I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1401

To support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using 

a network of public and private community entities to provide mentoring 

for children in foster care. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 20, 2003

Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee 

on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To support the establishment or expansion and operation 

of programs using a network of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care.

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 ‘‘Foster Care Mentoring 

5 Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 
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1 (1) Research shows that caring adults can 

2 make a difference in children’s lives. Forty-five per3 cent of mentored teens are less likely to use drugs. 

4 Fifty-nine percent of mentored teens have better 

5 academic performance. Seventy-three percent of 

6 mentored teens achieve higher goals generally. 

7 (2) Children that have mentors have better re8 lationships with adults, fewer disciplinary referrals, 

9 and more confidence to achieve their goals. 

10 (3) In 2001, over 163,000 children in the foster 

11 care system were under the age of 5 years. 

12 (4) In 2001, over 124,000 children were under 

13 the age of 10 when they were removed from their 

14 parents or caretakers. 

15 (5) The International Day of the Child, spon16 sored by Children United Nations, has served as a 

17 great tool to recruit mentors and partner them with 

18 needy foster care children. 

19 (6) On November 10, 2002, as many as 3,000 

20 children will be matched with mentors as a result of 

21 the International Day of the Child. 

22 (7) States should be encouraged to incorporate 

23 mentor programs into the delivery of their foster 

24 care services. The State of California serves as a 
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1 great example, matching close to half a million men2 tors with needy children. 

3 (8) Mentor programs that serve foster children 

4 are unique and require additional considerations in5 cluding specialized training and support necessary to 

6 provide for consistent, long term relationships for 

7 children in care. 

8 (9) Mentor programs are cost-effective ap9 proaches to decreasing the occurrence of so many so10 cial ills such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse, in11 carceration and violence. 

12 SEC. 3. PROGRAMS FOR MENTORING CHILDREN IN FOSTER 

13 CARE. 

14 Subpart 2 of part B of title IV of the Social Security 

15 Act (42 U.S.C. 629 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

16 end the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 440. PROGRAMS FOR MENTORING CHILDREN IN FOS18 TER CARE. 

19 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 

20 authorize the Secretary to make grants to eligible appli21 cants to support the establishment or expansion and oper22 ation of programs using a network of public and private 

23 community entities to provide mentoring for children in 

24 foster care. 

25 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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1 ‘‘(1) CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE.—The term 

2 ‘children in foster care’ means children who have 

3 been removed from the custody of their biological or 

4 adoptive parents by a State child welfare agency. 

5 ‘‘(2) MENTORING.—The term ‘mentoring’ 

6 means a structured, managed program in which chil7 dren are appropriately matched with screened and 

8 trained adult volunteers for one-on-one relationships, 

9 that involves meetings and activities on a regular 

10 basis, and that is intended to meet, in part, the 

11 child’s need for involvement with a caring and sup12 portive adult who provides a positive role model. 

13 ‘‘(c) GRANT PROGRAM.—

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

15 out a program to award grants to States to support 

16 the establishment or expansion and operation of pro17 grams using networks of public and private commu18 nity entities to provide mentoring for children in fos19 ter care. 

20 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—To be eli21 gible for a grant under paragraph (1), the chief ex22 ecutive officer of the State shall submit to the Sec23 retary an application containing the following: 
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1 ‘‘(A) PROGRAM DESIGN.—A description of 

2 the proposed program to be carried out using 

3 amounts provided under this grant, including—

4 ‘‘(i) a list of local public and private 

5 organizations and entities that will partici6 pate in the mentoring network; 

7 ‘‘(ii) the name, description, and quali8 fications of the entity that will coordinate 

9 and oversee the activities of the mentoring 

10 network; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the number of mentor-child 

12 matches proposed to be established and 

13 maintained annually under the program; 

14 ‘‘(iv) such information as the Sec15 retary may require concerning the methods 

16 to be used to recruit, screen, support, and 

17 oversee individuals participating as men18 tors, (which methods shall include criminal 

19 background checks on the individuals), and 

20 to evaluate outcomes for participating chil21 dren, including information necessary to 

22 demonstrate compliance with requirements 

23 established by the Secretary for the pro24 gram; and 
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1 ‘‘(v) such other information as the 

2 Secretary may require. 

3 ‘‘(B) TRAINING.—An assurance that all 

4 mentors covered under the program will receive 

5 intensive and ongoing training in the following 

6 areas: 

7 ‘‘(i) Child development, including the 

8 importance of bonding. 

9 ‘‘(ii) Family dynamics, including the 

10 effects of domestic violence. 

11 ‘‘(iii) Foster care system, principles, 

12 and practices. 

13 ‘‘(iv) Recognizing and reporting child 

14 abuse and neglect. 

15 ‘‘(v) Confidentiality requirements for 

16 working with children in care. 

17 ‘‘(vi) Working in coordination with the 

18 public school system. 

19 ‘‘(vii) Other matters related to work20 ing with children in care. 

21 ‘‘(C) SCREENING.—An assurance that all 

22 mentors covered under the program are appro23 priately screened and have demonstrated a will24 ingness to comply with all aspects of the mentor 

25 program, including—
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1 ‘‘(i) a description of the methods to be 

2 used to conduct criminal background 

3 checks on all prospective mentors; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) a description of the methods to 

5 be used to ensure that the mentors are 

6 willing and able to serve as a mentor on a 

7 long term, consistent basis. 

8 ‘‘(D) EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—An 

9 assurance that all mentors recruited to serve in 

10 the program will—

11 ‘‘(i) have a high school diploma or its 

12 equivalent; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) have completed at least 1 year of 

14 study in a program leading to a graduate 

15 or post graduate degree. 

16 ‘‘(E) COMMUNITY CONSULTATION; COORDI17 NATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—A dem18 onstration that, in developing and implementing 

19 the program, the State will, to the extent fea20 sible and appropriate—

21 ‘‘(i) consult with public and private 

22 community entities, including religious or23 ganizations, and including, as appropriate, 

24 Indian tribal organizations and urban In-
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1 dian organizations, and with family mem2 bers of potential clients; 

3 ‘‘(ii) coordinate the programs and ac4 tivities under the program with other Fed5 eral, State, and local programs serving 

6 children and youth; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) consult with appropriate Fed8 eral, State, and local corrections, workforce 

9 development, and substance abuse and 

10 mental health agencies. 

11 ‘‘(F) EQUAL ACCESS FOR LOCAL SERVICE

12 PROVIDERS.—An assurance that public and pri13 vate entities and community organizations, in14 cluding religious organizations and Indian orga15 nizations, will be eligible to participate on an 

16 equal basis. 

17 ‘‘(G) RECORDS, REPORTS, AND AUDITS.—

18 An agreement that the State will maintain such 

19 records, make such reports, and cooperate with 

20 such reviews or audits as the Secretary may 

21 find necessary for purposes of oversight of 

22 project activities and expenditures. 

23 ‘‘(H) EVALUATION.—An agreement that 

24 the State will cooperate fully with the Sec25 retary’s ongoing and final evaluation of the pro-
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1 gram under the plan, by means including pro2 viding the Secretary access to the program and 

3 program-related records and documents, staff, 

4 and grantees receiving funding under the plan. 

5 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL SHARE.—

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A grant for a program 

7 under this subsection shall be available to pay 

8 a percentage share of the costs of the program 

9 up to 75 percent for each year for which the 

10 grant is awarded. 

11 ‘‘(B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non12 Federal share of the cost of projects under this 

13 subsection may be in cash or in kind. In deter14 mining the amount of the non–Federal share, 

15 the Secretary may attribute fair market value 

16 to goods, services, and facilities contributed 

17 from non–Federal sources. 

18 ‘‘(4) CONSIDERATIONS IN AWARDING

19 GRANTS.—In awarding grants under this subsection, 

20 the Secretary shall take into consideration—

21 ‘‘(A) the overall qualifications and capacity 

22 of the State program and its partners to effec23 tively carry out a mentoring program under this 

24 subsection; 
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1 ‘‘(B) the level and quality of training pro2 vided to mentors under the program; 

3 ‘‘(C) evidence of coordination of the pro4 gram with the State’s social services and edu5 cation programs; 

6 ‘‘(D) the ability of the State to provide su7 pervision and support for mentors under the 

8 program and the youth served by such mentors; 

9 ‘‘(E) evidence of consultation with institu10 tions of higher learning; and 

11 ‘‘(F) any other factors that the Secretary 

12 determines to be significant with respect to the 

13 need for or the potential success of carrying out 

14 a mentoring program under this subsection. 

15 ‘‘(5) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amount awarded 

16 to a State under a grant under this subsection the 

17 State shall—

18 ‘‘(A) use not less than 50 percent of the 

19 total grant amount for the training and ongoing 

20 educational support of mentors; and 

21 ‘‘(B) use not more than 10 percent of the 

22 total grant amount for administrative purposes. 

23 ‘‘(6) MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—The amount 

24 of a grant awarded to a State under this subsection 

25 shall not exceed $600,000. 
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1 ‘‘(7) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

2 after the date of enactment of this section, and an3 nually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and 

4 submit to Congress a report that includes the fol5 lowing with respect to the year involved: 

6 ‘‘(A) A description of the number of pro7 grams receiving grant awards under this sub8 section. 

9 ‘‘(B) A description of the number of men10 tors who serve in the programs described in 

11 subparagraph (A). 

12 ‘‘(C) A description of the number of 

13 mentored foster children—

14 ‘‘(i) who graduate from high school; 

15 ‘‘(ii) who enroll in college; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) who are adopted by their men17 tors. 

18 ‘‘(D) A comparison between the rate of 

19 drug and alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy, de20 linquency, homelessness, and other outcome 

21 measures for mentored foster youth and non22 mentored foster youth. 

23 ‘‘(E) Any other information that the Sec24 retary determines to be relevant to the evalua25 tion of the program under this subsection. 
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1 ‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 this subsection, $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

4 2004 and 2005, and such sums as may be necessary 

5 for each succeeding fiscal year. 

6 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL COORDINATION OF STATEWIDE

7 MENTORING PARTNERSHIPS.—

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award 

9 a competitive grant to an eligible entity to establish 

10 a National Hotline Service or Website to provide in11 formation to individuals who are interested in be12 coming mentors to youth in foster care. 

13 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

14 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

15 this subsection, $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

16 2004 and 2005, and such sums as may be necessary 

17 for each succeeding fiscal year. 

18 ‘‘(e) LOAN FORGIVENESS.—

19 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

20 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE MENTOR.—The term ‘eligi21 ble mentor’ means an individual who has served 

22 as a mentor in a statewide mentor program es23 tablished under subsection (c) for at least 200 

24 hours in a single calendar year. 
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1 ‘‘(B) FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN.—The 

2 term ‘Federal student loan’ means any loan 

3 made, insured, or guaranteed under part B, D, 

4 or E of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 

5 1965. 

6 ‘‘(C) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

7 means the Secretary of Education. 

8 ‘‘(2) RELIEF FROM INDEBTEDNESS.—

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

10 carry out a program to provide for the dis11 charge or cancellation of the Federal student 

12 loan indebtedness of eligible mentors. 

13 ‘‘(B) METHOD OF DISCHARGE OR CAN14 CELLATION.—A loan that will be discharged or 

15 canceled under the program under subpara16 graph (A) shall be discharged or canceled as 

17 provided for using the method under section 

18 437(a), 455(a)(1), or 464(c)(1)(F) of the High19 er Education Act of 1965, as applicable. 

20 ‘‘(C) AMOUNT OF RELIEF.—The amount of 

21 relief to be provided with respect to a loan 

22 under this subsection shall—

23 ‘‘(i) be equal to $2,000 for each 200 

24 hours of service of an eligible mentor; and 
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1 ‘‘(ii) not exceed a total of $12,000 for 

2 an eligible individual. 

3 ‘‘(3) FACILITATION OF CLAIMS.—The Secretary 

4 shall—

5 ‘‘(A) establish procedures for the filing of 

6 applications for the discharge or cancellation of 

7 loans under this subsection by regulations that 

8 shall be prescribed and published within 90 

9 days after the date of enactment of this section 

10 and without regard to the requirements of sec11 tion 553 of title 5, United States Code; and 

12 ‘‘(B) take such actions as may be nec13 essary to publicize the availability of the pro14 gram established under this subsection for eligi15 ble mentors. 

16 ‘‘(4) FUNDING.—Amounts available for the pur17 poses of making payments to lenders in accordance 

18 with section 437(a) of the Higher Education Act of 

19 1965 for the discharge of indebtedness of deceased 

20 or disabled individuals shall be available for making 

21 payments to lenders of loans to eligible mentors as 

22 provided for in this subsection.’’.

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