The following adoption tax credit advocacy kit was created by the National Council For Adoption. You can download a PDF of the advocacy kit; please note that the PDF will not include the most recent information on pending legislation.
Below are a number of resources to help your advocacy efforts:
- A video with useful information about contacting members of Congress
- The Dear Colleague letter that Rep. Bruce Braley and co-sponsor Rep. Jo Ann Emerson sent to their colleagues on Capitol Hill
- A document with the ATCWG’s four goals and a list of the more than 100 organizations nationwide who support these goals
- Adoption tax credit FAQ handout
- Sample phone/visit script
- Sample e-mail/letter
- Sample op-ed
- Advocacy tips
The Facts
The adoption tax credit provides financial benefits to families that open their homes to children through adoption from foster care, intercountry adoption, or private domestic adoption.
The adoption tax credit, with a maximum of $12,650 in 2012, has helped to offset the high cost of adoption for hundreds of thousands of families since it was established in 1997. The IRS estimates that the credit benefited 96,949 children and their families in 2010. With more than 100,000 children in U.S. foster care available for adoption and countless millions of orphans and abandoned children around the world, the continuation of the adoption tax credit is vital to providing love, safety, and permanency through adoption to as many children as possible.
The Need
The current adoption tax credit is set to expire on December 31, 2012. If that happens, adoption may require a cost insurmountable for many American families, resulting in fewer children finding love and permanency through adoption. Although the credit remains through 2012, many families will not benefit because it is not refundable. In 2013, the credit will decrease to only $6,000 and will be available to very few adoptive families.
Congress must act now to pass legislation that will protect and extend the adoption tax credit and encourage the right of every child to grow up safe and loved in a family of their own.
Help us take action today! You can find your Representative and Senators’ contact information by visiting: www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm or www.house.gov/representatives. We also posted a video with more information about contacting members of Congress.
On April 17, Representative Bruce Braley introduced the Making Adoption Affordable Act (HR 4373). If you are contacting your Representative’s office, ask your Representative to become a co-sponsor of HR 4373. (First check this list to see if your Representative has already signed on.) On the Senate side, on September 21, Senators Landrieu, Blunt, Hutchison, and Cardin introduced S. 3616. Call both of your Senators and ask them to be co-sponsors of S. 3616. (Learn more about both bills.)
When making your contact:
- Remember to ask for the person that handles tax issues and/or adoption-related issues.
- If possible, when visiting, try to make an appointment.
- When calling, if no one is available, you can leave a detailed message with contact information.
