I encourage you to enact rules that would prohibit the state-licensed agencies from discriminating based on race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, disability and family status in providing services to children and prospective foster care and adoptive parents, as the best interests of the child should be the sole factor in deciding whether a child should be placed with a prospective foster care or adoptive parent or parents.  Discriminatiopn of any kind should not be permitted.  Please vote to restore to the final rules the protections against such discrimination that are included in the proposed rules.