Reps. Hardman, Reeves, Lipsey, Waters, Williams, Hood, McConico, Gieleghem, Hopgood, Smith, Jamnick, Cheeks, Wojno, Vagnozzi, Hunter, Clack, Condino, Anderson, Brown, Dennis, DeRossett, Elkins, Farrah, Gillard, Law, Meisner, Minore, Paletko, Pappageorge, Shaffer, Sheltrown, Spade, Stallworth, Stewart, Taub, Tobocman, Voorhees, Woodward and Zelenko offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 27.

            A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to address the gap between services offered to children in kinship care arrangements and services offered to children in foster care situations.

            Whereas, The 2000 Census confirmed the trend that increasing numbers of children are being raised by grandparents.  In many of these situations, a grandparent or other relative is raising one or more children as an alternative to foster placement.  While such situations offer many advantages to children and save the state a considerable amount of money, public policies recognizing these realities are inadequate; and

            Whereas, There is a serious gap between the level of services offered to children in kinship care situations and those in foster care arrangements.  While some children in kinship care can be eligible for support through the TANF program, the level of assistance through child-only grants is notably lower; and

            Whereas, The gap between assistance offered to poor children being raised by a family member rather than a foster family is especially evident in eligibility for food programs, specifically school lunch programs.  Indeed, the potential for harm to children living in situations where access to good nutrition is not assured represents a serious threat in our society.  Addressing this problem by increasing access to school lunch programs for children living in kinship care arrangements is most appropriate; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to address the gap between services offered to children in kinship care arrangements and services offered to children in foster care situations, specifically by extending access to free school lunch programs for more children living in kinship care; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.