November is National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month, a time to honor the love shared within adoptive families and raise awareness of the importance of adoption.

Senate Republicans have championed many laws in recent years to support families who choose to adopt, including:

• Doubling Indiana's adoption tax credit and creating a new $3,000 income tax exemption for adopted children;
• Updating our laws to expand the number of special-needs children whose adoptive parents can receive adoption subsidies to help offset the cost of caring for them;
• Uncontested adoptions can now be filed in any county in Indiana, so that counties with court backlogs don't slow down these adoption petitions; and
• Shortening the window for someone to contest or revoke their consent to an adoption, making Indiana more in line with other states on this process.

Some goals of both National Adoption Month and the recent laws Senate Republicans supported include:

• Celebrating the families who are now whole because of adoption;
• Ensuring every child in Indiana has a loving family and strong home foundation;
• Helping more families afford the cost of adoption; and 
• Encouraging more families to consider becoming part of Indiana's adoption system to help more children find their forever homes.

There are many ways to get involved and raise awareness during National Adoption Month and some ideas are listed below.

• Attend an event within your community. Click here to see events happening around the state.
• Volunteer with a local adoption or foster care organization. Click here to find a location near you.
• Donate to an adoption or foster care agency. Click here to find an agency near you.

Children enter foster care through no fault of their own, often due to abuse, neglect or abandonment from adults who should have been there to protect and nurture them. That is why Senate Republicans work tirelessly each year to strengthen Indiana's adoption system and encourage all Hoosiers to get involved during National Adoption Month so all children have a better chance of finding their forever home and receiving the love they deserve.