H.C.R. No. 18 Summary

• Designates November 2009 as "Ohio Adoption Month" to honor adoptive families and increase public awareness of adoption.

• Recognizes that over 3,500 children in Ohio are awaiting permanent homes, with children over age 10, African American children, and sibling groups waiting the longest.

• Notes that approximately 1,900 children are adopted annually in Ohio and that 20% of children adopted since 2002 had been in public agency custody for more than three years.

• Supports the mission of the North American Council on Adoptable Children in commemorating November as "National Adoption Awareness Month" and endorses continued annual presidential proclamation of "National Adoption Month."

• Directs the House Clerk to transmit copies of the resolution to the President, Governor, legislative leadership, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director, and Ohio news media.