It's unsettling to feel inspired and angry at the same time. Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time on the phone with Kala Clark, a high school senior in Maine who succeeded in having the state legislature pass a new law recognizing the right of siblings separated in foster care to visit and spend time together. Kala, who was moved to action by being separated from her two little brothers when she went into care, is articulate, motivated, intelligent -- and still sad about what she and her brothers missed.

This year, Sen. Mary Landrieu -- Democrat of Louisiana -- plans to introduce the Proud Father Act. The law would address one aspect of the inequitable legal treatment of unmarried fathers seeking to fulfill their parental role, by creating a national registry of men who are (or believe they may be) the fathers of children born to single mothers. That would make it easier for these fathers to have their voices heard on critical issues, most particularly that of whether a child should be legally adopted by someone else.