II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4795 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize a program to 

recognize institutions of higher education that offer outstanding services 

and programs for foster and homeless youth, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 

Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. CASEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize 

a program to recognize institutions of higher education 

that offer outstanding services and programs for foster 

and homeless youth, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Fostering Postsec5 ondary Success for Foster and Homeless Youth Act of 

6 2022’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF FOSTER CARE YOUTH- AND 

2 HOMELESS YOUTH-FRIENDLY INSTITUTIONS 

3 OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 

4 Title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

5 U.S.C. 1161a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

6 the following new part: 

7 ‘‘PART BB—FOSTER CARE YOUTH- AND 

8 HOMELESS YOUTH-FRIENDLY INSTITUTIONS 

9 ‘‘SEC. 899. RECOGNITION OF FOSTER CARE YOUTH- AND 

10 HOMELESS YOUTH-FRIENDLY INSTITUTIONS 

11 OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 

12 ‘‘(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall 

13 recognize eligible institutions that offer outstanding sup14 port services and other programs tailored to the needs of 

15 foster care youth and homeless youth. 

16 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION.—An eligible institution recog17 nized by the Secretary under subsection (a) shall be des18 ignated as ‘Foster and Homeless Youth Friendly’. 

19 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be considered for recognition 

20 under subsection (a), an eligible institution shall submit 

21 to the Secretary an application at such time, in such man22 ner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 

23 require. At a minimum, each application shall include a 

24 detailed description of the programs and services available 

25 for, and that serve, foster care youth and homeless youth 


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1 that are offered by the institution, which may include pro2 grams and services such as— 

3 ‘‘(1) mentorship programs that formally match 

4 foster care youth and homeless youth with a peer or 

5 adult mentor; 

6 ‘‘(2) academic support services to supplement 

7 or complement the classroom instruction provided to 

8 foster care youth and homeless youth; 

9 ‘‘(3) housing assistance programs under which 

10 the institution provides— 

11 ‘‘(A) on-campus or off-campus housing di12 rectly to foster care youth and homeless youth; 

13 or 

14 ‘‘(B) financial support to cover the housing 

15 costs of foster care youth and homeless youth; 

16 ‘‘(4) life and workforce skills development pro17 grams that teach or enhance the skills that foster 

18 care youth and homeless youth may require to be 

19 successful in their personal and professional lives; 

20 ‘‘(5) financial aid or scholarships available ex21 clusively to foster care youth and homeless youth; 

22 ‘‘(6) counseling or mental health services pro23 vided by a licensed professional with expertise in 

24 serving foster care youth and homeless youth; 


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1 ‘‘(7) case management services and efforts to 

2 facilitate participation in other Federal assistance 

3 programs for which students may be eligible; 

4 ‘‘(8) an institutional point of contact for such 

5 students; and 

6 ‘‘(9) such other programs and services as the 

7 Secretary determines to be appropriate in consulta8 tion with the individuals and entities described in 

9 subsection (e). 

10 ‘‘(d) SELECTION PROCESS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) ANNUAL, MERIT-BASED SELEC13 TION.—On an annual basis, the Secretary shall 

14 select eligible institutions for recognition under 

15 subsection (a) from among institutions that 

16 submit applications to the Secretary under sub17 section (c). The Secretary shall select such in18 stitutions on a competitive basis, based solely 

19 on merit. 

20 ‘‘(B) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY NOT RE21 QUIRED.—The Secretary shall not consider geo22 graphic diversity among the States as a factor 

23 in the selection of eligible institutions for rec24 ognition under subsection (a). 


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1 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES.—Consistent 

2 with paragraph (1), the Secretary shall issue guide3 lines setting forth criteria and procedures for the se4 lection of institutions for recognition under sub5 section (a). The guidelines shall be developed and 

6 implemented as follows: 

7 ‘‘(A) DRAFT GUIDELINES.—Not later than 

8 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 

9 section, the Secretary shall issue draft guide10 lines, which shall be made available for public 

11 comment for a period of not less than 90 days. 

12 ‘‘(B) REVISED GUIDELINES.—Not later 

13 than 90 days after the end of the public com14 ment period specified in subparagraph (A), the 

15 Secretary shall issue revised guidelines, which 

16 shall be made available for public comment for 

17 a period of not less than 30 days. 

18 ‘‘(C) FINAL GUIDELINES.—Not later than 

19 30 days after the end of the public comment pe20 riod specified in subparagraph (B), the Sec21 retary shall publish and implement the final 

22 guidelines. 

23 ‘‘(e) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the program 

24 under this section, the Secretary shall consult with approVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Sep 07, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4795.IS S4795

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1 priate individuals and entities outside the Department of 

2 Education, which may include— 

3 ‘‘(1) other Federal agencies; 

4 ‘‘(2) State agencies; 

5 ‘‘(3) institutions of higher education; 

6 ‘‘(4) nonprofit and advocacy organizations; 

7 ‘‘(5) current and former foster care youth; and 

8 ‘‘(6) students who have experienced homeless9 ness. 

10 ‘‘(f) INFORMATION SHARING.—On an annual basis, 

11 the Secretary shall publish, on a publicly accessible 

12 website of the Department of Education— 

13 ‘‘(1) a profile of each institution recognized 

14 under subsection (a) in the most recent year; and 

15 ‘‘(2) a comprehensive list of all institutions pre16 viously recognized under subsection (a). 

17 ‘‘(g) ENSURING CONTINUITY OF QUALITY PROGRAMS

18 AND SERVICES FOR FOSTER AND HOMELESS YOUTH.— 

19 ‘‘(1) INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

21 than once every 5 years, the Secretary shall re22 view each institution recognized under sub23 section (a) to determine whether the programs 

24 and services provided by the institution conVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Sep 07, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4795.IS S4795

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1 tinue to meet the criteria required for such rec2 ognition. 

3 ‘‘(B) NOTICE.—If the Secretary deter4 mines under subparagraph (A) that an institu5 tion no longer meets the criteria for recognition 

6 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall trans7 mit written notice of such determination to the 

8 institution. 

9 ‘‘(C) REVOCATION.—After transmitting 

10 the notice required under subparagraph (B), 

11 the Secretary shall— 

12 ‘‘(i) revoke the institution’s recogni13 tion under subsection (a); and 

14 ‘‘(ii) remove the profile established for 

15 the institution under subsection (f)(1) 

16 from the website of the Department of 

17 Education. 

18 ‘‘(D) REAPPLICATION.—An institution 

19 that loses recognition under subsection (a) may 

20 reapply for such recognition in a subsequent ap21 plication year. 

22 ‘‘(2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 3 years after 

23 the date of enactment of this section, and not less 

24 frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the 


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1 Secretary shall provide to Congress a briefing that 

2 identifies— 

3 ‘‘(A) strategies used by institutions that 

4 proved effective in meeting the needs of foster 

5 care youth and homeless youth; and 

6 ‘‘(B) recommendations on how to improve 

7 programs and services for foster care youth and 

8 homeless youth. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 899A. TRAINING, EVALUATION, AND INFORMATION 

10 CENTER. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

12 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall es13 tablish a Center for Fostering Postsecondary Success for 

14 Foster and Homeless Youth (referred to in this section 

15 as the ‘Center’). 

16 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Center shall be to 

17 assist institutions of higher education in establishing and 

18 maintaining programs for foster care youth and homeless 

19 youth, including by— 

20 ‘‘(1) providing technical assistance; 

21 ‘‘(2) collecting, evaluating, and delivering infor22 mation on best practices for such programs; and 

23 ‘‘(3) maintaining resources to help foster care 

24 youth and homeless youth navigate postsecondary 

25 education. 


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1 ‘‘(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—For the purpose 

2 of carrying out this section, the Secretary may enter into 

3 cooperative agreements with one or more organizations 

4 with expertise in support services and other programs tai5 lored to the needs of foster care youth and homeless youth, 

6 including— 

7 ‘‘(1) nonprofit nongovernmental organizations; 

8 ‘‘(2) Federal and State government agencies; 

9 ‘‘(3) institutions of higher education, including 

10 public, private, and land-grant colleges and univer11 sities, and minority-serving institutions; and 

12 ‘‘(4) such other organizations as the Secretary 

13 determines to be appropriate. 

14 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In entering into agreements with 

15 organizations under subsection (c), Secretary shall give 

16 priority to organizations that— 

17 ‘‘(1) are capable of engaging with foster care 

18 youth and homeless youth and programs that serve 

19 such youth and demonstrate expertise in under20 standing the unique needs of such youth; 

21 ‘‘(2) demonstrate the capacity to effectively im22 plement outreach, training, and coordination func23 tions; 

24 ‘‘(3) are capable of producing resources and 

25 materials that can easily be replicated and distribVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Sep 07, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4795.IS S4795

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1 uted to institutions of higher education in multiple 

2 formats; 

3 ‘‘(4) have working partnerships with— 

4 ‘‘(A) nonprofit and private sector organiza5 tions; and 

6 ‘‘(B) local, State, and Tribal governments; 

7 ‘‘(5) have the ability to work in underserved 

8 communities; and 

9 ‘‘(6) have an organizational mission aligned 

10 with goals of the program under this part. 

11 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec12 tion shall be construed to provide the Center with the au13 thority to issue mandates to, or impose requirements on, 

14 any institution of higher education. 

15 ‘‘(f) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR ES17 TABLISHMENT.—Of the funds made available to 

18 carry out this part for each of fiscal years 2022 and 

19 2023, the Secretary may use not more than 

20 $2,000,000 in each fiscal year to establish the Cen21 ter. 

22 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR OPER23 ATION.—Of the funds made available to carry out 

24 this part for each fiscal year beginning after fiscal 

25 year 2023, the Secretary may use not more than 


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1 $1,000,000 in each fiscal year to support the oper2 ations of the Center. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 899B. DEFINITIONS. 

4 ‘‘In this part: 

5 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi6 ble institution’ means— 

7 ‘‘(A) an institution of higher education (as 

8 defined in section 101); or 

9 ‘‘(B) a postsecondary educational institu10 tion operated or controlled by the Bureau of In11 dian Education. 

12 ‘‘(2) FOSTER CARE YOUTH.—The term ‘foster 

13 care youth’ means an individual whose care and 

14 placement is the responsibility of the State or Tribal 

15 agency that administers a State or Tribal plan 

16 under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security 

17 Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.; 670 et seq.), without re18 gard to whether foster care maintenance payments 

19 are made under section 472 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 672) on behalf of the individual, including any such 

21 individual who was in such care on or after attaining 

22 13 years of age and without regard to the reason the 

23 individual left such care. 

24 ‘‘(3) HOMELESS YOUTH.—The term ‘homeless 

25 youth’ has the meaning given the term ‘homeless 


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1 children and youths’ in section 725 of the McKin2 ney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 11434a). 

4 ‘‘(4) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

5 term ‘minority-serving institution’ means an eligible 

6 institution described in section 371(a) of the Higher 

7 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)).’’. 

Æ 


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