Sample Letter or Email
Please note if you are writing to your representative, ask for co-sponsorship of H.R. 4373 (the House bill). If you are writing to your senators, ask them to co-sponsor S. 3616 (the Senate bill).
Dear Senator/Representative NAME:
I am writing to ask you to support the adoption tax credit by becoming a cosponsor of S. 3616/H.R. 4373. The adoption tax credit is set to expire on December 31, 2012. Since 1997, the adoption tax credit has helped tens of thousands of parents offset the high cost of adoption, making it possible for them to provide children with loving, permanent families.
The adoption tax credit is especially important to me and my family because… (Share your personal story; tell Congress why you care about this credit. Your Members of Congress value your voice!)
If Congress does not take action, the adoption tax credit as we know it will expire at the end of 2012. The credit will be reduced to $6,000, and will only benefit the few families that adopt children with special needs and have qualified adoption expenses. Most families adopting children from foster care, intercountry adoption, and domestic infant adoption will not receive any benefit. Without the adoption tax credit, many parents hoping to adopt will be unable to do so, and others will face great financial hardship. The adoption tax credit is essential to ensuring that as many children as possible find the forever families they deserve and ensuring that those families are in a more stable financial position to provide an environment where children can thrive.
The adoption tax credit must be extended to help as many children as possible find the permanent, loving family they need and deserve. And for 2012 and future years it should be made refundable again so that most adoptive families will benefit from it. The best adoption tax credit would be permanent, refundable, inclusive of all types of adoption, and remain a “flat” credit for children with special needs. Enclosed, for your reference, is a factsheet with more information about the adoption tax credit. (Be sure to share the factsheet as a reference.)
On behalf of the countless children waiting to be adopted, and the many thousands of families that stand to benefit from the adoption tax credit, thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
NAME
CITY, STATE
EMAIL ADDRESS / PHONE NUMBER
