Washington, D.C., January 31, 2023 – Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), in partnership with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA), announced the newest CCA Co-Chair for the 118th Congress is U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota.

The CCA is the largest bicameral, bipartisan congressional member organization and works to engage Members of Congress on issues related to child welfare and permanency. The caucus is deeply committed to bipartisanship and brings together Democrats and Republicans with the shared goal of improving the lives of children and families by uniting to ensure that all children know the love and support of a family through legal permanency in the forms of adoption, reunification, guardianship, and kinship care.

The role of the CCA Co-Chairs is to lead and actively engage their colleagues in Congress in drafting and supporting federal policies that help vulnerable children, youth, and families and strengthen child welfare systems.

Senator Kevin Cramer was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 after serving three terms as North Dakota’s At-Large Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a longtime CCA Member and father of six, Senator Cramer is a strong advocate for children and families. He is deeply committed to bipartisanship, strengthening families, and permanency. His personal connection to these issues in being an adoptive dad drives him in his work as a leader of the CCA. Additionally, Senator Cramer serves on the Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, Veterans Affairs, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Budget Committees.

“I am honored to lead the Congressional Coalition on Adoption for the 118th Congress with Co-Chairs Amy Klobuchar, Robert Aderholt, and Adam Smith,” said Cramer. “Our goal is to promote policies to help ensure as many children as possible know the unconditional love and support of a permanent family. That means educating people about adoption and foster programs, raising awareness of participation and engagement opportunities, and providing resources to individuals and entities entrusted with making decisions on children’s behalf.”

Senator Cramer joins the CCA’s three current Co-Chairs: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Representatives Robert Aderholt of Alabama and Adam Smith of Washington.

“As an adoptive father, Senator Cramer understands firsthand the importance of families who open their hearts and homes to children,” said Klobuchar. “I look forward to working with Senator Cramer and our House co-chairs to improve the adoption process and help every child find the safe, loving home they deserve.”  

By joining the CCA, Members of Congress have the opportunity to participate in programs and events throughout the year that allow them to interact with children and youth, the families that care for them, organizations that work to support youth and families, and subject matter experts to hear the stories of the challenges and opportunities they experience and to strengthen federal policy with this information.

“The Congressional Coalition on Adoption is committed to advocating for policies that improve foster care and encourage permanency,” said Aderholt.  “Senator Cramer and our CCA leaders will continue to pursue policy on behalf of our mission: a world in which every child knows the love and support of a family.” 

Today, there are over 391,000 children in foster care, and over 113,000 of these children are eligible for adoption, waiting for families to call their own. Children living outside of family care globally are estimated conservatively at eight million.

“The Congressional Coalition on Adoption is committed to removing policy barriers that prevent children from finding safe, nurturing, and permanent families,” said Smith. “I look forward to working closely with Senator Cramer to advocate for policies that promote permanency for every child and family in the U.S. and around the world.”  

The Co-Chairs and CCA are supported by CCAI, the nonprofit institute dedicated to raising awareness about children in need of safe and nurturing families both domestically and internationally and eliminating the policy barriers that hinder children from having permanent families.

“CCAI is thrilled to have Senator Cramer step into the role of Co-Chair,” said CCAI’s Executive Director, Kate McLean. “He has demonstrated a strong commitment to making a difference for vulnerable children and families through effective policy, and we are grateful for Senator Cramer’s willingness to lead important permanency work in Congress.”

In the last 38 years, Members of the CCA have led Congress in the passage of historic legislation that has dramatically improved the lives of children and families including the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act, Family First Prevention Services Act, Adoption and Safe Families Act, John Chafee Foster Care Independence Act, Promoting Safe and Stable Families Act, Hope for Children Act, Intercountry Adoption Act, Fostering Connections and Increasing Adoptions Act, Intercountry Adoption and Simplification Act, and Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act.

CCAI has been an established resource for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, the largest bicameral, bipartisan caucus in the U.S. Congress since 2001. CCAI works to engage Members of Congress on issues pertaining to children in need of permanency, domestic, and international child welfare, as well as to advocate for every child’s right to a safe, stable, and nurturing family. CCAI works to provide federal policymakers with information and resources through its core programs, including the Congressional Resource Program, Angels in Adoption® Leadership Program, Foster Youth Internship Program®, and 20/20 Vision Program. CCAI believes every child deserves a family, and every family deserves a caring community.

***********************************************************************

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the millions of children around the world in need of permanent, safe, and nurturing families and to eliminate the legal, social, and financial barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family.

For more information or to learn about the work of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, visit http://www.ccainstitute.org or contact info@ccainstitute.org or (202) 544-8500.