for youth in care.