PRINTER'S NO. 74
No. 7 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY DiCARLO, LINCOLN, SCHWEDER, McLANE, OLIVER,
HELFRICK, E. Z. TAYLOR, A. P. KELLY, BURNS, NOYE AND
KLINGAMAN, JANUARY 17, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, JANUARY 19, 1977
In the House of Representatives, January 17, 1977
1 WHEREAS, There are 12,500 children in foster care in the
2 Commonwealth; and
3 WHEREAS, Foster care is designed as a temporary, not
4 permanent, family experience; and
5 WHEREAS, It is the intent of the Commonwealth, when possible
6 and appropriate, to return a foster child to his natural parents
7 or guardian or to place a foster child in a permanent adoptive
8 home; and
9 WHEREAS, There are approximately 12,000 children in the
10 Commonwealth who have been in foster care for more than one
11 year; and
12 WHEREAS, The General Assembly recently enacted and the
13 Department of Public Welfare has recently instituted an Adoption
14 Opportunities Program to assist in the adoption of hard-to-place
15 children who have been in the foster care for at least six
16 months; and
17 WHEREAS, Foster care payments and practices vary greatly from
1 county to county with apparently little supervision from the
2 Department of Public Welfare; and
3 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth currently does not mandate a
4 periodic, case review of each child in foster care; and
5 WHEREAS, It is possible that many children may be lost in
6 "limbo of foster care"; therefore be it
7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
8 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania directs the House Committee on
9 Health and Welfare to conduct a thorough review of the
10 Commonwealth's statutes, regulations, and programs relating to
11 foster care and the implementation of the Adoption Opportunities
12 Program with special emphasis on foster care placements, review
13 of placements, relationships between the placement agency,
14 natural parents and foster parents, foster care payments and the
15 supervision of foster care and the Adoption Opportunity Program
16 by the Department of Public Welfare; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the committee may hold hearings, take
18 testimony, and make its investigations at such places as it
19 deems necessary. It may issue subpoenas under the hand and seal
20 of its chairman commanding any person to appear before it and to
21 answer questions touching matters properly being inquired into
22 by the committee and to produce such books, papers, records and
23 documents as the committee deems necessary. Such subpoenas may
24 be served upon any person and shall have the force and effect of
25 subpoenas issued out of the courts of this Commonwealth. Any
26 person who willfully neglects or refuses to testify before the
27 committee or to produce any books, papers, records or documents,
28 shall be subject to the penalties provided by the laws of the
29 Commonwealth in such case. Each member of the committee shall
30 have power to administer oaths and affirmations to witnesses
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1 appearing before the committee; and be it further
2 RESOLVED, That within 30 calendar days after the committee
3 has made its report, the chairman of the committee shall cause a
4 record of all expenses incurred by the committee, or the members
5 thereof, which are payable at Commonwealth expense, to be filed
6 with the Speaker of the House and the Speaker shall cause the
7 same to be entered in the journal thereof. No expenses incurred
8 by the committee or any member thereof shall be reimbursable by
9 the Chief Clerk unless such expense shall first have been
10 included as an expense item in the record heretofore required;
11 and be it further
12 RESOLVED, That the committee shall report its findings,
13 together with its recommendations, for appropriate legislation
14 or otherwise, to the House of Representatives as soon as its
15 study is completed.
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