I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4839 

To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require States 

to provide for the placement of a foster child in a cottage home, and 

to make a child so placed eligible for foster care maintenance payments. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 23, 2019 

Mr. MEADOWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

to require States to provide for the placement of a foster 

child in a cottage home, and to make a child so placed 

eligible for foster care maintenance payments. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caring Homes and 

5 Improved Lives for Dependents (CHILD) Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF FOSTER CHILDREN IN COTTAGE 

2 HOMES. 

3 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 471(a) of 

4 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)) is amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

6 (36); 

7 (2) by striking the period at the end of para8 graph (37) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

9 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(38) provides that, with respect to a child who 

11 has attained 6 years of age and who is removed 

12 from the child’s home, if a suitable relative or other 

13 designated caregiver is not available as a placement 

14 for the child, placing the child in a foster family 

15 home or a cottage home shall be considered the least 

16 restrictive setting for the child.’’. 

17 (b) ELIGIBILITY FOR FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE

18 PAYMENTS OF CERTAIN CHILDREN PLACED IN A COT19 TAGE HOME.—Section 472(a)(2)(C) of such Act (42 

20 U.S.C. 672(a)(2)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘home or 

21 child-care institution’’ and inserting ‘‘home, a child-care 

22 institution, or (if the child has attained 6 years of age 

23 and a suitable relative or other designated caregiver is not 

24 available as a placement for the child) a cottage home that 

25 is not a foster family home or child-care institution’’. 


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1 (c) DEFINITION OF COTTAGE HOME.—Section 

2 472(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 672(c)), as amended by 

3 the Family First Prevention Services Act, is amended by 

4 adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(3) COTTAGE HOME.—The term ‘cottage 

6 home’ means a residential operation— 

7 ‘‘(A) in which not more than 12 children 

8 reside; 

9 ‘‘(B) that has and implements a trauma10 informed treatment plan for its residents; 

11 ‘‘(C) that involves family members of a 

12 child in the treatment for the child, and main13 tains contact with the family of the child, if 

14 available and if the involvement is clinically ap15 propriate for the well-being of the child; 

16 ‘‘(D) that is licensed by the State in which 

17 it is situated or has been approved, by the 

18 agency of such State responsible for licensing or 

19 approval of institutions of this type; and 

20 ‘‘(E) that is accredited by the Council on 

21 Accreditation or another national accrediting 

22 body.’’. 

23 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by 

25 this section shall take effect on the date of the enVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Oct 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4839.IH H4839

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1 actment of this Act, and shall apply to payments 

2 under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

3 for calendar quarters beginning on or after such 

4 date. 

5 (2) DELAY PERMITTED IF STATE LEGISLATION

6 REQUIRED.—If the Secretary of Health and Human 

7 Services determines that State legislation (other 

8 than legislation appropriating funds) is required in 

9 order for a State plan under part E of title IV of 

10 the Social Security Act to meet the additional re11 quirements imposed by the amendments made by 

12 this section, the plan shall not be regarded as failing 

13 to meet any of the additional requirements before 

14 the first day of the first calendar quarter beginning 

15 after the first regular session of the State legislature 

16 that begins after the date of the enactment of this 

17 Act. For purposes of the preceding sentence, if the 

18 State has a 2-year legislative session, each year of 

19 the session is deemed to be a separate regular ses20 sion of the State legislature. 

Æ 


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