WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA), have commended Senate passage of their resolution marking November as National Adoption Month and November 18 as National Adoption Day. As co-chairs of the bipartisan CCA, Blunt and Klobuchar work to engage members of Congress on issues pertaining to children in need of permanent homes, children in the foster care system, and domestic and international child welfare.

“For years, as Senate co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, I’ve worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help make the adoption process better for families across our country,” Klobuchar said. “Recognizing November as National Adoption Month and November 18th as National Adoption Day is an opportunity to bring attention to and support the loving adoptive families who open their hearts and homes to deserving children every day.”

This is the third consecutive year that Klobuchar and Blunt have led legislation to recognize November as National Adoption Month. On Tuesday, Klobuchar took to the Senate floor to speak about the bipartisan resolution. Broadcast-quality video of her remarks are available here.

Klobuchar is a strong advocate for adoptive families and children. In May, Klobuchar and Senator Blunt introduced the bipartisan Vulnerable Children and Families Act to help make international adoptions a more central part of U.S. foreign policy and international diplomacy by establishing an Office of Vulnerable Children and Family Security within the State Department. Klobuchar and Blunt have also introduced the Supporting Adoptive Families Act to help provide pre- and post-adoption support services, including mental health treatment, to help adoptive families stay strong. The Klobuchar-authored International Adoption Simplification Act to help siblings stay together during an international adoption and protect adoptees from unsafe immunizations in foreign countries was signed into law on November 30, 2010. She introduced the Accuracy for Adoptees Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in early 2014. This law cuts red tape for adoptive families and ensures that corrections made to adoptees’ birth certificates by state courts would be recognized by the federal government. In 2015, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill she cosponsored to waive recurring visa fees for families whose adoptive children are unable to immigrate in a timely manner due to exceptional circumstances.

Klobuchar has also worked closely with adoptive Minnesota families to help them bring their children home from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Russia.

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