I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2880

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 

JULY 24, 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 ‘‘(3) POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.—The term ‘polit14 ical subdivision’ means a local jurisdiction below the 

15 level of the State government, including a county, 

16 parish, borough, or city. 

17 ‘‘(c) GRANT PROGRAM.—

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

19 out a program to award grants to States to support 

20 the establishment or expansion and operation of pro21 grams using networks of public and private commu22 nity entities to provide mentoring for children in fos23 ter care. 

24 ‘‘(2) GRANTS TO POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.—

25 The Secretary may award a grant under this sub-
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1 section directly to a political subdivision if the sub2 division serves a substantial number of foster care 

3 youth (as determined by the Secretary). 

4 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—To be eli5 gible for a grant under paragraph (1), the chief ex6 ecutive officer of the State or political subdivision 

7 shall submit to the Secretary an application con8 taining the following: 

9 ‘‘(A) PROGRAM DESIGN.—A description of 

10 the proposed program to be carried out using 

11 amounts provided under this grant, including—

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

13 organizations and entities that will partici14 pate in the mentoring network; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the name, description, and quali16 fications of the entity that will coordinate 

17 and oversee the activities of the mentoring 

18 network; 

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

20 matches proposed to be established and 

21 maintained annually under the program; 

22 ‘‘(iv) such information as the Sec23 retary may require concerning the methods 

24 to be used to recruit, screen support, and 

25 oversee individuals participating as men-
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1 tors, (which methods shall include criminal 

2 background checks on the individuals), and 

3 to evaluate outcomes for participating chil4 dren, including information necessary to 

5 demonstrate compliance with requirements 

6 established by the Secretary for the pro7 gram; and 

8 ‘‘(v) such other information as the 

9 Secretary may require. 

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

11 mentors covered under the program will receive 

12 intensive and ongoing training in the following 

13 areas: 

14 ‘‘(i) Child Development, including the 

15 importance of bonding. 

16 ‘‘(ii) Family dynamics, including the 

17 effects of domestic violence. 

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

19 and practices. 

20 ‘‘(iv) Recognizing and reporting child 

21 abuse and neglect. 

22 ‘‘(v) Confidentiality requirements for 

23 working with children in care. 

24 ‘‘(vi) Working in coordination with the 

25 public school system. 
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1 ‘‘(vii) Other matters related to work2 ing with children in care. 

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

4 mentors covered under the program are appro5 priately screened and have demonstrated a will6 ingness to comply with all aspects of the mentor 

7 program, including—

8 ‘‘(i) a description of the methods to be 

9 used to conduct criminal background 

10 checks on all prospective mentors; and 

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

12 be used to ensure that the mentors are 

13 willing and able to serve as a mentor on a 

14 long term, consistent basis. 

15 ‘‘(D) EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—An 

16 assurance that all mentors recruited to serve as 

17 academic mentors will—

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

19 equivalent; and 

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

21 study in a program leading to a graduate 

22 or post graduate degree. 

23 ‘‘(E) COMMUNITY CONSULTATION; COORDI24 NATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—A dem25 onstration that, in developing and implementing 
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1 the program, the State or political subdivision 

2 will, to the extent feasible and appropriate—

3 ‘‘(i) consult with public and private 

4 community entities, including religious or5 ganizations, and including, as appropriate, 

6 Indian tribal organizations and urban In7 dian organizations, and with family mem8 bers of potential clients; 

9 ‘‘(ii) coordinate the programs and ac10 tivities under the program with other Fed11 eral, State, and local programs serving 

12 children and youth; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) consult and coordinate with ap14 propriate Federal, State, and local correc15 tions, workforce development, and sub16 stance abuse and mental health agencies. 

17 ‘‘(F) EQUAL ACCESS FOR LOCAL SERVICE

18 PROVIDERS.—An assurance that public and pri19 vate entities and community organizations, in20 cluding religious organizations and Indian orga21 nizations, will be eligible to participate on an 

22 equal basis. 

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

24 An agreement that the State or political sub25 division will maintain such records, make such 
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1 reports, and cooperate with such reviews or au2 dits as the Secretary may find necessary for 

3 purposes of oversight of project activities and 

4 expenditures. 

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

6 the State or political subdivision will cooperate 

7 fully with the Secretary’s ongoing and final 

8 evaluation of the program under the plan, by 

9 means including providing the Secretary access 

10 to the program and program-related records 

11 and documents, staff, and grantees receiving 

12 funding under the plan. 

13 ‘‘(4) FEDERAL SHARE.—

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

15 under this subsection shall be available to pay 

16 a percentage share of the costs of the program 

17 up to 75 percent for each year for which the 

18 grant is awarded. 

19 ‘‘(B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non20 Federal share of the cost of projects under this 

21 subsection may be in cash or in kind. In deter22 mining the amount of the non-Federal share, 

23 the Secretary may attribute fair market value 

24 to goods, services, and facilities contributed 

25 from non-Federal sources. 
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1 ‘‘(5) CONSIDERATIONS IN AWARDING

2 GRANTS.—In awarding grants under this subsection, 

3 the Secretary shall take into consideration—

4 ‘‘(A) the overall qualifications and capacity 

5 of the State or political subdivision program 

6 and its partners to effectively carry out a men7 toring program under this subsection; 

8 ‘‘(B) the level and quality of training pro9 vided to mentors under the program; 

10 ‘‘(C) evidence of coordination of the pro11 gram with the State’s or political subdivision’s 

12 social services and education programs; 

13 ‘‘(D) the ability of the State or political 

14 subdivision to provide supervision and support 

15 for mentors under the program and the youth 

16 served by such mentors; 

17 ‘‘(E) evidence of consultation with insti18 tutes of higher learning; 

19 ‘‘(F) the number of children in care served 

20 by the State or political subdivision; and 

21 ‘‘(G) any other factors that the Secretary 

22 determines to be significant with respect to the 

23 need for or the potential success of carrying out 

24 a mentoring program under this subsection. 
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1 ‘‘(6) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amount awarded 

2 to a State or political subdivision under a grant 

3 under this subsection the State or subdivision 

4 shall—

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

6 total grant amount for the training and ongoing 

7 educational support of mentors; and 

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

9 total grant amount for administrative purposes. 

10 ‘‘(7) MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In awarding grants 

12 under this section, the Secretary shall consider 

13 the number of children served by the jurisdic14 tion and the grant amount relative to the need 

15 for services. 

16 ‘‘(B) LIMIT.—The amount of a grant 

17 awarded to a State or political subdivision 

18 under this subsection shall not exceed 

19 $600,000. 

20 ‘‘(8) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

21 after the date of enactment of this section, and an22 nually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and 

23 submit to Congress a report that includes the fol24 lowing with respect to the year involved: 
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1 ‘‘(A) A description of the number of pro2 grams receiving grant awards under this sub3 section. 

4 ‘‘(B) A description of the number of men5 tors who serve in the programs described in 

6 subparagraph (A). 

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

8 mentored foster children—

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

10 ‘‘(ii) who enroll in college; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) who are adopted by their men12 tors. 

13 ‘‘(D) Any other information that the Sec14 retary determines to be relevant to the evalua15 tion of the program under this subsection. 

16 ‘‘(9) EVALUATION.—Not later than 3 years 

17 after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec18 retary shall conduct an evaluation of the effective19 ness of programs funded under this section, includ20 ing a comparison between the rate of drug and alco21 hol abuse, teenage pregnancy, delinquency, home22 lessness, and other outcome measures for mentored 

23 foster care youth and non-mentored foster care 

24 youth. 
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1 ‘‘(10) 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 tide 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 an eligible mentor. 

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 $20,000 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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