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Originally Posted By Mike

Adoption is a great and beautiful way to build a family and to provide
homes for children that would otherwise not have a stable loving family.
It is, however, also very expensive. A domestic (U.S.) adoption can cost
$8,000 - $12,000. An international adoption can cost $18,000 - $24,000.
These costs put a great financial strain on families who seek to adopt
children.

Currently, there is an adoption tax credit of $5,000; however, it is set to
expire (sunset) at the end of 2001 for all but special needs adoptions.
The Hope for Children Act would make the adoption tax credit permanent, and
increase it to a maximum of $10,000. This Bill was introduced in the US
House of Representatives (HR 622) by Jim DeMint in February 2001 and was
referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, where it was approved on
May 9, 2001. It was introduced in the US Senate (S 148) by Larry Craig in
January 2001 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. This
adoption tax credit bill was introduced in 1999 in the Senate, and it died
in the same committee in which it is presently being considered.

You may wish to contact your U.S. Representatives and Senators about this
legislation (you can find their contact information at www.house.gov and
www.senate.gov) as well as President Bush and Vice President Cheney
(contact info at www.whitehouse.gov). You may also wish to contact Chuck
Grassley, (R-IA), who is the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
Committee chairpersons have enormous power to decide which bills are
considered and which bills are not.

To check on the status of the bill in the House, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR00622:@@@L&summ2=m&
To check on the status of the bill in the Senate, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:SN00148:@@@L&summ2=m&