Adoption Tax Credit!

I hope everyone is staying cool today! Although I would have liked to have been by a lake, with an ice cold drink in my hand the A/C suited me well today instead.  Thankfully Dave and Jeanie's pool is calling my name tomorrow! After running several errands and doing some things around the house I finally put my feet up and began surfing the internet about various topics. Something that I have been wanting to learn more about in depth lately was the adoption tax credit. Let me explain:

"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. Congress must act now to pass legislation that will protect and extend the adoption tax credit (expires at end of 2012) and encourage the right of every child to grow up safe and loved in a family of their own." (taken from adoptiontaxcredit.org).

Good information here: 
http://adoptiontaxcredit.org/advocate/

How to find your Senator:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

How to find your state representative:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Here is a sample email to send to both your Senator and State Representative - please note there is a space in the second paragraph to add your personal story/note.

I am writing to ask you to support the adoption tax credit, which 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…(Tell Congress why you care. Your Members of Congress value your voice!)

If Congress does not take action, the current adoption tax credit 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 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” tax for children with special needs.

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

Unless the tax credit is extended this is going to end for all of the future adoptive families. Infertility is expensive. Adoption is expensive. Adoptive families deserve some help! I actually emailed Ohio's Senator and State Representative about this matter today! Please consider doing the same. It only took me 10 minutes! 

Stay Cool!