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CARE Updates
From HRC email on 5/20/09....
Right now in Michigan, there are thousands of children waiting to be adopted. There are also many same-sex couples who are ready and able to give these children loving homes, but state courts in Michigan have ruled that unmarried couples cannot adopt.
Please send a message to your state representative today urging them to support House Bill 4131, the Second Parent Adoption Bill. This legislation would allow unmarried couples, including same-sex couples, to jointly adopt a child. Most importantly, it would make sure that more children waiting to be adopted can be placed in a loving home with a permanent family.
Please tell your state representative to do what's best for children by voting in favor of HB 4131. Your message will be most effective if you can tell a little about yourself and why this issue matters to you.
HB4131, Second Parent Adoption Bill, Passed House Judiciary Committee (April 22, 2009)
It is with great pleasure to announce that HB 4131, the 2nd parent adoption bill, passed the House Judiciary Committee today, with all Democrats present voting yes and all Republicans on the committee voting no. We had eloquent, intelligent, and dynamic speakers present testimony along with many families there showing their support.
A special thanks goes out to Representative Mark Meadows, Chair of the committee, Representative Alma Wheeler Smith, sponsor of the bill, and to Representative Rebekah Warren for her unyielding support and assistance in championing 2nd parent adoption.
Below are to the House Judiciary committee members and how they voted.
Committee Members:
Mark S. Meadows (D), Committee Chair, 69th District -YES
Ellen Cogen Lipton (D), Majority Vice-Chair, 27th District -YES
Lisa Brown (D), 39th District -YES
Bob Constan (D), 16th District - YES
Marc R. Corriveau (D), 20th District - ABSENT
Andy Coulouris (D), 95th District -YES
Andrew J. Kandrevas (D), 13th District - YES
Bettie Cook Scott (D), 3rd District - YES
Rebekah Warren (D), 53rd District - YES
Tonya Schuitmaker (R), Minority Vice-Chair, 80th District - NO
Justin Amash (R), 72nd District - NO
Joseph Haveman (R), 90th District - NO
Rick Jones (R), 71st District - NO
Eileen Kowall (R), 44th District - NO
Tory Rocca (R), 30th District - NO
Our next goal is to have this bill brought before the full House of Representatives for a vote. We will keep you informed of any hearing dates and movement on this legislation. Please if you have family or friends throughout Michigan, ask them to contact their representatives to support this legislation!
Second Parent Adoption Bill Introduced for 2009-2010 Session (Feb 4, 2009)
Representative Alma Wheeler-Smith,
Democrat from Ypsilanti Township, has introduced the Second Parent Adoption
Bill for the 2009-2010 legislative session! The bill will be known as
HB 4131 and has yet to be assigned to a committee. We have absolute confidence
in Representative Smith as the lead sponsor of this legislation as she
will work towards securing co-sponsors and advocating for its passage
So what does this mean? It means the bill will be sent to a committee,
yet to be determined, where it will have to be voted on and passed on
to the full House. Last legislative session the bill passed the Judiciary
Committee, but it never received a full vote in the House of Representatives.
We are extremely confident that this session this bill will not only pass
in committee, but also pass through the House of Representatives.
It also means we need your support more than ever. Please contact your
legislators about the passage of this bill, and consider donating to CARE
as we work towards our goal.
Representative Smith can be contacted at almasmith@house.mi.gov. Please
thank her for her unyielding support of this legislation.
We will keep you updated on the committee to which it is assigned and
its progress. Thank you in advance for all of your support!
A Message From CARE's President, January 5, 2009
We hope that the beginning
of 2009 has gotten off to a fantastic start for everyone. The second parent
adoption movement will be gearing up for a great year as the 2008-2010
legislative session begins. House Bill 4259, which passed the House Judiciary
Committee in February 2007, never progressed to a full House vote before
the end of this year. This means that the bill will be reintroduced early
this year and be given a new number, will be sent to a new committee,
and the voting process will begin anew. The House gained 9 Democratic
seats, and this will bode very well for this legislation. We are extremely
positive that all the organizational and political support gained over
the last few years will be a solid foundation for the bill to pass the
full House this year. Once the bill is reintroduced with its new sponsor,
we will inform you and urge everyone to contact their legislator again.
We held our annual meeting in November 2008 where board members were retained.
Penny Gardner will continue her work as CARE's Community Organizer. She
has already begun the work of identifying and securing a House sponsor
for the legislation, as well as many other organizing tasks.
We are also involved with the Michigan Project for Informed Public Policy.
This is a project headed by the Rockway Institute and funded by the Arcus
Foundation. This project is charged with organizing social scientists
and mental health professionals who can help advance public policies affecting
LGBT people in Michigan. Their focus is on hate crimes, safe schools,
antidiscrimination in the workplace, and also parenting and adoption rights.
We attended the December 6th kickoff where we received LGBT media/message
training as well as participated in statewide networking. This project
will be able to provide CARE with the needed research and expert testimony
for the legislative process. The Michigan Psychological Association is
the contractor on the grant and the point organization. Dr. Judith Kovach
is the Executive Director. If any of you are members of the MI Psychological
Association, please contact Dr. Kovach with your su pport of second parent
adoption and let her know of your interest in this movement.
We will let you know as soon as the bill is reintroduced - thanks to all
who have continued on this journey for second parent adoption rights in
Michigan....!
Beverly Davidson, LMSW
CARE President
President Obama's Civil Rights Statement Aligns with CARE's Mission
We at CARE, Inc. are inspired and hopeful that President Obama has included the rights of ALL people in his civil rights agenda. He is the first American President to be so publicly inclusive of LGBT rights. He has included the rights of ALL families to have legal recognition and has openly supported adoption rights for LGBT families. National leaders are instrumental in directing the national conversation and subsequent planning around these issues, and President Obama has once again shown his strong leadership and committment to human rights. Please visit this link to view his civil rights agenda: http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/
On this page...
HB4131, Second Parent Adoption Bill, Passes House Judiciary Committee
Second Parent Adoption Bill Introduced for 2009 - 2010 Session
A Message from CARE's President, January 5, 2009
President Obama's Civil Rights Statement Aligns with CARE's Mission