I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9076 

To reauthorize and modernize part B of title IV of the Social Security 

Act to strengthen child welfare services, expand the availability of prevention services to better meet the needs of vulnerable families, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 22, 2024 

Mr. LAHOOD (for himself and Mr. DAVIS of Illinois) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and modernize part B of title IV of the 

Social Security Act to strengthen child welfare services, 

expand the availability of prevention services to better 

meet the needs of vulnerable families, 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; REFERENCES. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Protecting America’s Children by Strengthening Fami6 lies Act’’. 


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1 (b) REFERENCES.—Except as otherwise expressly 

2 provided, wherever in this Act an amendment or repeal 

3 is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, 

4 a section or other provision, the reference shall be consid5 ered to be made to that section or other provision of the 

6 Social Security Act. 

7 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

8 The table of contents of this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; references. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Reauthorization of child welfare programs. 

Sec. 4. Enhancements to the court improvement program. 

Sec. 5. Expanding regional partnership grants to address parental substance 

use disorder as cause of child removal. 

Sec. 6. Modernization; reducing administrative burden. 

Sec. 7. Streamlining funding for Indian tribes. 

Sec. 8. Accelerating access to Family First prevention services. 

Sec. 9. Strengthening support for youth aging out of foster care. 

Sec. 10. Recognizing the importance of relative and kinship caregivers. 

Sec. 11. Avoiding neglect by addressing poverty. 

Sec. 12. Strengthening support for caseworkers. 

Sec. 13. Demonstration projects for improving relationships between incarcerated parents and children in foster care. 

Sec. 14. Guidance to States on improving data collection and reporting for 

youth in residential treatment programs. 

Sec. 15. Streamlining research, training, and technical assistance funding. 

Sec. 16. Report on post adoption and subsidized guardianship services. 

Sec. 17. Effective date. 

9 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHILD WELFARE PRO10 GRAMS. 

11 (a) REAUTHORIZATION OF SUBPART 1; DISCRE12 TIONARY FUNDING.—Section 425 (42 U.S.C. 625) is 

13 amended by striking ‘‘2017 through 2023’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

15 (b) REAUTHORIZATION OF SUBPART 2; ENHANCED

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1 ed by striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2025 and $420,000,000 for 

3 each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029’’. 

4 (c) REAUTHORIZATION OF SUBPART 2; DISCRE5 TIONARY FUNDING.—Section 437(a) (42 U.S.C. 629g(a)) 

6 is amended by striking ‘‘2017 through 2023’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

8 (d) FUNDING LIMITATION.—Section 423(a)(2)(A) 

9 (42 U.S.C. 623(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, not 

10 to exceed $10,000,000’’ before the semicolon. 

11 SEC. 4. ENHANCEMENTS TO THE COURT IMPROVEMENT 

12 PROGRAM. 

13 (a) INCREASE IN RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—Section 

14 436(b)(2) (42 U.S.C. 629f(b)(2)) is amended by inserting 

15 ‘‘for fiscal year 2025 and $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 

16 and each succeeding fiscal year’’ before ‘‘for grants’’. 

17 (b) EXTENSION OF STATE MATCH REQUIREMENT.— 

18 Section 438(d) (42 U.S.C. 629h(d)) is amended by strik19 ing ‘‘2017 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

20 2029’’. 

21 (c) PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS.—Section 438(a) (42 

22 U.S.C. 629h(a)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(F) that determine the appropriateness 

2 and best practices for use of technology to con3 duct remote hearings, subject to participant 

4 consent, including to ensure maximum partici5 pation of individuals involved in proceedings 

6 and to enable courts to maintain operations in 

7 times of public health or other emergencies;’’; 

8 (2) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘per9 sonnel.’’ and inserting ‘‘personnel and supporting 

10 optimal use of remote hearing technology; and’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(3) to ensure continuity of needed court serv13 ices, prevent disruption of the services, and enable 

14 their recovery from threats such as public health cri15 ses, natural disasters or cyberattacks, including 

16 through— 

17 ‘‘(A) support for technology that allows 

18 court proceedings to occur remotely, including 

19 hearings and legal representation; 

20 ‘‘(B) the development of guidance and pro21 tocols for responding to the occurrences and co22 ordinating with other agencies; and 

23 ‘‘(C) other activities carried out to ensure 

24 backup systems are in place.’’. 


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1 (d) IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE ON SHARING BEST

2 PRACTICES FOR TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES NEEDED FOR

3 REMOTE COURT PROCEEDINGS FOR FOSTER CARE OR

4 ADOPTION.—Section 438 (42 U.S.C. 629h) is amended by 

5 adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(e) GUIDANCE.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Every 5 years, the Sec8 retary shall issue implementation guidance for shar9 ing information on best practices for— 

10 ‘‘(A) technological changes needed for 

11 court proceedings for foster care, guardianship, 

12 or adoption to be conducted remotely in a way 

13 that maximizes engagement and protects the 

14 privacy of participants; and 

15 ‘‘(B) the manner in which the proceedings 

16 should be conducted. 

17 ‘‘(2) INITIAL ISSUANCE.—The Secretary shall 

18 issue initial guidance required by paragraph (1) with 

19 preliminary information on best practices not later 

20 than October 1, 2025. 

21 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION.—The Sec22 retary shall consult with Indian tribes on the devel23 opment of appropriate guidelines for State court 

24 proceedings involving Indian children to maximize 

25 engagement of Indian tribes and provide appropriate 


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1 guidelines on conducting State court proceedings 

2 subject to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (25 

3 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.).’’. 

4 SEC. 5. EXPANDING REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP GRANTS TO 

5 ADDRESS PARENTAL SUBSTANCE USE DIS6 ORDER AS CAUSE OF CHILD REMOVAL. 

7 (a) INCREASE IN RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—Section 

8 436(b)(5) (42 U.S.C. 629f(b)(5)) is amended by striking 

9 ‘‘each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘fiscal year 2025 and $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 

11 and each succeeding fiscal year’’. 

12 (b) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 437(f) (42 U.S.C. 

13 629g(f)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘In addition to amounts 

16 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 

17 section, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; and 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘2017 through 2023’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘for each of 

21 fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’. 

22 (c) AUTHORITY TO WAIVE PLANNING PHASE.—Sec23 tion 437(f)(3)(B)(iii) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(3)(B)(iii)) is 

24 amended— 


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1 (1) by striking all that precedes ‘‘grant award2 ed’’ and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(iii) SUFFICIENT PLANNING.— 

4 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—A’’; and 

5 (2) by striking ‘‘may not exceed $250,000, 

6 and’’; and 

7 (3) by adding after and below the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(II) EXCEPTION.—The Sec10 retary, on a case-by-case basis, may 

11 waive the planning phase for a part12 nership that demonstrates that the 

13 partnership has engaged in sufficient 

14 planning before submitting an appli15 cation for a grant under this sub16 section.’’. 

17 (d) EXPANDING AVAILABILITY OF EVIDENCE-BASED

18 SERVICES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 437(f)(1) (42 U.S.C. 

20 629g(f)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and expand 

21 the scope of the evidence-based services that may be 

22 approved by the clearinghouse established under sec23 tion 476(d)’’ before the period. 


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1 (2) CONSIDERATIONS FOR AWARDING

2 GRANTS.—Section 437(f)(7) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(7)) 

3 is amended— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub5 paragraph (D); 

6 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

7 subparagraph (E) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(F) have submitted information pursuant 

10 to paragraph (4)(F) that demonstrates the ca11 pability to participate in rigorous evaluation of 

12 program effectiveness.’’. 

13 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON USING REGIONAL

14 PARTNERSHIP GRANT FUNDS IN COORDINATION WITH

15 OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS TO BETTER SERVE FAMILIES

16 AFFECTED BY A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.—Section 

17 435(d) (42 U.S.C. 629e(d)) is amended— 

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

19 (4); 

20 (2) by striking the period at the end of para21 graph (5); and 

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

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1 lies in the child welfare system that are affected by 

2 a substance use disorder.’’. 

3 (f) PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.—Section 

4 437(f)(8)(A) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(8)(A)) is amended in the 

5 1st sentence— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘this subsection’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘the Protecting America’s Children by Strength8 ening Families Act’’; 

9 (2) by inserting ‘‘child permanency, reunifica10 tion, re-entry into care,’’ before ‘‘parental recovery’’; 

11 and 

12 (3) by inserting ‘‘, and access to services for 

13 families with substance use disorder, including those 

14 with children who are overrepresented in foster care, 

15 difficult to place, or have disproportionately low per16 manency rates’’ before the period. 

17 (g) PERFORMANCE INDICATOR CONSULTATION RE18 QUIRED.—Section 437(f)(8)(B) (42 U.S.C. 

19 629g(f)(8)(B)) is amended by redesignating clause (iii) as 

20 clause (iv) and inserting after clause (ii) the following: 

21 ‘‘(iii) The Administrator of the Na22 tional Institute on Drug Abuse.’’. 

23 (h) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Section 437(f)(9)(B) 

24 (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(9)(B)) is amended— 

25 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause (ii); 


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1 (2) by striking the period at the end of clause 

2 (iii) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(iv) whether any programs funded by 

5 the grants were submitted to the clearing6 house established under section 476(d) for 

7 review and the results of any such re8 view.’’. 

9 (i) PRIORITY FOR STATEWIDE SERVICE GROWTH.— 

10 Section 437(f)(7) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(7)), as amended by 

11 subsection (d)(2) of this section, is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara13 graph (E); 

14 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub15 paragraph (F) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(G) are a State or public agency, or out18 line a plan to increase the availability of serv19 ices funded under the grant statewide.’’. 

20 (j) ADDITION OF JUVENILE COURT AS REQUIRED

21 PARTNER.—Section 437(f)(2)(A) (42 U.S.C. 

22 629g(f)(2)(A)) is amended by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(iii) The most appropriate adminis25 trative office of the juvenile court or State 


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1 court overseeing court proceedings involv2 ing families who come to the attention of 

3 the court due to child abuse or neglect.’’. 

4 (k) ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL PARTNER.—Section 

5 437(f)(2)(C) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(2)(C)) is amended by re6 designating clause (ix) as clause (x) and inserting after 

7 clause (viii) the following: 

8 ‘‘(ix) State or local agencies that ad9 minister Federal health care, housing, fam10 ily support, or other related programs.’’. 

11 (l) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

12 (1) Section 437(f)(2)(D) (42 U.S.C. 

13 629g(f)(2)(D)) is amended— 

14 (A) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause 

15 (i); 

16 (B) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end of 

17 clause (ii) and inserting a period; and 

18 (C) by striking clause (iii). 

19 (2) Section 437(f)(2) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(2)) is 

20 amended by striking subparagraph (B) and redesig21 nating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraphs 

22 (B) and (C), respectively. 


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1 SEC. 6. MODERNIZATION; REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE 

2 BURDEN. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 431 (42 U.S.C. 629a) is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(c) USE OF TECHNOLOGY.— 

6 ‘‘(1) USE OF PORTAL.—The services referred to 

7 in subsection (a) may include the means of access to 

8 and use of an electronic or digital portal to facilitate 

9 the provision of community support to care for and 

10 meet specific needs of families and children. 

11 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—Such a portal shall not re12 tain or share personally identifiable information 

13 about a beneficiary without consent or for any pur14 pose other than referral.’’. 

15 (b) ALLOWING SUPPORT FOR FAMILY RESOURCE

16 CENTERS.—Section 431(a) (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)) is amend17 ed— 

18 (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘, includ19 ing services provided by family resource centers,’’ 

20 before ‘‘designed’’; and 

21 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(10) FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘family re24 source center’ means a community or school25 based hub of support services for families 

26 that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) utilizes an approach that is multi2 generational, strengths-based, and family3 centered; 

4 ‘‘(ii) reflects, and is responsive to, 

5 community needs and interests; 

6 ‘‘(iii) provides support at no or low 

7 cost for participants; and 

8 ‘‘(iv) builds communities of peer sup9 port for families, including kinship fami10 lies, to develop social connections that re11 duce isolation and stress. 

12 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE.—For purposes of 

13 this subpart, an expenditure for a service pro14 vided by a family resource center may be treat15 ed as an expenditure for any 1 or more of fam16 ily support services, family preservation serv17 ices, family reunification services, or adoption 

18 promotion and support services as long as the 

19 expenditure is related to serving the children 

20 and families in the specified category and con21 sistent with the overall purpose of the cat22 egory.’’. 

23 (c) UPDATING STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Sec24 tion 422(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(1)) is amended to read 

25 as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(1) provide that a State agency will administer 

2 or supervise the administration of the plan under 

3 this subpart;’’. 

4 (d) ACCESS TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION.—Section 

5 422(b)(4) (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(4)) is amended— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara7 graph (A); 

8 (2) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara9 graph (B); and 

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

11 ‘‘(C) the steps that the State will take to 

12 ensure that, with respect to any judicial pro13 ceeding involving a child and in which there is 

14 an allegation of child abuse or neglect, includ15 ing a proceeding on dependency, adoption, 

16 guardianship, or termination of parental rights, 

17 information about available independent legal 

18 representation is provided to— 

19 ‘‘(i) the child, as appropriate; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) any individual who is a parent or 

21 guardian, or has legal custody, of the 

22 child.’’. 

23 (e) SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL24 BEING OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE.—Section 

25 422(b)(15)(A) (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(15) is amended— 


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1 (1) in the matter preceding clause (i)— 

2 (A) by inserting ‘‘and, if applicable, the 

3 State agency responsible for mental health serv4 ices,’’ before ‘‘and in consultation’’; and 

5 (B) by inserting ‘‘mental health pro6 viders,’’ before ‘‘other experts’’; 

7 (2) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘a list of services 

8 provided to support the physical and’’ before ‘‘emo9 tional’’; 

10 (3) in clause (iv), by inserting ‘‘and mental 

11 health’’ before ‘‘services’’; 

12 (4) in clause (v), by inserting ‘‘, informed con13 sent of youth, and compliance with professional 

14 practice guidelines’’ before the semicolon; and 

15 (5) in clause (vi), by inserting ‘‘, licensed men16 tal health providers,’’ before ‘‘or other’’. 

17 (f) REDUCTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 3 of part B of title 

19 IV (42 U.S.C. 629m) is amended by redesignating 

20 section 440 as section 443 and inserting before such 

21 section the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 441. REDUCTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall reduce the 

24 burden of administering this part imposed on the recipi25 ents of funds under this part, by— 


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1 ‘‘(1) reviewing and revising administrative data 

2 collection instruments and forms to eliminate dupli3 cation and streamline reporting requirements for the 

4 recipients while collecting all data required under 

5 this part; 

6 ‘‘(2) in coordination with activities required 

7 under the Paperwork Reduction Act, conducting an 

8 analysis of the total number of hours reported by 

9 the recipients to comply with paperwork require10 ments and exploring, in consultation with the recipi11 ents, how to reduce the number of hours required 

12 for the compliance by at least 15 percent; 

13 ‘‘(3) collecting input from the recipients with 

14 respect to fiscal and oversight requirements and 

15 making changes to ensure consistency with stand16 ards and guidelines for other Federal formula grant 

17 programs based on the input; and 

18 ‘‘(4) respecting the sovereignty of Indian tribes 

19 when complying with this subsection. 

20 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON APPLICABILITY.—Subsection 

21 (a) of this section shall not apply to any reporting or data 

22 collection otherwise required by law that would affect the 

23 ability of the Secretary to monitor and ensure compliance 

24 with State plans approved under this part or ensure that 

25 funds are expended consistent with this part. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 442. PUBLIC ACCESS TO STATE PLANS. 

2 ‘‘The Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) create a standardized format for State 

4 plans required under sections 422 and 432 used to 

5 monitor compliance with those sections; 

6 ‘‘(2) produce comparisons and analyses of 

7 trends in State plans to inform future technical as8 sistance and policy development; 

9 ‘‘(3) make the State plans available on a public 

10 website; and 

11 ‘‘(4) include on the website aggregated national 

12 summaries of State submissions as the Secretary 

13 deems appropriate.’’. 

14 (2) IMPLEMENTATION.—Within 2 years after 

15 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

16 of Health and Human Services shall— 

17 (A) comply with section 441 of the Social 

18 Security Act, as added by the amendment made 

19 by paragraph (1); and 

20 (B) notify each recipient of funds under 

21 part B of title IV of the Social Security Act of 

22 any change made by the Secretary pursuant to 

23 such section affecting the recipient. 

24 (3) REPORT.—Within 3 years after the date of 

25 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 

26 and Human Services shall submit to the Committee 


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1 on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives 

2 and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a re3 port describing the efforts of the Secretary to com4 ply with section 441 of the Social Security Act, as 

5 added by the amendment made by paragraph (1), in6 cluding the specific actions to comply with each 

7 paragraph of such section. 

8 (g) PRIMARY PREVENTION PARTNERS.—Section 

9 435(a)(2)(B) (42 U.S.C. 429e(a)(2)(B)) is amended by in10 serting ‘‘including community-based partners with exper11 tise in preventing unnecessary child welfare system in12 volvement’’ before the semicolon. 

13 SEC. 7. STREAMLINING FUNDING FOR INDIAN TRIBES. 

14 (a) SUBPART 1.— 

15 (1) TRIBAL SET-ASIDE; DIRECT PAYMENTS TO

16 TRIBES; EXEMPTIVE AUTHORITY.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 428 (42 U.S.C. 

18 628) is amended by striking subsections (a) and 

19 (b) and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(a) RESERVATION OF FUNDS; DIRECT PAY21 MENTS.—Out of any amount appropriated pursuant to 

22 section 425 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve 

23 3 percent for grants to Indian tribes and tribal organiza24 tions, which shall be paid directly to Indian tribes and 


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1 tribal organizations with a plan approved under this sub2 part, in accordance with section 433(a).’’. 

3 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

4 423(a) (42 U.S.C. 623(a)) is amended by strik5 ing ‘‘the sum appropriated pursuant to section 

6 425 for each fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for 

7 each fiscal year, the sum appropriated pursuant 

8 to section 425 remaining after applying section 

9 428(a)’’. 

10 (C) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 

11 428(c) (42 U.S.C. 628(c)) is amended by strik12 ing ‘‘450b’’ and inserting ‘‘5304’’. 

13 (2) IMPROVING COMPLIANCE WITH THE INDIAN

14 CHILD WELFARE ACT.— 

15 (A) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 

16 422(b)(9) (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(9)) is amended by 

17 striking ‘‘Act;’’ and inserting ‘‘Act of 1978, in18 cluding how the State will ensure timely notice 

19 to tribal organizations of State custody pro20 ceedings involving Indian children, foster care 

21 or adoptive placements of Indian children, and 

22 case recordkeeping as such matters relate to 

23 transfers of jurisdiction, termination of parental 

24 rights, and active efforts;’’. 


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1 (B) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Subpart 1 

2 of part B of title IV (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) is 

3 amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 429B. EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INDIAN 

5 CHILD WELFARE ACT OF 1978. 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than October 1, 2025, 

7 the Secretary, in consultation with Indian tribal organiza8 tions and States, shall develop a plan and provide tech9 nical assistance supporting effective implementation of the 

10 Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, including specific meas11 ures identified in State plans as required by section 

12 422(b)(9) of this Act. The technical assistance plan shall 

13 be based on data sufficient to assess State strengths and 

14 areas for improvement in implementing Federal standards 

15 established under the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, 

16 including, at a minimum, the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) Timely identification of Indian children 

18 and extended family members. 

19 ‘‘(2) Timely tribal notice of State child custody 

20 proceedings involving an Indian child. 

21 ‘‘(3) Reports of cases in which a transfer of ju22 risdiction (as defined under the Indian Child Wel23 fare Act of 1978) was granted or was not granted, 

24 and reasons specified for denial in cases where 

25 transfer was denied. 


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1 ‘‘(4) In cases in which a State court orders a 

2 foster care placement of an Indian child, whether re3 quirements for active efforts to prevent the breakup 

4 of the Indian family, testimony of a qualified expert 

5 witness, and evidentiary standards were met. 

6 ‘‘(5) Whether an Indian child was placed in a 

7 placement that is required to be preferred under the 

8 Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, and if not, the 

9 reasons specified. 

10 ‘‘(6) In cases in which a State court orders the 

11 termination of parental rights to an Indian child, 

12 whether requirements for active efforts to prevent 

13 the breakup of the Indian family, testimony of a 

14 qualified expert witness, and evidentiary standards 

15 were met. 

16 ‘‘(b) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—On request of 

17 the Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior shall provide 

18 the Secretary with such guidance and assistance as may 

19 be necessary to facilitate informing States and public child 

20 welfare agencies on how to comply with the Indian Child 

21 Welfare Act of 1978, including specific measures identi22 fied in State plans as required by section 422(b)(9) of this 

23 Act. 

24 ‘‘(c) BIENNIAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Sec25 retary shall biennially submit to the Committee on Ways 


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1 and Means of the House of Representatives and the Com2 mittee on Finance of the Senate a written report on how— 

3 ‘‘(1) the States are complying with the Indian 

4 Child Welfare Act of 1978, as required by section 

5 422(b)(9) of this Act and by data collected under 

6 section 429B of this Act; and 

7 ‘‘(2) the Secretary is assisting States and In8 dian tribes to improve implementation of Federal 

9 standards established under the Indian Child Wel10 fare Act of 1978.’’. 

11 (3) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS; ADMINISTRA12 TIVE COSTS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 428 (42 U.S.C. 

14 628) is amended by redesignating subsection (c) 

15 as subsection (d) and inserting before such sub16 section the following: 

17 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY TO STREAMLINE REPORTING RE18 QUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall, in consultation with 

19 the affected Indian tribes, modify any reporting require20 ment imposed by or under this part on an Indian tribe, 

21 tribal organization, or tribal consortium if the total of the 

22 amounts allotted to the Indian tribe, tribal organization, 

23 or tribal consortium under this part for the fiscal year is 

24 not more than $50,000, and in a manner that limits the 


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1 administrative burden on any tribe to which less than 

2 $50,000 is allotted under this subpart for the fiscal year. 

3 ‘‘(c) TRIBAL AUTHORITY TO SUBSTITUTE THE FED4 ERAL NEGOTIATED INDIRECT COST RATE FOR ADMINIS5 TRATIVE COSTS CAP.—For purposes of sections 

6 422(b)(14) and 424(e), an Indian tribal organization may 

7 elect to have the weighted average of the indirect cost 

8 rates in effect under part 220 of title 2, Code of Federal 

9 Regulations with respect to the administrative costs of the 

10 Indian tribal organization apply in lieu of the percentage 

11 specified in each such section.’’. 

12 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

13 431(a) (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)) is amended in each 

14 of paragraphs (5) and (6) by striking ‘‘428(c)’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘428(d)’’. 

16 (b) SUBPART 2.— 

17 (1) TRIBAL PLAN EXEMPTION.—Section 

18 432(b)(2)(B) (42 U.S.C. 629b(b)(2)(B)) is amend19 ed— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘section 433(a)’’ the 1st 

21 place it appears and inserting ‘‘sections 433(a) 

22 and 437(c)(1) combined’’; and 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘section 433(a)’’ the 2nd 

24 place it appears and inserting ‘‘such sections’’. 


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1 (2) APPLICATION OF TRIBAL SET-ASIDE BE2 FORE OTHER SET-ASIDES.—Section 436(b)(3) (42 

3 U.S.C. 429f(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘After 

4 applying paragraphs (4) and (5) (but before apply5 ing paragraphs (1) or (2)), the’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘The’’. 

7 (3) INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR TRIBAL COURT

8 IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.—Section 438(c)(3) (42 

9 U.S.C. 629h(c)(3)) is amended by inserting ‘‘for fis10 cal year 2025, and $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 

11 years 2026 through 2029,’’ before ‘‘for grants’’. 

12 SEC. 8. ACCELERATING ACCESS TO FAMILY FIRST PREVEN13 TION SERVICES. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 435 (42 U.S.C. 629e) is 

15 amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(f) PREVENTION SERVICES EVALUATION PARTNER17 SHIPS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection 

19 is to authorize the Secretary to make competitive 

20 grants to support the timely evaluation of— 

21 ‘‘(A) services and programs described in 

22 section 471(e); or 

23 ‘‘(B) kinship navigator programs described 

24 in section 474(a)(7). 


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1 ‘‘(2) GRANTS.—In accordance with applications 

2 approved under this subsection, the Secretary may 

3 make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible enti4 ties to carry out projects designed to evaluate a serv5 ice or program provided by the eligible entity, or an 

6 entity in partnership with the eligible entity, with re7 spect to the requirements for a promising practice, 

8 supported practice, or well-supported practice de9 scribed in section 471(e)(4)(C). 

10 ‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may 

12 apply to the Secretary for a grant under this 

13 subsection to carry out a project that meets the 

14 following requirements: 

15 ‘‘(i) The project is designed in accord16 ance with paragraph (2). 

17 ‘‘(ii) The project is to be carried out 

18 by the applicant in partnership with— 

19 ‘‘(I) a State agency that admin20 isters, or supervises the administra21 tion of, the State plan approved under 

22 part E, or an agency administering 

23 the plan under the supervision of the 

24 State agency; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) if the applicant is unable or 

2 unwilling to do so, at least 1 external 

3 evaluator to carry out the evaluation 

4 of the service or program provided by 

5 the applicant. 

6 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The application shall 

7 contain the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) A description of the project, in9 cluding— 

10 ‘‘(I) a statement explaining why 

11 a grant is necessary to carry out the 

12 project; and 

13 ‘‘(II) the amount of grant funds 

14 that would be disbursed to each entity 

15 described in subparagraph (A)(ii) in 

16 partnership with the applicant. 

17 ‘‘(ii) A certification from each entity 

18 described in subparagraph (A)(ii) that pro19 vides assurances that the individual or en20 tity is in partnership with the applicant 

21 and will fulfill the responsibilities of the 

22 entity specified in the description provided 

23 pursuant to clause (i) of this subpara24 graph. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) A certification from the appli2 cant that provides assurances that the ap3 plicant intends to comply with subpara4 graph (A)(ii)(II), if applicable. 

5 ‘‘(iv) At the option of the eligible enti6 ty, a certification from the applicant that 

7 the applicant requires an external eval8 uator secured by the Secretary pursuant to 

9 paragraph (5), if applicable. 

10 ‘‘(4) PRIORITIES.—In approving applications 

11 under this subsection, the Secretary shall prioritize 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) Addressing, with respect to the clear14 inghouse of practices described in section 

15 476(d)(2), deficiencies or gaps identified by the 

16 Secretary in consultation with— 

17 ‘‘(i) States, political subdivisions of a 

18 State, and tribal communities carrying out, 

19 or receiving the benefits of, a service or 

20 program; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) child welfare experts, including 

22 experts with lived experience. 

23 ‘‘(B) Maximizing the number of evidence24 based services or programs to be included in the 


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1 clearinghouse of practices described in section 

2 476(d)(2). 

3 ‘‘(C) Timely completion of evaluations and 

4 the production of evidence. 

5 ‘‘(D) Supporting services or programs that 

6 are based on, or are adaptations to new popu7 lation settings of, a service or program with re8 liable evidence about the benefits and risks of 

9 the service or program. 

10 ‘‘(5) AVAILABILITY OF EXTERNAL EVAL11 UATORS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Before accepting ap13 plications under this subsection, the Secretary 

14 shall make reasonable efforts to identify at least 

15 1 entity to serve as an external evaluator for 

16 any eligible entity that includes a certification 

17 under paragraph (3)(B)(iv) with an application 

18 under this subsection. 

19 ‘‘(B) NO EFFECT ON CONSIDERATION OF

20 APPLICATION.—The Secretary may not consider 

21 whether an eligible entity is in partnership with 

22 an external evaluator described in paragraph 

23 (A) in approving an application under this sub24 section submitted by the eligible entity. 

25 ‘‘(6) REPORTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) BY GRANT RECIPIENTS.—Within 1 

2 year after receiving a grant under this sub3 section, and every year thereafter for the next 

4 5 years, the grant recipient shall submit to the 

5 Secretary a written report on— 

6 ‘‘(i) the use of grant funds; 

7 ‘‘(ii) whether the program or service 

8 evaluated by the project meets a require9 ment specified in section 471(e)(4)(C), in10 cluding information about— 

11 ‘‘(I) how the program or service 

12 is being carried out in accordance 

13 with standards specified in the re14 quirement; 

15 ‘‘(II) any outcomes of the pro16 gram or service; and 

17 ‘‘(III) any outcome with respect 

18 to which the service or program com19 pares favorably to a comparison prac20 tice; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) whether the Secretary has in22 cluded the program or service in an update 

23 to the clearinghouse of practices described 

24 in section 476(d)(2). 


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1 ‘‘(B) BY THE SECRETARY.—The Secretary 

2 shall submit to the Committee on Ways and 

3 Means of the House of Representatives and to 

4 the Committee on Finance of the Senate an an5 nual written report on— 

6 ‘‘(i) the grants awarded under this 

7 subsection; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the programs funded by the 

9 grants; 

10 ‘‘(iii) any technical assistance pro11 vided by the Secretary in carrying out this 

12 subsection, including with respect to the 

13 efforts to secure external evaluators pursu14 ant to paragraph (5); and 

15 ‘‘(iv) any efforts by the Secretary to 

16 support program evaluation and review 

17 pursuant to section 471(e) and inclusion of 

18 programs in the pre-approved list of serv19 ices and programs described in section 

20 471(e)(4)(D) or the clearinghouse of prac21 tices described in section 476(d)(2). 

22 ‘‘(7) FUNDING.— 

23 ‘‘(A) LIMITATIONS.—Of the amounts avail24 able to carry out this subsection, the Secretary 


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1 may use not more than 5 percent to provide 

2 technical assistance. 

3 ‘‘(B) CARRYOVER.—Amounts made avail4 able to carry out this subsection shall remain 

5 available until expended. 

6 ‘‘(8) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

7 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi8 ble entity’ means any of the following providing 

9 a service or program or, in the sole determina10 tion of the Secretary, able to provide a service 

11 or program if awarded a grant under this sub12 section: 

13 ‘‘(i) A State, a political subdivision of 

14 a State, or an agency or department of a 

15 State or political subdivision of a State. 

16 ‘‘(ii) An entity described in subpara17 graph (A) or (B) of section 426(a)(1). 

18 ‘‘(iii) An Indian tribe or tribal organi19 zation. 

20 ‘‘(B) EXTERNAL EVALUATOR.—The term 

21 ‘external evaluator’ means an entity with the 

22 ability and willingness to evaluate a service or 

23 program pursuant to paragraph (2) that is not 

24 provided by the entity. 


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1 ‘‘(C) SERVICE OR PROGRAM.—The term 

2 ‘service or program’— 

3 ‘‘(i) means a service or program de4 scribed in section 471(e); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) includes a kinship navigator pro6 gram described in section 474(a)(7).’’. 

7 (b) FUNDING.—Section 437(b) (42 U.S.C. 629g(b)) 

8 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(5) PREVENTIVE SERVICES EVALUATION

10 PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary shall reserve 

11 $5,000,000 for grants under section 435(f) for each 

12 of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.’’. 

13 SEC. 9. STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR YOUTH AGING OUT 

14 OF FOSTER CARE. 

15 (a) CASEWORKER VISITS.—Section 422(b)(17) (42 

16 U.S.C. 622(b)(17)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and include 

17 a description of how the State may offer virtual case18 worker visits to youth in care who have attained the age 

19 of 18 years and provided informed consent for virtual vis20 its’’ before the semicolon. 

21 (b) YOUTH AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN CHILD

22 WELFARE PROGRAM PLANNING.—Section 432(b)(1) (42 

23 U.S.C. 629b(b)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ap2 prove a plan that meets the requirements of sub3 section (a) only if— 

4 ‘‘(A) the plan was developed jointly by the 

5 Secretary and the State, and the State, in de6 veloping the plan, consulted with— 

7 ‘‘(i) appropriate public and nonprofit 

8 private agencies; 

9 ‘‘(ii) community-based organizations 

10 involved in providing services for children 

11 and families in the areas of family preser12 vation, family support, family reunifica13 tion, foster care, kinship, and adoption 

14 promotion and support; 

15 ‘‘(iii) parents with child welfare expe16 rience, foster parents, adoptive parents, 

17 and kinship caregivers; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) children, youth, and young 

19 adults with experience in the child welfare 

20 system, including State boards and coun21 cils comprised of youth with the experience 

22 who represent the diversity of children in 

23 the State to whom the plan would apply; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the State has made publicly acces2 sible on a website of the State agency a report 

3 that outlines how the State has implemented 

4 the suggestions of the children and youth re5 ferred to in subparagraph (A)(iv);’’. 

6 SEC. 10. RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIVE 

7 AND KINSHIP CAREGIVERS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 431(a) (42 U.S.C. 

9 629a(a)), as amended by section 6(b)(2) of this Act, is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

12 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

13 (A)— 

14 (i) by striking ‘‘children’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘children, youth,’’; and 

16 (ii) by striking ‘‘adoptive and ex17 tended’’ and inserting ‘‘kinship and adop18 tive’’; 

19 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘par20 ents and other caregivers (including foster par21 ents)’’ and inserting ‘‘parents, kinship care22 givers, and foster parents’’; 

23 (C) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub24 paragraph (E); 


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1 (D) by striking the period at the end of 

2 subparagraph (F) and inserting ‘‘ ; and’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(G)(i) peer-to-peer mentoring and support 

5 programs with demonstrated experience fos6 tering constructive relationships between chil7 dren and families and mentors with relevant 

8 lived experience or interactions with the child 

9 welfare system; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) for purposes of this subpart, an ex11 penditure for a service described in clause (i) 

12 may be treated as an expenditure for any 1 or 

13 more of family support services, family preser14 vation services, family reunification services, or 

15 adoption promotion and support services, as 

16 long as the expenditure is related to serving the 

17 children and families in the specified category 

18 and consistent with the overall purpose of the 

19 category.’’; 

20 (2) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

21 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘children’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘children, youth,’’; and 

23 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘extended’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘kinship’’; 


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1 (3) in paragraph (7)(A), by inserting ‘‘with kin2 ship caregivers or’’ before ‘‘in a foster family home’’; 

3 and 

4 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(11) YOUTH.—The term ‘youth’ means an in6 dividual who has not attained 26 years of age.’’. 

7 (b) KINSHIP NAVIGATORS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 427 (42 U.S.C. 627) 

9 is amended— 

10 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

11 ‘‘FAMILY CONNECTION GRANTS’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘KINSHIP NAVIGATORS’’; 

13 (B) in subsection (a)— 

14 (i) in the matter preceding paragraph 

15 (1), by striking ‘‘helping’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘administering programs to help’’; 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘of—’’ and all that 

18 follows through ‘‘a kinship’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘of a kinship’’; 

20 (iii) in paragraph (1)(C)— 

21 (I) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end 

22 of clause (iii); 

23 (II) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end 

24 of clause (iv); and 


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1 (III) by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(v) that include connections to indi4 vidualized assistance, as needed;’’; 

5 (iv) by striking paragraphs (2) 

6 through (4); 

7 (v) by redesignating subparagraphs 

8 (A) through (G) of paragraph (1) as para9 graphs (1) through (7), respectively; 

10 (vi) by redesignating clauses (i) 

11 through (iv) and clause (v) (as added by 

12 clause (iii)(III) of this subparagraph) as 

13 subparagraphs (A) through (E), respec14 tively; 

15 (vii) by moving each provision so re16 designated 2 ems to the left; and 

17 (viii) by striking ‘‘caregiving;’’ and in18 serting ‘‘caregiving.’’; 

19 (C) in subsection (b)— 

20 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘1 or 

21 more of’’; 

22 (ii) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 

23 and (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respec24 tively, and inserting after paragraph (2) 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) a description of how the entity will directly 

2 fund, or provide data to the Secretary for, an eval3 uation which will publish and submit information to 

4 the clearinghouse described in section 476(d)(2) and 

5 which is designed to meet the requirements of sec6 tion 471(e)(4)(C), or a description of how the funds 

7 will be used to help the State transition to a pro8 gram for which the State will seek reimbursement 

9 under section 474(a)(7);’’; 

10 (iii) in paragraph (4) (as so redesig11 nated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 (iv) in paragraph (5) (as so redesig13 nated), by striking the period and inserting 

14 ‘‘; and’’; and 

15 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(6) if the entity is a State, local or tribal child 

17 welfare agency— 

18 ‘‘(A) documentation of support from a rel19 evant community-based organization with expe20 rience serving kinship families when applicable; 

21 or 

22 ‘‘(B) a description of how the organization 

23 plans to coordinate its services and activities 

24 with those offered by the relevant community25 based organizations.’’; 


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1 (D) by striking subsection (d) and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—An entity to which a grant 

4 is made under this section may use the grant to pay not 

5 more than 75 percent of the cost of the activities to be 

6 carried out by the entity pursuant to this section.’’; 

7 (E) in subsection (g)— 

8 (i) by striking all that precedes ‘‘2 

9 percent’’ and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(g) RESERVATION OF FUNDS FOR TECHNICAL AS11 SISTANCE.—The Secretary may reserve’’; and 

12 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (h)’’ the 

13 2nd place it appears and inserting ‘‘section 

14 437(b)(6)’’; and 

15 (F) by striking subsection (h). 

16 (2) RESERVATION OF DISCRETIONARY

17 FUNDS.—Section 437(b) (42 U.S.C. 629g(b)), as 

18 amended by section 8(b) of this Act, is amended by 

19 adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(6) KINSHIP NAVIGATORS.—The Secretary 

21 shall reserve $10,000,000 for grants under section 

22 427 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.’’. 

23 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

24 474(a)(7) (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(7)) is amended by 

25 striking ‘‘427(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘427(a)’’. 


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1 SEC. 11. AVOIDING NEGLECT BY ADDRESSING POVERTY. 

2 (a) FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES.—Section 

3 431(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(1)), as amended by section 

4 10(a)(1) of this Act, is amended— 

5 (1) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

6 after the semicolon; 

7 (2) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period 

8 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘(H)(i) services providing nonrecurring 

11 short term benefits (including supports related 

12 to housing instability, utilities, transportation, 

13 and food assistance, among other basic needs) 

14 that address immediate needs related to a spe15 cific crisis, situation, or event affecting the abil16 ity of a child to remain in a home established 

17 for the child that is not intended to meet an on18 going need; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) for purposes of this subpart, an ex20 penditure for a service described in clause (i) 

21 may be treated as an expenditure for any 1 or 

22 more of family support services, family preser23 vation services, family reunification services, or 

24 adoption promotion and support services as 

25 long as the expenditure is related to serving the 

26 children and families in the specified category 


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1 and consistent with the overall purpose of the 

2 category.’’. 

3 (b) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—Section 432(a) 

4 (42 U.S.C. 629b(a)) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

6 the semicolon; 

7 (2) in paragraph (10), by striking the period 

8 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘(11) provides a description of policies in place, 

11 including training for employees, to address child 

12 welfare reports and investigations of neglect con13 cerning the living arrangements or subsistence needs 

14 of a child with the goal to prevent the separation of 

15 a child from a parent of the child solely due to pov16 erty, to ensure access to services described in section 

17 431(a)(1)(H).’’. 

18 SEC. 12. STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR CASEWORKERS. 

19 (a) REAUTHORIZATION OF, AND INCREASE IN FUND20 ING FOR, CASEWORKER VISITS.—Section 436(b)(4)(A) 

21 (42 U.S.C. 629f(b)(4)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘each 

22 of fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal 

23 year 2025 and $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each 

24 succeeding fiscal year’’. 


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1 (b) MINIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—Section 433(e) (42 

2 U.S.C. 629c(e)) is amended by striking paragraphs (1) 

3 and (2) and inserting the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) BASE ALLOTMENT.—From the amount re5 served pursuant to section 436(b)(4)(A) for any fis6 cal year, the Secretary shall first allot to each State 

7 (other than an Indian tribe) that has provided to the 

8 Secretary such documentation as may be necessary 

9 to verify that the jurisdiction has complied with sec10 tion 436(b)(4)(B)(ii) during the fiscal year, a base 

11 allotment of $100,000, and shall then allot to each 

12 of those States an amount determined in paragraph 

13 (2) or (3) of this subsection, as applicable. 

14 ‘‘(2) TERRITORIES.—From the amount reserved 

15 pursuant to section 436(b)(4)(A) for any fiscal year 

16 that remains after applying paragraph (1) of this 

17 subsection for the fiscal year, the Secretary shall 

18 allot to each jurisdiction specified in subsection (b) 

19 of this section to which a base allotment is made 

20 under such paragraph (1) an amount determined in 

21 the same manner as the allotment to each of such 

22 jurisdictions is determined under section 423 (with23 out regard to the initial allotment of $70,000 to 

24 each State). 


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1 ‘‘(3) OTHER STATES.—From the amount re2 served pursuant to section 436(b)(4)(A) for any fis3 cal year that remains after applying paragraphs (1) 

4 and (2) of this subsection for the fiscal year, the 

5 Secretary shall allot to each State (other than an In6 dian tribe) not specified in subsection (b) of this sec7 tion to which a base allotment was made under 

8 paragraph (1) of this subsection an amount equal to 

9 such remaining amount multiplied by the supple10 mental nutrition assistance program benefits per11 centage of the State (as defined in subsection (c)(2) 

12 of this section) for the fiscal year, except that in ap13 plying subsection (c)(2)(A) of this section, ‘sub14 section (e)(3)’ shall be substituted for ‘such para15 graph (1)’.’’. 

16 (c) REQUIREMENT TO USE FUNDS TO IMPROVE

17 QUALITY OF CASEWORKER VISITS WITH FOSTER CHIL18 DREN.—Section 436(b)(4)(B)(i) (42 U.S.C. 

19 629f(b)(4)(B)(i)) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A State to which 

21 an amount is paid from amounts reserved 

22 under subparagraph (A) shall use the 

23 amount to improve the quality of monthly 

24 caseworker visits with children who are in 


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1 foster care under the responsibility of the 

2 State, with an emphasis on— 

3 ‘‘(I) reducing caseload ratios and 

4 the administrative burden on case5 workers, to improve caseworker deci6 sion making on the safety, perma7 nency, and well-being of foster chil8 dren and on activities designed to in9 crease retention, recruitment, and 

10 training of caseworkers; 

11 ‘‘(II) implementing technology 

12 solutions to streamline caseworker du13 ties and modernize systems, ensuring 

14 improved efficiency and effectiveness 

15 in child welfare services; 

16 ‘‘(III) improving caseworker safe17 ty; 

18 ‘‘(IV) mental health resources to 

19 support caseworker well-being, includ20 ing peer-to-peer support programs; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(V) recruitment campaigns 

23 aimed at attracting qualified case24 worker candidates.’’. 


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1 (d) ELIMINATION OF COST-SHARE PENALTY TIED

2 TO MONTHLY CASEWORKER VISIT STANDARD.—Section 

3 424(f) (42 U.S.C. 624(f)) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘(1)(A)’’; and 

5 (2) by striking paragraphs (1)(B) and (2). 

6 SEC. 13. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FOR IMPROVING RE7 LATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INCARCERATED 

8 PARENTS AND CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE. 

9 Section 439 (42 U.S.C. 629i) is amended to read as 

10 follows: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 439. STATE PARTNERSHIP PLANNING AND DEM12 ONSTRATION GRANTS TO SUPPORT MEAN13 INGFUL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FOSTER 

14 CHILDREN AND THE INCARCERATED PAR15 ENTS OF THE CHILDREN. 

16 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make 

18 demonstration grants to eligible State partnerships 

19 to develop, implement, and provide support for pro20 grams that enable and sustain meaningful relation21 ships between covered foster children and the incar22 cerated parents of the children. 

23 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT OF ANNUAL INSTALLMENTS.— 

24 The Secretary shall pay each demonstration grant in 

25 5 annual installments. 


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1 ‘‘(3) 1-YEAR PLANNING GRANTS.—The Sec2 retary may make a planning grant to a recipient of 

3 a demonstration grant, to be paid to the recipient 1 

4 year before payment of the 1st annual installment of 

5 the demonstration grant and in an amount not 

6 greater than any installment of the demonstration 

7 grant, if— 

8 ‘‘(A) the recipient includes a request for a 

9 planning grant in the application under sub10 section (c); and 

11 ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that a plan12 ning grant would assist the recipient and im13 prove the effectiveness of the demonstration 

14 grant. 

15 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE STATE PARTNERSHIP DEFINED.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 

17 ‘eligible State partnership’ means an agreement en18 tered into by, at a minimum, the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) The State child welfare agency re20 sponsible for the administration of the State 

21 plans under this part. 

22 ‘‘(B) The State agency responsible for 

23 adult corrections. 

24 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL PARTNERS.—For purposes of 

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1 clude any entity with experience in serving incarcer2 ated parents and their children. 

3 ‘‘(3) PARTNERSHIPS ENTERED INTO BY INDIAN

4 TRIBES OR TRIBAL CONSORTIA.—Notwithstanding 

5 paragraph (1), if an Indian tribe or tribal consor6 tium enters into a partnership pursuant to this sec7 tion that does not consist solely of tribal child wel8 fare agencies (or a consortium of the agencies), the 

9 partnership shall be considered an eligible State 

10 partnership for purposes of this section. 

11 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible 

12 State partnership seeking a demonstration grant under 

13 this section to carry out a program described in subsection 

14 (a)(1) shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 

15 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 

16 the Secretary may require. The application shall include 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) A summary of the program, including how 

19 the program will support a meaningful relationship 

20 between a covered foster child and an incarcerated 

21 parent of the child. 

22 ‘‘(2) A description of the activities to be carried 

23 out by the program, which must include all of the 

24 activities described in subsection (d) that are in the 

25 best interest of the covered foster child. 


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1 ‘‘(3) A framework for identifying— 

2 ‘‘(A) each covered foster child eligible for 

3 services under the program, including, to the 

4 extent practicable, coordination of data between 

5 relevant State child welfare agencies and court 

6 systems; and 

7 ‘‘(B) the roles and responsibilities of the 

8 entities in the partnership. 

9 ‘‘(4) Documentation that the applicant is an eli10 gible State partnership. 

11 ‘‘(5) Assurances that the applicant will partici12 pate fully in the evaluation described in subsection 

13 (f)(2) and shall maintain records for the program, 

14 including demographic information disaggregated by 

15 relevant characteristics with respect to covered foster 

16 children and incarcerated parents who participate in 

17 the program. 

18 ‘‘(d) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—To the extent that the 

19 activities are in the best interest of the covered foster 

20 child, the activities referred to in subsection (c)(2) shall 

21 include the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) REVISION OF POLICIES.—Through con23 sultation with incarcerated parents and their fami24 lies, grantees shall promote organizational policies of 

25 participating child welfare entities and collaborating 


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1 correctional facilities to promote meaningful rela2 tionships through regular and developmentally ap3 propriate communication and visitation between cov4 ered foster children and the incarcerated parents, in5 cluding, when appropriate, the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) For child welfare entities— 

7 ‘‘(i) inclusion of parents in case plan8 ning and decision making for children; 

9 ‘‘(ii) regular sharing of information 

10 and responses to requests for information 

11 between caseworkers and incarcerated par12 ents with respect to the case information 

13 of a child, any changes to a case, perma14 nency plans, requirements to maintain pa15 rental rights, and any efforts to terminate 

16 parental rights; 

17 ‘‘(iii) appropriate opportunities for in18 carcerated parents to demonstrate their re19 lationship with a covered foster child given 

20 their incarceration, including training and 

21 courses required for a service plan; and 

22 ‘‘(iv) the enhanced visitation described 

23 in paragraph (2). 


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1 ‘‘(B) For correctional facilities, fostering 

2 visitation and communication that is develop3 mentally appropriate in terms of— 

4 ‘‘(i) the nature of communication and 

5 visitation, including— 

6 ‘‘(I) the ability to physically 

7 touch parents; 

8 ‘‘(II) engaging with parents in lo9 cations that are appropriate for the 

10 age and development of the child; 

11 ‘‘(III) exchanging items that are 

12 appropriate to the age and develop13 ment of the child, include expectations 

14 that are appropriate for the age and 

15 development of the child related to be16 havior, attire, and wait times; and 

17 ‘‘(IV) allowing appropriate adults 

18 to bring children if legal guardians 

19 are not available to promote regular 

20 contact; 

21 ‘‘(ii) reasonable inclusion of all chil22 dren of the parent; 

23 ‘‘(iii) communication and visitation at 

24 times when the children are available; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) security procedures to comfort 

2 children and be minimally invasive; and 

3 ‘‘(v) promoting parent-child relation4 ships regardless of the sentence imposed 

5 on the parent. 

6 ‘‘(2) ENHANCED VISITATION.— 

7 ‘‘(A) Grantees shall facilitate weekly com8 munication and, for at least 9 days each year, 

9 in-person visitation between a covered foster 

10 child and any incarcerated parent of the child. 

11 ‘‘(B) Electronic visitation (such as live 

12 video visits, phone calls, and recorded books) 

13 may be used but shall not be the sole method 

14 to promote a meaningful relationship for pur15 poses of the grant. 

16 ‘‘(C) Enhanced visitation programs shall— 

17 ‘‘(i) integrate best practices for visita18 tion programs with incarcerated parents 

19 and their children; 

20 ‘‘(ii) adopt developmentally appro21 priate visitation policies and procedures 

22 such as those described in paragraph 

23 (1)(B); 

24 ‘‘(iii) reduce or eliminate the cost of 

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1 tion and visitation for the covered foster 

2 child, which may include the purchase of 

3 communication technology, covering trans4 portation, insurance, and lodging costs, 

5 costs related to providing appropriate visi6 tation spaces and activities, and other rel7 evant costs; 

8 ‘‘(iv) to the extent practicable, inte9 grate appropriate parenting education to 

10 help prepare and process visits; and 

11 ‘‘(v) avoid restricting visitation and 

12 communication as a punishment for the in13 carcerated parents. 

14 ‘‘(3) TRAINING.—Grantees shall incorporate on15 going training for child welfare workers, correctional 

16 facility staff, and other program providers to under17 stand the importance of promoting meaningful rela18 tionships between children and incarcerated parents. 

19 ‘‘(4) CASE MANAGEMENT.—Grantees shall pro20 vide case management services for the incarcerated 

21 parents of a covered foster child to promote the rela22 tionship, access to services, and coordination with 

23 the caseworkers of the covered foster child to 

24 strengthen the relationship. 


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1 ‘‘(5) LEGAL ASSISTANCE.—Grantees shall facili2 tate access to necessary legal services and may use 

3 grant funds for services that are not reimbursable 

4 under other Federal programs. 

5 ‘‘(e) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 

6 cost of any activity carried out using a grant made under 

7 this section shall be not greater than 75 percent. 

8 ‘‘(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, EVALUATIONS, AND

9 REPORTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

11 shall provide technical assistance with respect to 

12 grants under this section, including by— 

13 ‘‘(A) assisting grantees in understanding 

14 best practices in promoting meaningful relation15 ships between incarcerated parents and their 

16 children as well as consulting with appropriate 

17 stakeholders when developing their programs; 

18 ‘‘(B) assisting grantees with establishing 

19 and analyzing implementation and performance 

20 indicators; and 

21 ‘‘(C) conducting an annual technical assist22 ance and training meeting and an annual grant23 ee meeting so that grantees can learn from the 

24 experiences of other grantees. 


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1 ‘‘(2) EVALUATIONS.—The Secretary shall con2 duct an evaluation of program outcomes, including 

3 with respect to parent and child well-being, parent4 child interactions, parental involvement, awareness 

5 of child development and parenting practices, place6 ment stability, and termination of parental rights 

7 with respect to covered foster children and incarcer8 ated parents, to measure program effectiveness, as 

9 determined by the Secretary, and identify opportuni10 ties for improved program practices and implemen11 tation. 

12 ‘‘(3) REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 3 

14 years after the date of the enactment of this 

15 section, the Secretary shall submit to the Com16 mittee on Ways and Means of the House of 

17 Representatives and the Committee on Finance 

18 of the Senate a report that includes— 

19 ‘‘(i) the number of applications for 

20 grants under this section; 

21 ‘‘(ii) the number of grants awarded, 

22 and the amounts for each grant; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) information on the grants, in24 cluding— 


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1 ‘‘(I) interim results of the evalua2 tion described in paragraph (2); 

3 ‘‘(II) disaggregated data on cov4 ered foster children and incarcerated 

5 parents; 

6 ‘‘(III) information on the com7 position of eligible State partnerships; 

8 ‘‘(IV) best practices for facili9 tating meaningful relationships be10 tween covered foster children and in11 carcerated parents; and 

12 ‘‘(V) barriers to implementation 

13 or expansion of programs funded 

14 under this section. 

15 ‘‘(B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 

16 years after the date of the enactment of this 

17 section, the Secretary shall submit to the Com18 mittee on Ways and Means of the House of 

19 Representatives and the Committee on Finance 

20 of the Senate a report that includes— 

21 ‘‘(i) the final results of the evaluation 

22 described in paragraph (2); and 

23 ‘‘(ii) recommendations for refinements 

24 to grant requirements to improve program 

25 outcomes. 


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1 ‘‘(g) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY WITH RESPECT TO

2 INDIAN TRIBES AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) WAIVER OR MODIFICATION OF REQUIRE4 MENTS.—In making a grant to an Indian tribe or 

5 tribal organization under this section, the Secretary 

6 may waive the matching requirement of subsection 

7 (e) or modify an application requirement imposed by 

8 or under subsection (c) if the Secretary determines 

9 that the waiver or modification is appropriate to the 

10 needs, culture, and circumstances of the Indian tribe 

11 or tribal organization. 

12 ‘‘(2) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall use 

13 tribally relevant data in carrying out the evaluation 

14 under subsection (f)(2) with respect to an Indian 

15 tribe or tribal organization. 

16 ‘‘(h) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO17 PRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the 

18 Secretary not more than $35,000,000 for each of fiscal 

19 years 2026 through 2029 to carry out this section. 

20 ‘‘(i) DEFINITION OF COVERED FOSTER CHILD.—In 

21 this section, the term ‘covered foster child’ means a child 

22 that— 

23 ‘‘(1) is in foster care; and 

24 ‘‘(2) has at least 1 parent incarcerated in a 

25 Federal, State, or local correctional facility.’’. 


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1 SEC. 14. GUIDANCE TO STATES ON IMPROVING DATA COL2 LECTION AND REPORTING FOR YOUTH IN 

3 RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAMS. 

4 Within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 

5 Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in con6 sultation with the Department of Education, the Adminis7 tration for Children and Families, the Centers for Medi8 care and Medicaid Services, the Administration for Com9 munity Living, the Department of Justice, and other rel10 evant policy experts, as determined by the Secretary, shall 

11 issue and disseminate, or update and revise, as applicable, 

12 guidance to State agencies in administering State plans 

13 approved under parts B and E of title IV of the Social 

14 Security Act on the following: 

15 (1) Best practices for Federal and State agen16 cies to collect data and share information related to 

17 the well-being of youth residing in residential treat18 ment facilities, including those facilities operating in 

19 multiple States or serving out-of-state youth. 

20 (2) Best practices on improving State collection 

21 and sharing of data related to incidences of mal22 treatment of youth residing in residential treatment 

23 facilities, including with respect to meeting the re24 quirement of section 471(a)(9)(A) of such Act for 

25 such youth. 


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1 (3) Best practices on improving oversight of 

2 youth residential programs receiving Federal fund3 ing, and research-based strategies for risk assess4 ment related to the health, safety, and well-being of 

5 youth in the facilities. 

6 SEC. 15. STREAMLINING RESEARCH, TRAINING, AND TECH7 NICAL ASSISTANCE FUNDING. 

8 (a) REPURPOSING DISCRETIONARY RESEARCH SET9 ASIDE.—Section 435(c) (42 U.S.C. 629e(c)) is amended 

10 to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(c) EVALUATION, RESEARCH, AND TECHNICAL AS12 SISTANCE WITH RESPECT TO TARGETED PROGRAM RE13 SOURCES.—Of the amount reserved under section 

14 437(b)(1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not less 

15 than— 

16 ‘‘(1) $1,000,000 for technical assistance to 

17 grantees under section 437(f) and to support design 

18 of local site evaluations with the goal of publishing 

19 and submitting evaluation findings to the clearing20 house established under section 476(d), or to award 

21 grants to allow current or former grantees under 

22 section 437(f) to analyze, publish, and submit to the 

23 clearinghouse data collected during past grants; and 

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1 fective implementation of the Indian Child Welfare 

2 Act of 1978 and to support development of associ3 ated State plan measures described pursuant to sec4 tion 422(b)(9) of this Act.’’. 

5 (b) ELIMINATION OF RESEARCH SET-ASIDE FROM

6 MANDATORY FUNDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 436(b) (42 U.S.C. 

8 629f(b)), as amended by the preceding provisions of 

9 this Act, is amended by striking paragraph (1) and 

10 predesignating paragraphs (2) through (5) as para11 graphs (1) through (4), respectively. 

12 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

13 (A) Section 433(a) (42 U.S.C. 629c(a)) is 

14 amended by striking ‘‘436(b)(3)’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘436(b)(2)’’. 

16 (B) Section 433(e) (42 U.S.C. 629c(e)), as 

17 amended by section 12(b) of this Act, is amend18 ed by striking ‘‘436(b)(4)(A)’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘436(b)(3)(A)’’ each place it appears. 

20 (C) Section 434(a)(2)(A) (42 U.S.C. 

21 629d(a)(2)(A)) is amended by striking 

22 ‘‘436(b)(4)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘436(b)(3)(B)’’. 

23 (D) Section 437(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 

24 629g(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘436(b)(1)’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘435’’. 


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1 (E) Section 437(f)(3) (42 U.S.C. 

2 629g(f)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘436(b)(5)’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘436(b)(4)’’. 

4 (F) Section 438(c)(3) (42 U.S.C. 

5 629g(c)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘436(b)(2)’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘436(b)(1)’’. 

7 SEC. 16. REPORT ON POST ADOPTION AND SUBSIDIZED 

8 GUARDIANSHIP SERVICES. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Within 2 years after the date of 

10 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services shall prepare and submit to the Com12 mittee on Ways and Means of the House of Representa13 tives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report 

14 on children who enter into foster care under the super15 vision of a State administering a plan approved under part 

16 B or E of title IV of the Social Security Act after finaliza17 tion of an adoption or legal guardianship. 

18 (b) INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall include in 

19 the report information, to the extent available through the 

20 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System 

21 and other data sources, regarding the incidence of adop22 tion disruption and dissolution affecting children described 

23 in subsection (a) and factors associated with such cir24 cumstances, including— 


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1 (1) whether affected individuals received pre- or 

2 post-legal adoption services; and 

3 (2) other relevant information, such as the age 

4 of the child involved. 

5 (c) POST-ADOPTION SERVICES AND GUARDIAN6 SHIP.—The Secretary shall include in the report— 

7 (1) a summary of post-adoption services and 

8 guardianship in each State that are available to fam9 ilies that adopted children from foster care and the 

10 extent to which the services are evidence-based or 

11 evidence-informed; and 

12 (2) a summary of funding and funding sources 

13 for the services in each State, including set-asides 

14 under the Promoting Safe and Stable Families pro15 gram. 

16 SEC. 17. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by this 

18 Act shall take effect on October 1, 2025, and shall apply 

19 to payments under part B of title IV of the Social Security 

20 Act for calendar quarters beginning on or after such date. 

21 (b) DELAY PERMITTED IF STATE LEGISLATION RE22 QUIRED.—If the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

23 determines that State legislation (other than legislation 

24 appropriating funds) is required in order for a State plan 

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1 curity Act to meet the additional requirements imposed 

2 by the amendments made by this Act, the plan shall not 

3 be regarded as failing to meet any of the additional re4 quirements before the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter 

5 beginning after the first regular session of the State legis6 lature that begins after the date of the enactment of this 

7 Act. For purposes of the preceding sentence, if the State 

8 has a 2-year legislative session, each year of the session 

9 is deemed to be a separate regular session of the State 

10 legislature. 

11 (c) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY IN12 DIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case of an Indian 

13 tribe, tribal organization, or tribal consortium that the 

14 Secretary of Health and Human Services determines re15 quires time to take action necessary to comply with the 

16 additional requirements imposed by the amendments made 

17 by this Act (whether the tribe, organization, or tribal con18 sortium has a plan under section 479B of the Social Secu19 rity Act or a cooperative agreement or contract entered 

20 into with a State), the Secretary shall provide the tribe, 

21 organization, or tribal consortium with such additional 

22 time as the Secretary determines is necessary for the tribe, 

23 organization, or tribal consortium to take the action to 


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1 comply with the additional requirements before being re2 garded as failing to comply with the requirements. 

Æ 


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