HB+31


 * Bill Number:** HB 31


 * Sponsors:** Mritz I-MA and Schurch I-MA


 * Topic:** Family Values


 * Title:** J.O.Y.S ( joining our young siblings)


 * Purpose:** To keep siblings up for adoption in the same household.


 * Eligibility:** All children up for adoption ages two to eighteen years of age.


 * Terms and Benefits:** Recent clinical studies have shown that the human brain develops most rapidly during the childhood years, particularly from birth to six years of age. However, this growth is still more rapid in youths of up to roughly sixteen years of age than it is in adults. These studies have shown that exposure to traumatic events during this developmental period, such as being separated from a sibling, severely affected the emotion-sensing sections of the brain in a negative manner, decreasing brain mass and density. This impact seemed to grow worse over time, the effects multiplying and expanding to include a vast array of social and mental complications. These events affected the brain in its entirety, affecting most parts of the brain. This bill would make it necessary for adopted siblings to be adopted into the same household. In other words, it would be necessary for blood families to remain intact. This would be required of both government regulated and private facilities. Children adopted together often report that having a familiar face around eased their transition. In cases involving mixed races and sometimes languages, adopted children, especially younger ones, and their new families claimed that having a sibling there helped make it easier to adjust to a new lifestyle. This bill would be enforced by two specialized social workers in each of our fifty states to keep track of records and take reports from adoption facilities, plus a director of the program to eliminate large-scale problems, if such come arise, and keep track of the program. This bill would be publicised through a team of marketers, who would manage a series of television commercials and billboards. Because adoptive parents often claim that they don't take siblings because every cost involving a new child is doubled. To alleviate this, HB31 would provide a small tax break for these new parents.


 * Estimated Fiscal Impact:**


 * __Equipment__** computers Will be used to keep records and for marketing staff. __**Estimated cost:**__ $408,000 __**Explanation:**__ Assuming an average office computer costs about $800, times about 51workers. **Total for Equipment:** $408,000

__**Marketing**__ Billboards __**Effective:**__ lots of information can fit on these billboards and many people will see them. **__Estimated cost:__** $54,000 **Explanation:** For 10 billboards in high traffic locations for 6 months (it costs $4,500 for 5 for 1 month.

TV ads: **Effective:** lots of information and many people would see them. **Estimated cost:** $48,000 **Explanation of Cost:** ads twice a week for 35 weeks out of the year. **Total for marketing;** $102,000


 * __Labor__ Staff:** Social Workers **Number Needed** 50 **Estimated Salary** $408,000 for all 50 workers combined **Explanation:** Estimated average salary of government-hired social workers according to national records in 2008.


 * Staff:** Marketers **Number Needed:** We'd hire a company based on work products **Salary:** $100,000 **Explanation:** for a year of contract with work products of commercials/ billboards


 * Staff:** Director of Program **Number needed:** 1 **Salary:** $80,000 **Explanation:** Salary is for a person to keep records and enforce/keep track of the program.


 * Total for Labor:** $220,800


 * __Other Costs__ Expense:** small tax break to parents adopting siblings of roughly $300 annually per set of siblings depending on the parents' income. **Estimated Cost:** $1,800,000 **Explanation:** $300 times the roughly 6,000 estimated siblings adoptions (this number is extremely hesitant)


 * __Total Cost of Bill:__** $2,562,800