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View Full Version : 7B in Fed funds did NOT provide safety 4 DYFS foster or adoptees


Fern5827
November 6th 03, 04:40 PM
Which led to today's Congressional hearing by House Ways and Means committee.


ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2003
HR-5 CONTACT: (202) 225-1025


Herger Announces Hearing to Examine Recent Failure to Protect Child Safety
Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of
the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will
hold a hearing to examine a recent failure to protect child safety. The
hearing will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2003, in the main Committee
hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this
hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include State and
local officials and outside experts familiar with the recent high-profile child
abuse case uncovered in New Jersey involving several boys who were starved by
their adoptive parents. However, any individual or organization not scheduled
for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the
Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

Recent news accounts documented cases of shocking abuse and neglect of children
adopted by a family in New Jersey (see
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/nyregion/27JERS.html). Similar stories have
been written about cases in other States involving the death or abuse of
children involved with the child welfare system. Federal taxpayers provided
States $3.1 billion in 2002 to support children in foster care and adoptive
settings, and $2.8 billion more in administrative funding for States and
localities to use to ensure the safety of vulnerable children.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Herger stated, “It is hard to imagine how
adults could intentionally starve children. It is also hard to accept the grim
reality that we as taxpayers subsidized their terrible neglect to the tune of
tens of thousands of dollars. This hearing seeks to expose how these
children’s abuse went unnoticed so that we can work to prevent other children
from enduring such horrible abuse.�

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on: (1) what happened to the children starved in the
New Jersey case, (2) how their years of abuse escaped the notice of child
welfare workers and others in the community, and (3) what Federal and State
officials can do to prevent the recurrence of such horrific acts in New Jersey
and other States.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Due to the change in House mail policy, any person or
organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of
the hearing should send it electronically to
, along with a fax copy to (202)
225-2610, by the close of business, Thursday, November 20, 2003. Those filing
written statements who wish to have their statements distributed to the press
and interested public at the hearing should deliver their 200 copies to the new
Congressional Courier Acceptance Site at the location of 2nd and D Streets,
N.E., at least 48 hours prior to the hearing date. Please ensure that you have
the address of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, Room B-317 Rayburn House
Office Building, on your package, and contact the staff of the Subcommittee at
(202) 225-1025 of its impending arrival. When a couriered item arrives at this
facility, it will be opened, screened and then delivered to the Subcommittee
office, within one of the following time frames: (1) expected or confirmed
deliveries will be delivered in approximately 2 to 3 hours, or, (2) unexpected
items, or items not approved by the Subcommittee office, will be delivered the
morning of the next business day. The U.S. Capitol Police will refuse all
non-governmental courier deliveries to all House Office Buildings.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any
written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written
comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the
guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these
guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files
for review and use by the Committee.

1. Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and any
accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to
, along with a fax copy to (202)
225-2610, in Word Perfect or MS Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10
pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will
rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be
accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and
quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications
will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. Any statements must include a list of all clients, persons, or
organizations on whose behalf the witness appears. A supplemental sheet must
accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax
numbers of each witness.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World
Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call
202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business
days notice is requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs
in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative
formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.