Madison… During the Assembly floor session yesterday, a series of bipartisan bills aimed at streamlining Wisconsin’s adoption statutes were passed. One bill, Assembly Bill 562, was authored by Rep. Jon Plumer (R-Lodi).
The Speaker’s Task Force on Adoption held seven hearings around the state. The bipartisan committee heard from experts, parents, and families about ways to improve the system. The task force sought ways to reduce costs associated with adoption as well as reduce the timelines for adoption. Taskforce members learned more issues have been surfacing due to the growing opioid epidemic, which Rep. Plumer has spent his entire time in the Legislature learning about and working to end.
Rep. Plumer released the following statement:
“I was so fortunate to be able to sit on the Speaker’s Task Force on Adoption. I learned so much about adoption and the barriers that are unfortunately causing children to spend more time out of safe and loving homes. These bills will make a difference in countless lives throughout Wisconsin by providing children with stable homes and by giving caregivers and parents the resources they need to ensure that children are cared for.
“I look forward to hearing success stories in the years to come because of this legislation. Getting children into permanent homes faster was the ultimate goal of this task force and I believe that we are heading in the right direction. Thank you to my colleagues for their hard work in making this goal a reality and helping Wisconsin’s most vulnerable find safe homes and families who love them.”
