Late Foster Dad Kyle Forti Honored With Bill At State Capitol

DENVER (CBS4)- In the final hectic days of the legislative session, state lawmakers pause to remember a foster dad who fought for a bill to help kids and parents in crisis. Kyle Forti died before the bill was passed.

Now, Colorado lawmakers are naming it after him.

"Sometimes we forget about what's really important in life," said Rep. Jonathan Singer. "And then we have bills like this."

Singer, a Boulder County Democrat, and Rep. Kim Ransom, a Douglas County Republican, are sponsoring the bill that gives parents, who love their kids but need some help, an option other than the foster care system.

"It's a huge honor to be part of this bill," said Ransom as she introduced an amendment to name the bill The Kyle Forti Act.

Forti and his wife, Hope, began pushing for the bill two years ago, to give parents in crisis with nowhere to turn a safe place to temporarily put their kids so they didn't end up in foster care.

Last month, he died in a helicopter crash and she was left to press on alone, three months pregnant, with a five year old son, and two foster kids.

"Sometimes it is all the energy I have to put one post up, 'Please email your legislators', but that's the one thing right now I would choose to do."

She does it, she says, to help other families who don't have the support she does.

"The reason kids are in foster care - it's easy to stereotype - but it's not just financial poverty, it's relational poverty."

The program will be run by the non-profit Safe Families. It works with churches to identify, screen and train families willing to help with temporary care. The state will oversee the program.

"It's wonderful to have his name kind of there in history now as what's allowing this program to run," Hope said, but added that her husband would want it named for all the other people who helped with it.

Kyle's mom, Ann Forti, says the bill will be part of her son's legacy, "Kyle's witness in all of us is to give what we can, to help when we can, so he may not be here physically but his witness in our lives is here."

Hope and Kyle founded their own non-profit Foster Together to help support foster families and kids. Hope says she wants people to be inspired by her husband to volunteer.

Singer says Forti reminds everyone what matters most in life, "Being there is sometimes the greatest gift that we can give each other."

The bill passed the House unanimously and heads to the Senate with one week to go in the legislative session.