My morning routine? It’s not what you might expect. It often starts at my brother’s home, with a cup of coffee in hand and my niece Clara, who is adopted, on my knee. She is a blessing, and the type of blessing lawmakers should encourage amid the rising cost of living.
Pageants are my life lately, but nothing is more beautiful than Clara and the joy she brings to me and my extended family. In fact, her adoption inspired me to compete for Miss Wisconsin and promote my community service initiative, which centers around adoption.
I frequently wonder what my life would look like if my brother’s family had been unable to afford Clara’s adoption. Unfortunately, this is a very real factor that prohibits many families from pursuing adoption in the United States and abroad.
Cost of infant adoption ranges from $20,000 to $45,000
The average cost of a domestic infant adoption can range anywhere from $20,000 to $45,000, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a project of the Children’s Bureau at the Department of Health and Human Services.
This is a daunting dollar amount for many families, especially when you add the rising cost of housing, years of persistent inflation and stagnant wage growth to the equation. Lawmakers, however, can help alleviate this adoption deterrent by making the adoption tax credit refundable.
Introduced by Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), the Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act has received wide bipartisan support and is crucial for the well-being of children everywhere, as it opens up the tax benefit to middle- and low-income families with little to no tax liability.
Families can claim up to $15,950 as a credit against their federal tax liability for expenses incurred throughout the course of an adoption. If the credit is made refundable, though, middle- and low-income families with little tax liability could get money back beyond expenses incurred.
This would help kinship and fixed-income families in particular afford adoption and care that often comes post-finalization, as children who are adopted have more medical and special needs than their non-adopted peers.
Streamline adoption time for children in foster care system
What’s more, there are nearly 400,000 children in foster care. About 109,000 of those children are eligible for adoption yet on average wait almost two years before they’re welcomed into a permanent home, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Federal guidelines, however, demand children not languish in foster care longer than 12 months. Creating a refundable adoption tax credit would help shrink the time children are spending in foster care and more quickly move them into permanent homes where they can thrive.
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As I prepare to compete in the Miss America pageant this January, Clara is thriving and serves as a reminder of what I get to represent on stage. Her impact on my life is immeasurable, and she gives me the drive to advocate for children and families in need of a permanent, loving home.
While adopting a child can be a life-changing experience, many prospective adoptive parents, however, are discouraged by the significant financial commitment required.
It’s time for lawmakers to alleviate some of the financial pressure involved in adoption and encourage more families to welcome children into their home instead of allowing children to languish in institutions or residential-care facilities without the love of a stable family.
Mandi Genord is Miss Wisconsin 2024. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama and plans to attend law school so she can practice family law.
