Lending a hand

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.

With all the negative news coming out of Capitol Hill these days, it was refreshing to see Congress pass legislation Monday that should go a long way toward helping foster children. The bill, which President Bush is expected to sign, is designed to provide incentives to adopt more foster children.

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act also would allow more children to be cared for by their relatives and would provide assistance to children who age out of the foster care system.

Too many children in Nevada and elsewhere fall through the cracks of the foster care system, getting transferred from one home to another like a baton in a relay race. Once they turn 18 they are kicked out onto the street, often without a safety net. When that happens they often join the ranks of the homeless. If this legislation can break that cycle, it will vastly improve the lives of many children who now live without hope.

One of the bill’s provisions, which would extend federal assistance to grandparents and other relatives who care for children as their guardians, is expected to help at least 15,000 children nationwide. More families would also be able to receive assistance to adopt older children and children with special needs. Another provision would give foster children who turn 18 opportunities to pursue education, including vocational training.

“This bill gives more families the resources they need to become foster or adoptive parents, and more foster children the support they need to become successful adults,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont.

USA Today reported that the total cost will be roughly $3 billion over 10 years. When compared with the huge numbers being tossed around for federal bailouts of financial institutions and loans to struggling industries, the money directed toward foster children and the benefits it will bring make this legislation a terrific bargain for taxpayers.