MR. PRESIDENT, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK SENATOR BLUNT FOR HIS LEADERSHIP. WE'VE WORKED SIDE BY SIDE ON THESE ISSUES FOR SO MANY YEARS. I AM REALLY PLEASED, AS HE NOTED, THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FOCUS ON THIS ISSUE OF THE ADOPTION TAX CREDIT NOT ONLY HOW IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED IN ANY TAX BILL AND MAKE SURE THAT IT IS MAINTAINED BUT IN FACT IT SHOULD BE EXPANDED ON. AND I THANK HIM. WE'VE BOTH BEEN ADVOCATING FOR THAT. SO MY STATE, ONE OF THE REASONS I'M SO INVOLVED IN THIS ISSUE IS THAT WE HAVE HISTORICALLY HAD A LOT OF ADOPTION IN MINNESOTA. WITH INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS WE HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS IN THE COUNTRY.

WE HAVE FAMILIES THAT HAVE OPENED THEIR HEARTS TO KIDS FROM VIETNAM, TO GUATEMALA, TO NEPAL, TO HAITI. AND I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS THE POWER OF ADOPTION FIRSTHAND WHEN I SERVED FOR EIGHT YEARS AS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY WHICH IS THE LARGEST PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE IN OUR STATE. AND WE ALSO HAVE CIVIL JURISDICTIONS SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WORKED ON WAS SPEEDING UP THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TOOK FOR FOSTER KIDS TO GET OUT AND INTO PERMANENT HOMES. AND I WAS ABLE TO SEE FIRSTHAND THOSE LOVING PARENTS WHO WOULD DO ANYTHING TO BRING THESE KIDS INTO THEIR FAMILIES. WHEN YOU SEE IT INTERNATIONALLY, IT JUST BREAKS YOUR HEART IF THAT GOES ON FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. RIGHT NOW DOMESTICALLY OVER 425,000 CHILDREN ARE LIVING WITHOUT PERMANENT FAMILIES IN OUR FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. OVER 110,000 OF THESE KIDS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ADOPTION. SO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY SENATOR BLUNT AND I COME TOGETHER TODAY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE KNOW THAT, YES, THERE IS INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION -- SO IMPORTANT -- BUT THERE ARE ALSO KIDS RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA THAT WOULD LOVE TO BE TAKEN IN BY A FAMILY, AND THAT'S PART OF THE THEME OF OUR ADOPTION MONTH FOR THE COUNTRY.

WE'VE TACKLED A NUMBER OF ISSUES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, ALONG WITH FORMER SENATOR LANDRIEU OF LOUISIANA. ONE OF THEM WAS THE INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION SIMPLIFYING ACT, WHICH WAS A BIG HELP IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT OLDER CHILDREN WEREN'T LEFT BEHIND WHEN THE YOUNGER SIBLINGS WERE ADOPTED, AND I WORKED ON THAT BILL WITH SENATOR INHOFE AND THEN SENATOR BLUNT AND LANDRIEU AND I INTRODUCED THE ACCURACY FOR ADOPTEES ACT, WHICH HELPED GREATLY TO ENSURE THAT FAMILIES DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT WITH FOREIGN AUTHORITIES TO GET THEIR KIDS' DOCUMENTS CHANGED AND WE'RE ALSO WORK ON, OF COURSE, SOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISSUES NOW BECAUSE OF THE SLOWDOWN IN INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS AND THE WORK THAT WE CAN DO THERE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER AGENCIES ON THAT.

ONE OF THE THINGS -- THIS IS THE BEST PART OF OUR JOBS -- IS WHEN YOU HELP A FAMILY IN YOUR HOME STATE WITH AN ADOPTION. A RECENT ONE WE HAD WHERE I GOT TO VISIT THE FAMILY IN THE WESTERN SUBURBS OF MINNESOTA WAS THEY HAD FOR YEARS BEEN WAITING TO ADOPT AN ETHIOPIAN -- TWO ETHIOPIAN BOYS, ACTUALLY, AND WE WORKED REALLY HARD ON THIS BECAUSE THE HALT TO THE ADOPTIONS OUT OF ETHIOPIA AFFECTED MORE THAN 200 AMERICAN FAMILIES. ONE OF THEM WAS DAVE AND KATIE NORTON. BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE AND THE PUSH THAT WAS MADE, A NUMBER OF THESE KIDS CAME HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES, AND I GOT TO SWING ON A TIRE SWING, SENATOR BLUNT, WITH THESE TWO RATHER FUN BOYS WHO LIKE EVERY DAY TO PUT ON YEAR BICYCLE HELMETS, JUST BECAUSE THEY THINK IT'S COOL AND THEY WEAR THEM AROUND THE BACKYARD AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME WITH THEM, AND THERE ARE OTHER CHILDREN, AND IT MAKES YOU REALIZE HOW CLOSE TO HOME THIS IS AND HOW PLEASED WE ARE TO WELCOME THESE KIDS TO AMERICAN FAMILIES. SO, WITH THAT, THAT'S WHAT NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH IS ALL ABOUT. L WE WANT MORE KIDS TO BE ABLE TO SWING ON THOSE TIRE SWINGS. AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK BOTH WITH THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION SYSTEM TO MAKE THIS A REALITY TO MORE -- FOR MORE AND MORE ORPHANS ACROSS THE WORLD. THANK YOU, SENATOR BLUNT, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING ON THIS ISSUE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.