IB 

Union Calendar No. 574 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9076 

[Report No. 118–679] 

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 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024 

Additional sponsors: Mr. SMITH of Nebraska, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. TENNEY, 

Ms. CHU, Mr. MOORE of Utah, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mrs. MILLER

of West Virginia, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CAREY, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. SMUCKER, 

Mrs. FISCHBACH, Ms. VAN DUYNE, Mr. ESTES, Mr. FEENSTRA, Mr. 

FITZPATRICK, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. KUSTOFF, Mr. WENSTRUP, Mrs. STEEL, 

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, and Ms. DELBENE

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 22, 2024] 


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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. 


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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 ‘‘Pro5 tecting America’s Children by Strengthening Families Act’’. 

6 (b) REFERENCES.—Except as otherwise expressly pro7 vided, wherever in this Act an amendment or repeal is ex8 pressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section 

9 or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be 

10 made to that section or other provision of the Social Secu11 rity Act. 

12 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

13 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. 

14 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS. 

15 (a) REAUTHORIZATION OF SUBPART 1; DISCRE16 TIONARY FUNDING.—Section 425 (42 U.S.C. 625) is 


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

2 ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

3 (b) REAUTHORIZATION OF SUBPART 2; ENHANCED

4 SUPPORT.—Section 436(a) (42 U.S.C. 629f(a)) is amended 

5 by striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2025 and $420,000,000 for each of 

7 fiscal years 2026 through 2029’’. 

8 (c) REAUTHORIZATION OF SUBPART 2; DISCRE9 TIONARY FUNDING.—Section 437(a) (42 U.S.C. 629g(a)) is 

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

11 ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

12 (d) FUNDING LIMITATION.—Section 423(a)(2)(A) (42 

13 U.S.C. 623(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, not to ex14 ceed $10,000,000’’ before the semicolon. 

15 SEC. 4. ENHANCEMENTS TO THE COURT IMPROVEMENT 

16 PROGRAM. 

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

18 436(b)(2) (42 U.S.C. 629f(b)(2)) is amended by inserting 

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

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

21 (b) EXTENSION OF STATE MATCH REQUIREMENT.— 

22 Section 438(d) (42 U.S.C. 629h(d)) is amended by striking 

23 ‘‘2017 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

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

25 U.S.C. 629h(a)) is amended— 


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

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(F) that determine the appropriateness 

4 and best practices for use of technology to con5 duct remote hearings, subject to participant con6 sent, including to ensure maximum participa7 tion of individuals involved in proceedings and 

8 to enable courts to maintain operations in times 

9 of public health or other emergencies;’’; 

10 (2) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘per11 sonnel.’’ and inserting ‘‘personnel and supporting op12 timal use of remote hearing technology; and’’; and 

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

14 ‘‘(3) to ensure continuity of needed court serv15 ices, prevent disruption of the services, and enable 

16 their recovery from threats such as public health cri17 ses, natural disasters or cyberattacks, including 

18 through— 

19 ‘‘(A) support for technology that allows 

20 court proceedings to occur remotely subject to 

21 participant consent, including hearings and 

22 legal representation; 

23 ‘‘(B) the development of guidance and pro24 tocols for responding to the occurrences and co25 ordinating with other agencies; and 


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

2 backup systems are in place.’’. 

3 (d) IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE ON SHARING BEST

4 PRACTICES FOR TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES NEEDED FOR

5 REMOTE COURT PROCEEDINGS FOR FOSTER CARE OR

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

7 adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(e) GUIDANCE.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Every 5 years, the Secretary 

10 shall issue implementation guidance for sharing in11 formation on best practices for— 

12 ‘‘(A) technological changes needed for court 

13 proceedings for foster care, guardianship, or 

14 adoption to be conducted remotely in a way that 

15 maximizes engagement and protects the privacy 

16 of participants; and 

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

18 should be conducted. 

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

20 issue initial guidance required by paragraph (1) with 

21 preliminary information on best practices not later 

22 than October 1, 2025. 

23 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION.—The Sec24 retary shall consult with Indian tribes on the develop25 ment of appropriate guidelines for State court proVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Sep 18, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H9076.RH H9076

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1 ceedings involving Indian children to maximize en2 gagement of Indian tribes and provide appropriate 

3 guidelines on conducting State court proceedings sub4 ject to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (25 

5 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.).’’. 

6 SEC. 5. EXPANDING REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP GRANTS TO 

7 ADDRESS PARENTAL SUBSTANCE USE DIS8 ORDER AS CAUSE OF CHILD REMOVAL. 

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

10 436(b)(5) (42 U.S.C. 629f(b)(5)) is amended by striking 

11 ‘‘each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fis12 cal year 2025 and $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and 

13 each succeeding fiscal year’’. 

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

15 629g(f)) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

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

18 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 

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

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

21 inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; and 

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

23 fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’. 


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1 (c) AUTHORITY TO WAIVE PLANNING PHASE.—Section 

2 437(f)(3)(B)(iii) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(3)(B)(iii)) is amend3 ed— 

4 (1) by striking all that precedes ‘‘grant award5 ed’’ and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(iii) SUFFICIENT PLANNING.— 

7 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—A’’; and 

8 (2) by striking ‘‘may not exceed $250,000, and’’; 

9 and 

10 (3) by adding after and below the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(II) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary, 

13 on a case-by-case basis, may waive the 

14 planning phase for a partnership that 

15 demonstrates that the partnership has 

16 engaged in sufficient planning before 

17 submitting an application for a grant 

18 under this subsection.’’. 

19 (d) EXPANDING AVAILABILITY OF EVIDENCE-BASED

20 SERVICES.— 

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

22 629g(f)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and expand 

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

24 approved by the clearinghouse established under sec25 tion 476(d)’’ before the period. 


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1 (2) CONSIDERATIONS FOR AWARDING GRANTS.— 

2 Section 437(f)(7) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(7)) is amend3 ed— 

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

6 (B) by striking the period at the end of sub7 paragraph (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 capa11 bility 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 AF16 FECTED BY A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.—Section 435(d) 

17 (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 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(6) use grants under section 437(f) in coordina24 tion with other Federal funds to better serve families 


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1 in the child welfare system that are affected by a sub2 stance use disorder.’’. 

3 (f) PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.—Section 437(f)(8)(A) 

4 (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(8)(A)) is amended in the 1st sentence— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘this subsection’’ the 1st place it 

6 appears and inserting ‘‘the Protecting America’s Chil7 dren by Strengthening Families Act’’; 

8 (2) by inserting ‘‘child permanency, reunifica9 tion, re-entry into care,’’ before ‘‘parental recovery’’; 

10 and 

11 (3) by inserting ‘‘, and access to services for fam12 ilies with substance use disorder, including those with 

13 children who are overrepresented in foster care, dif14 ficult to place, or have disproportionately low perma15 nency rates’’ before the period. 

16 (g) PERFORMANCE INDICATOR CONSULTATION RE17 QUIRED.—Section 437(f)(8)(B) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(8)(B)) is 

18 amended by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv) and 

19 inserting after clause (ii) the following: 

20 ‘‘(iii) The Administrator of the Na21 tional Institute on Drug Abuse.’’. 

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

23 (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(9)(B)) is amended— 

24 (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 review.’’. 

8 (i) PRIORITY FOR STATEWIDE SERVICE GROWTH.— 

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

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

11 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara12 graph (E); 

13 (2) by striking the period at the end of subpara14 graph (F) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(G) are a State or public agency, or out17 line a plan to increase the availability of services 

18 funded under the grant statewide.’’. 

19 (j) ADDITION OF JUVENILE COURT AS REQUIRED

20 PARTNER.—Section 437(f)(2)(A) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(2)(A)) 

21 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(iii) The most appropriate adminis23 trative office of the juvenile court or State 

24 court overseeing court proceedings involving 


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1 families who come to the attention of the 

2 court due to child abuse or neglect.’’. 

3 (k) ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL PARTNER.—Section 

4 437(f)(2)(C) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(2)(C)) is amended by redes5 ignating clause (ix) as clause (x) and inserting after clause 

6 (viii) the following: 

7 ‘‘(ix) State or local agencies that ad8 minister Federal health care, housing, fam9 ily support, or other related programs.’’. 

10 (l) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

12 629g(f)(2)(D)) is amended— 

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

14 (i); 

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

16 (ii) and inserting a period; and 

17 (C) by striking clause (iii). 

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

19 amended by striking subparagraph (B) and redesig20 nating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraphs 

21 (B) and (C), respectively 

22 SEC. 6. MODERNIZATION; REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE 

23 BURDEN. 

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

25 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(c) USE OF TECHNOLOGY.— 

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

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

4 and use of an electronic or digital portal to facilitate 

5 the provision of community support to care for and 

6 meet specific needs of families and children. 

7 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—Such a portal shall not re8 tain or share personally identifiable information 

9 about a beneficiary without consent or for any pur10 pose other than referral.’’. 

11 (b) ALLOWING SUPPORT FOR FAMILY RESOURCE CEN12 TERS.—Section 431(a) (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘, includ14 ing services provided by family resource centers,’’ be15 fore ‘‘designed’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(10) FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘family re19 source center’ means a community or school20 based hub of support services for families that— 

21 ‘‘(i) utilizes an approach that is multi22 generational, strengths-based, and family23 centered; 

24 ‘‘(ii) reflects, and is responsive to, com25 munity needs and interests; 


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

2 cost for participants; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) builds communities of peer sup4 port for families, including kinship fami5 lies, to develop social connections that re6 duce isolation and stress. 

7 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE.—For purposes of this 

8 subpart, an expenditure for a service provided by 

9 a family resource center may be treated as an 

10 expenditure for any 1 or more of family support 

11 services, family preservation services, family re12 unification services, or adoption promotion and 

13 support services as long as the expenditure is re14 lated to serving the children and families in the 

15 specified category and consistent with the overall 

16 purpose of the category.’’. 

17 (c) UPDATING STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 

18 422(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(1)) is amended to read as fol19 lows: 

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

21 or supervise the administration of the plan under this 

22 subpart;’’. 

23 (d) ACCESS TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION.—Section 

24 422(b)(4) (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(4)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara2 graph (A); 

3 (2) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end of subparagraph 

4 (B); and 

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

6 ‘‘(C) the steps that the State will take to en7 sure that, with respect to any judicial proceeding 

8 involving a child and in which there is an alle9 gation of child abuse or neglect, including a pro10 ceeding on dependency, adoption, guardianship, 

11 or termination of parental rights, information 

12 about available independent legal representation 

13 is provided to— 

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

15 ‘‘(ii) any individual who is a parent 

16 or guardian, or has legal custody, of the 

17 child;’’. 

18 (e) SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

19 OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE.—Section 422(b)(15)(A) 

20 (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(15) is amended— 

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

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

23 State agency responsible for mental health serv24 ices,’’ before ‘‘and in consultation’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘mental health providers,’’ 

2 before ‘‘other experts’’; 

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

4 provided to support the physical and’’ before ‘‘emo5 tional’’; 

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

7 health’’ before ‘‘services’’; 

8 (4) in clause (v), by inserting ‘‘, informed con9 sent of youth, and compliance with professional prac10 tice guidelines’’ before the semicolon; and 

11 (5) in clause (vi), by inserting ‘‘, licensed mental 

12 health providers,’’ before ‘‘or other’’. 

13 (f) REDUCTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.— 

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

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

16 section 440 as section 443 and inserting before such 

17 section the following: 

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

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

20 burden of administering this part imposed on the recipients 

21 of funds under this part, by— 

22 ‘‘(1) reviewing and revising administrative data 

23 collection instruments and forms to eliminate dupli24 cation and streamline reporting requirements for the 


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1 recipients while collecting all data required under this 

2 part; 

3 ‘‘(2) in coordination with activities required 

4 under the Paperwork Reduction Act, conducting an 

5 analysis of the total number of hours reported by the 

6 recipients to comply with paperwork requirements 

7 and exploring, in consultation with the recipients, 

8 how to reduce the number of hours required for the 

9 compliance by at least 15 percent; 

10 ‘‘(3) collecting input from the recipients with re11 spect to fiscal and oversight requirements and making 

12 changes to ensure consistency with standards and 

13 guidelines for other Federal formula grant programs 

14 based on the input; and 

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

16 when complying with this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON APPLICABILITY.—Subsection (a) 

18 of this section shall not apply to any reporting or data col19 lection otherwise required by law that would affect the abil20 ity of the Secretary to monitor and ensure compliance with 

21 State plans approved under this part or ensure that funds 

22 are expended consistent with this part. 

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

24 ‘‘The Secretary shall— 


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

2 required under sections 422 and 432 used to monitor 

3 compliance with those sections; 

4 ‘‘(2) produce comparisons and analyses of trends 

5 in State plans to inform future technical assistance 

6 and policy development; 

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

8 website; and 

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

10 summaries of State submissions as the Secretary 

11 deems appropriate.’’. 

12 (2) IMPLEMENTATION.—Within 2 years after the 

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

14 Health and Human Services shall— 

15 (A) comply with section 441 of the Social 

16 Security Act, as added by the amendment made 

17 by paragraph (1); and 

18 (B) notify each recipient of funds under 

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

20 any change made by the Secretary pursuant to 

21 such section affecting the recipient. 

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

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

24 Human Services shall submit to the Committee on 

25 Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and 


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1 the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report de2 scribing the efforts of the Secretary to comply with 

3 section 441 of the Social Security Act, as added by 

4 the amendment made by paragraph (1), including the 

5 specific actions to comply with each paragraph of 

6 such section. 

7 (g) PRIMARY PREVENTION PARTNERS.—Section 

8 435(a)(2)(B) (42 U.S.C. 429e(a)(2)(B)) is amended by in9 serting ‘‘including community-based partners with exper10 tise in preventing unnecessary child welfare system involve11 ment’’ before the semicolon. 

12 SEC. 7. STREAMLINING FUNDING FOR INDIAN TRIBES. 

13 (a) SUBPART 1.— 

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

15 TRIBES; EXEMPTIVE AUTHORITY.— 

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

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

18 (b) and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(a) RESERVATION OF FUNDS; DIRECT PAYMENTS.— 

20 Out of any amount appropriated pursuant to section 425 

21 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve 3 percent for 

22 grants to Indian tribes and tribal organizations, which 

23 shall be paid directly to Indian tribes and tribal organiza24 tions with a plan approved under this subpart, in accord25 ance with section 433(a).’’. 


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1 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

2 423(a) (42 U.S.C. 623(a)) is amended by strik3 ing ‘‘the sum appropriated pursuant to section 

4 425 for each fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each 

5 fiscal year, the sum appropriated pursuant to 

6 section 425 remaining after applying section 

7 428(a)’’. 

8 (C) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 

9 428(c) (42 U.S.C. 628(c)) is amended by striking 

10 ‘‘450b’’ and inserting ‘‘5304’’. 

11 (2) IMPROVING COMPLIANCE WITH THE INDIAN

12 CHILD WELFARE ACT.— 

13 (A) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 

14 422(b)(9) (42 U.S.C. 622(b)(9)) is amended by 

15 striking ‘‘Act;’’ and inserting ‘‘Act of 1978, in16 cluding how the State will ensure timely notice 

17 to Indian tribes of State custody proceedings in18 volving Indian children, foster care or adoptive 

19 placements of Indian children, and case record20 keeping as such matters relate to transfers of ju21 risdiction, termination of parental rights, and 

22 active efforts;’’. 

23 (B) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Subpart 1 of 

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

25 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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

2 CHILD WELFARE ACT OF 1978. 

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

4 the Secretary, in consultation with Indian tribal organiza5 tions and States, shall develop a plan and provide technical 

6 assistance supporting effective implementation of the In7 dian Child Welfare Act of 1978, including specific measures 

8 identified in State plans as required by section 422(b)(9) 

9 of this Act. The technical assistance plan shall be based on 

10 data sufficient to assess State strengths and areas for im11 provement in implementing Federal standards established 

12 under the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, including, at 

13 a minimum, the following: 

14 ‘‘(1) Timely identification of Indian children 

15 and extended family members. 

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

17 proceedings involving an Indian child. 

18 ‘‘(3) Reports of cases in which a transfer of ju19 risdiction (as defined under the Indian Child Welfare 

20 Act of 1978) was granted or was not granted, and 

21 reasons specified for denial in cases where transfer 

22 was denied. 

23 ‘‘(4) In cases in which a State court orders a fos24 ter care placement of an Indian child, whether re25 quirements for active efforts to prevent the breakup of 


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1 the Indian family, testimony of a qualified expert 

2 witness, and evidentiary standards were met. 

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

4 placement that is required to be preferred under the 

5 Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, and if not, the rea6 sons specified. 

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

8 termination of parental rights to an Indian child, 

9 whether requirements for active efforts to prevent the 

10 breakup of the Indian family, testimony of a qualified 

11 expert witness, and evidentiary standards were met. 

12 ‘‘(b) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—On request of the 

13 Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior shall provide the 

14 Secretary with such guidance and assistance as may be nec15 essary to facilitate informing States and public child wel16 fare agencies on how to comply with the Indian Child Wel17 fare Act of 1978, including specific measures identified in 

18 State plans as required by section 422(b)(9) of this Act. 

19 ‘‘(c) BIENNIAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Sec20 retary shall biennially submit to the Committee on Ways 

21 and Means of the House of Representatives and the Com22 mittee on Finance of the Senate a written report on how— 

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

24 Child Welfare Act of 1978 and section 422(b)(9) of 


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1 this Act, as informed by data collected under this sec2 tion; and 

3 ‘‘(2) the Secretary is assisting States and Indian 

4 tribes to improve implementation of Federal stand5 ards established under the Indian Child Welfare Act 

6 of 1978.’’. 

7 (3) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS; ADMINISTRA8 TIVE COSTS.— 

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

10 628) is amended by redesignating subsection (c) 

11 as subsection (d) and inserting before such sub12 section the following: 

13 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY TO STREAMLINE REPORTING RE14 QUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall, in consultation with 

15 the affected Indian tribes, modify any reporting require16 ment imposed by or under this part on an Indian tribe, 

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

18 amounts allotted to the Indian tribe, tribal organization, 

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

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

21 administrative burden on any tribe to which not more than 

22 $50,000 is allotted under this subpart for the fiscal year. 

23 ‘‘(c) TRIBAL AUTHORITY TO SUBSTITUTE THE FED24 ERAL NEGOTIATED INDIRECT COST RATE FOR ADMINIS25 TRATIVE COSTS CAP.—For purposes of sections 422(b)(14) 


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1 and 424(e), an Indian tribal organization may elect to have 

2 the weighted average of the indirect cost rates in effect under 

3 part 220 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations with respect 

4 to the administrative costs of the Indian tribal organization 

5 apply in lieu of the percentage specified in each such sec6 tion.’’. 

7 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

8 431(a) (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)) is amended in each 

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

10 and inserting ‘‘428(d)’’. 

11 (b) SUBPART 2.— 

12 (1) TRIBAL PLAN EXEMPTION.—Section 

13 432(b)(2)(B) (42 U.S.C. 629b(b)(2)(B)) is amended— 

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

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

16 and 437(c)(1) combined’’; and 

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

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

19 (2) APPLICATION OF TRIBAL SET-ASIDE BEFORE

20 OTHER SET-ASIDES.—Section 436(b)(3) (42 U.S.C. 

21 429f(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘After applying 

22 paragraphs (4) and (5) (but before applying para23 graphs (1) or (2)), the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’. 

24 (3) INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR TRIBAL COURT

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


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1 U.S.C. 629h(c)(3)) is amended by inserting ‘‘for fiscal 

2 year 2025, and $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

3 2026 through 2029,’’ before ‘‘for grants’’. 

4 SEC. 8. ACCELERATING ACCESS TO FAMILY FIRST PREVEN5 TION SERVICES. 

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

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(f) PREVENTION SERVICES EVALUATION PARTNER9 SHIPS.— 

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

11 is to authorize the Secretary to make competitive 

12 grants to support the timely evaluation of— 

13 ‘‘(A) services and programs described in sec14 tion 471(e); or 

15 ‘‘(B) kinship navigator programs described 

16 in section 474(a)(7). 

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

18 approved under this subsection, the Secretary may 

19 make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible enti20 ties to carry out projects designed to evaluate a serv21 ice or program provided by the eligible entity, or an 

22 entity in partnership with the eligible entity, with re23 spect to the requirements for a promising practice, 

24 supported practice, or well-supported practice de25 scribed in section 471(e)(4)(C). 


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1 ‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.— 

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

3 apply to the Secretary for a grant under this 

4 subsection to carry out a project that meets the 

5 following requirements: 

6 ‘‘(i) The project is designed in accord7 ance with paragraph (2). 

8 ‘‘(ii) The project is to be carried out by 

9 the applicant in partnership with— 

10 ‘‘(I) a State agency that admin11 isters, or supervises the administration 

12 of, the State plan approved under part 

13 E, or an agency administering the 

14 plan under the supervision of the State 

15 agency; and 

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

17 unwilling to do so, at least 1 external 

18 evaluator to carry out the evaluation of 

19 the service or program provided by the 

20 applicant. 

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

22 contain the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) A description of the project, in24 cluding— 


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1 ‘‘(I) a statement explaining why a 

2 grant is necessary to carry out the 

3 project; and 

4 ‘‘(II) the amount of grant funds 

5 that would be disbursed to each entity 

6 described in subparagraph (A)(ii) in 

7 partnership with the applicant. 

8 ‘‘(ii) A certification from each entity 

9 described in subparagraph (A)(ii) that pro10 vides assurances that the individual or enti11 ty is in partnership with the applicant and 

12 will fulfill the responsibilities of the entity 

13 specified in the description provided pursu14 ant to clause (i) of this subparagraph. 

15 ‘‘(iii) A certification from the appli16 cant that provides assurances that the ap17 plicant intends to comply with subpara18 graph (A)(ii)(II), if applicable. 

19 ‘‘(iv) At the option of the eligible enti20 ty, a certification from the applicant that 

21 the applicant requires an external evaluator 

22 secured by the Secretary pursuant to para23 graph (5), if applicable. 


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

2 under this subsection, the Secretary shall prioritize 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘(A) Addressing, with respect to the clear5 inghouse of practices described in section 

6 476(d)(2), deficiencies or gaps identified by the 

7 Secretary in consultation with— 

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

9 State, and tribal communities carrying out, 

10 or receiving the benefits of, a service or pro11 gram; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) child welfare experts, including 

13 individuals with lived experience. 

14 ‘‘(B) Maximizing the number of evidence15 based services or programs to be included in the 

16 clearinghouse of practices described in section 

17 476(d)(2). 

18 ‘‘(C) Timely completion of evaluations and 

19 the production of evidence. 

20 ‘‘(D) Supporting services or programs that 

21 are based on, or are adaptations to new popu22 lation settings of, a service or program with reli23 able evidence about the benefits and risks of the 

24 service or program. 


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1 ‘‘(5) AVAILABILITY OF EXTERNAL EVAL2 UATORS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Before accepting appli4 cations under this subsection, the Secretary shall 

5 make reasonable efforts to identify at least 1 en6 tity to serve as an external evaluator for any eli7 gible entity that includes a certification under 

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

9 this subsection. 

10 ‘‘(B) NO EFFECT ON CONSIDERATION OF AP11 PLICATION.—The Secretary may not consider 

12 whether an eligible entity is in partnership with 

13 an external evaluator described in paragraph 

14 (A) in approving an application under this sub15 section submitted by the eligible entity. 

16 ‘‘(6) REPORTS.— 

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

18 year after receiving a grant under this sub19 section, and every year thereafter for the next 5 

20 years, the grant recipient shall submit to the 

21 Secretary a written report on— 

22 ‘‘(i) the use of grant funds; 

23 ‘‘(ii) whether the program or service 

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1 ment specified in section 471(e)(4)(C), in2 cluding information about— 

3 ‘‘(I) how the program or service is 

4 being carried out in accordance with 

5 standards specified in the requirement; 

6 ‘‘(II) any outcomes of the pro7 gram or service; and 

8 ‘‘(III) any outcome with respect to 

9 which the service or program compares 

10 favorably to a comparison practice; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(iii) whether the Secretary has in13 cluded the program or service in an update 

14 to the clearinghouse of practices described in 

15 section 476(d)(2). 

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

17 shall submit to the Committee on Ways and 

18 Means of the House of Representatives and to the 

19 Committee on Finance of the Senate an annual 

20 written report on— 

21 ‘‘(i) the grants awarded under this 

22 subsection; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the programs funded by the 

24 grants; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) any technical assistance provided 

2 by the Secretary in carrying out this sub3 section, including with respect to the efforts 

4 to secure external evaluators pursuant to 

5 paragraph (5); and 

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

7 support program evaluation and review 

8 pursuant to section 471(e) and inclusion of 

9 programs in the pre-approved list of serv10 ices and programs described in section 

11 471(e)(4)(D) or the clearinghouse of prac12 tices described in section 476(d)(2). 

13 ‘‘(7) FUNDING.— 

14 ‘‘(A) LIMITATIONS.—Of the amounts avail15 able to carry out this subsection, the Secretary 

16 may use not more than 5 percent to provide tech17 nical assistance. 

18 ‘‘(B) CARRYOVER.—Amounts made avail19 able to carry out this subsection shall remain 

20 available until expended. 

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

22 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible 

23 entity’ means any of the following providing a 

24 service or program or, in the sole determination 


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1 of the Secretary, able to provide a service or pro2 gram if awarded a grant under this subsection: 

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

4 a State, or an agency or department of a 

5 State or political subdivision of a State. 

6 ‘‘(ii) An entity described in subpara7 graph (A) or (B) of section 426(a)(1). 

8 ‘‘(iii) An Indian tribe or tribal organi9 zation. 

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

11 ‘external evaluator’ means an entity with the 

12 ability and willingness to evaluate a service or 

13 program pursuant to paragraph (2) that is not 

14 provided by the entity. 

15 ‘‘(C) SERVICE OR PROGRAM.—The term 

16 ‘service or program’— 

17 ‘‘(i) means a service or program de18 scribed in section 471(e); and 

19 ‘‘(ii) includes a kinship navigator pro20 gram described in section 474(a)(7).’’. 

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

22 amended by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(5) PREVENTIVE SERVICES EVALUATION PART24 NERSHIPS.—The Secretary shall reserve $5,000,000 


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1 for grants under section 435(f) for each of fiscal years 

2 2026 through 2029.’’. 

3 SEC. 9. STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR YOUTH AGING OUT 

4 OF FOSTER CARE. 

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

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

7 a description of how the State may offer virtual caseworker 

8 visits to youth in care who have attained the age of 18 years 

9 and provided informed consent for virtual visits’’ before the 

10 semicolon. 

11 (b) YOUTH AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN CHILD WEL12 FARE PROGRAM PLANNING.—Section 432(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 

13 629b(b)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 

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

15 a plan that meets the requirements of subsection (a) 

16 only if— 

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

18 Secretary and the State, and the State, in devel19 oping the plan, consulted with— 

20 ‘‘(i) appropriate public and nonprofit 

21 private agencies; 

22 ‘‘(ii) community-based organizations 

23 involved in providing services for children 

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1 tion, foster care, kinship, and adoption pro2 motion and support; 

3 ‘‘(iii) parents with child welfare expe4 rience, foster parents, adoptive parents, and 

5 kinship caregivers; and 

6 ‘‘(iv) children, youth, and young adults 

7 with experience in the child welfare system, 

8 including State boards and councils com9 prised of youth with lived experience who 

10 represent the diversity of children in the 

11 State to whom the plan would apply; and 

12 ‘‘(B) the State has made publicly accessible 

13 on a website of the State agency a report that 

14 outlines how the State has implemented the sug15 gestions of the children and youth referred to in 

16 subparagraph (A)(iv).’’. 

17 SEC. 10. RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIVE 

18 AND KINSHIP CAREGIVERS. 

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

20 629a(a)), as amended by section 6(b)(2) of this Act, is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

23 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

24 (A)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘children’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘children, youth,’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘adoptive and ex4 tended’’ and inserting ‘‘kinship and adop5 tive’’; 

6 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘par7 ents and other caregivers (including foster par8 ents)’’ and inserting ‘‘parents, kinship care9 givers, and foster parents’’; 

10 (C) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub11 paragraph (E); 

12 (D) by striking the period at the end of sub13 paragraph (F) and inserting ‘‘ ; and’’; and 

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

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

16 programs with demonstrated experience fostering 

17 constructive relationships between children and 

18 families and mentors with relevant lived experi19 ence or interactions with the child welfare sys20 tem; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) for purposes of this subpart, an ex22 penditure for a service described in clause (i) 

23 may be treated as an expenditure for any 1 or 

24 more of family support services, family preserva25 tion services, family reunification services, or 


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1 adoption promotion and support services, as long 

2 as the expenditure is related to serving the chil3 dren and families in the specified category and 

4 consistent with the overall purpose of the cat5 egory.’’; 

6 (2) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

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

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

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

10 and inserting ‘‘kinship’’; 

11 (3) in paragraph (7)(A), by inserting ‘‘with kin12 ship caregivers or’’ before ‘‘in a foster family home’’; 

13 and 

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

15 ‘‘(11) YOUTH.—The term ‘youth’ means an indi16 vidual who has not attained 26 years of age.’’. 

17 (b) KINSHIP NAVIGATORS.— 

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

19 is amended— 

20 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

21 ‘‘FAMILY CONNECTION GRANTS’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘KINSHIP NAVIGATORS’’; 

23 (B) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (i) in the matter preceding paragraph 

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

3 ‘‘administering programs to help’’; 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘of—’’ and all that fol5 lows through ‘‘a kinship’’ and inserting ‘‘of 

6 a kinship’’; 

7 (iii) in paragraph (1)(C)— 

8 (I) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end 

9 of clause (iii); 

10 (II) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end 

11 of clause (iv); and 

12 (III) by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(v) connections to individualized as15 sistance, as needed;’’; 

16 (iv) by striking paragraphs (2) 

17 through (4); 

18 (v) by redesignating subparagraphs 

19 (A) through (G) of paragraph (1) as para20 graphs (1) through (7), respectively; 

21 (vi) by redesignating clauses (i) 

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

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

24 subparagraphs (A) through (E), respec25 tively; 


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1 (vii) by moving each provision so re2 designated 2 ems to the left; and 

3 (viii) by striking ‘‘caregiving;’’ and in4 serting ‘‘caregiving.’’; 

5 (C) in subsection (b)— 

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

7 more of’’; 

8 (ii) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 

9 and (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respec10 tively, and inserting after paragraph (2) 

11 the following: 

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

13 fund, or provide data to the Secretary for, an evalua14 tion which will publish and submit information to 

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

16 which is designed to meet the requirements of section 

17 471(e)(4)(C), or a description of how the funds will 

18 be used to help the State transition to a program for 

19 which the State will seek reimbursement under section 

20 474(a)(7);’’; 

21 (iii) in paragraph (4) (as so redesig22 nated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

23 (iv) in paragraph (5) (as so redesig24 nated), by striking the period and inserting 

25 ‘‘; and’’; and 


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

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

3 welfare agency— 

4 ‘‘(A) documentation of support from a rel5 evant community-based organization with expe6 rience serving kinship families when applicable; 

7 or 

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

9 plans to coordinate its services and activities 

10 with those offered by the relevant community11 based organizations.’’; 

12 (D) by striking subsection (d) and inserting 

13 the following: 

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

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

16 more than 75 percent of the cost of the activities to be car17 ried out by the entity pursuant to this section.’’; 

18 (E) in subsection (g)— 

19 (i) by striking all that precedes ‘‘2 per20 cent’’ and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(g) RESERVATION OF FUNDS FOR TECHNICAL AS22 SISTANCE.—The Secretary may reserve’’; and 

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

24 2nd place it appears and inserting ‘‘section 

25 437(b)(6)’’; and 


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1 (F) by striking subsection (h). 

2 (2) RESERVATION OF DISCRETIONARY FUNDS.— 

3 Section 437(b) (42 U.S.C. 629g(b)), as amended by 

4 section 8(b) of this Act, is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

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

7 reserve $10,000,000 for grants under section 427 for 

8 each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.’’. 

9 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

10 474(a)(7) (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(7)) is amended by strik11 ing ‘‘427(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘427(a)’’. 

12 SEC. 11. AVOIDING NEGLECT BY ADDRESSING POVERTY. 

13 (a) FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES.—Section 

14 431(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(1)), as amended by section 

15 10(a)(1) of this Act, is amended— 

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

17 the semicolon; 

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

19 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

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

22 short term benefits (including supports related to 

23 housing instability, utilities, transportation, and 

24 food assistance, among other basic needs) that 

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1 sis, situation, or event affecting the ability of a 

2 child to remain in a home established for the 

3 child that is not intended to meet an ongoing 

4 need; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) for purposes of this subpart, an ex6 penditure for a service described in clause (i) 

7 may be treated as an expenditure for any 1 or 

8 more of family support services, family preserva9 tion services, family reunification services, or 

10 adoption promotion and support services as long 

11 as the expenditure is related to serving the chil12 dren and families in the specified category and 

13 consistent with the overall purpose of the cat14 egory.’’. 

15 (b) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—Section 432(a) (42 

16 U.S.C. 629b(a)) is amended— 

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

18 semicolon; 

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

20 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

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

23 including training for employees, to address child 

24 welfare reports and investigations of neglect con25 cerning the living arrangements or subsistence needs 


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

2 a child from a parent of the child solely due to pov3 erty, to ensure access to services described in section 

4 431(a)(1)(H).’’. 

5 SEC. 12. STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR CASEWORKERS. 

6 (a) REAUTHORIZATION OF, AND INCREASE IN FUND7 ING FOR, CASEWORKER VISITS.—Section 436(b)(4)(A) (42 

8 U.S.C. 629f(b)(4)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘each of fiscal 

9 years 2017 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2025 

10 and $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each succeeding 

11 fiscal year’’. 

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

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

14 (2) and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) BASE ALLOTMENT.—From the amount re16 served pursuant to section 436(b)(4)(A) for any fiscal 

17 year, the Secretary shall first allot to each State 

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

19 Secretary such documentation as may be necessary to 

20 verify that the jurisdiction has complied with section 

21 436(b)(4)(B)(ii) during the fiscal year, a base allot22 ment of $100,000, and shall then allot to each of those 

23 States an amount determined in paragraph (2) or (3) 

24 of this subsection, as applicable. 


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

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

3 that remains after applying paragraph (1) of this 

4 subsection for the fiscal year, the Secretary shall allot 

5 to each jurisdiction specified in subsection (b) of this 

6 section to which a base allotment is made under such 

7 paragraph (1) an amount determined in the same 

8 manner as the allotment to each of such jurisdictions 

9 is determined under section 423 (without regard to 

10 the initial allotment of $70,000 to each State). 

11 ‘‘(3) OTHER STATES.—From the amount re12 served pursuant to section 436(b)(4)(A) for any fiscal 

13 year that remains after applying paragraphs (1) and 

14 (2) of this subsection for the fiscal year, the Secretary 

15 shall allot to each State (other than an Indian tribe) 

16 not specified in subsection (b) of this section to which 

17 a base allotment was made under paragraph (1) of 

18 this subsection an amount equal to such remaining 

19 amount multiplied by the supplemental nutrition as20 sistance program benefits percentage of the State (as 

21 defined in subsection (c)(2) of this section) for the fis22 cal year, except that in applying subsection (c)(2)(A) 

23 of this section, ‘subsection (e)(3)’ shall be substituted 

24 for ‘such paragraph (1)’.’’. 


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1 (c) REQUIREMENT TO USE FUNDS TO IMPROVE QUAL2 ITY OF CASEWORKER VISITS WITH FOSTER CHILDREN.— 

3 Section 436(b)(4)(B)(i) (42 U.S.C. 629f(b)(4)(B)(i)) is 

4 amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A State to which 

6 an amount is paid from amounts reserved 

7 under subparagraph (A) shall use the 

8 amount to improve the quality of monthly 

9 caseworker visits with children who are in 

10 foster care under the responsibility of the 

11 State, with an emphasis on— 

12 ‘‘(I) reducing caseload ratios and 

13 the administrative burden on case14 workers, to improve caseworker deci15 sion making on the safety, perma16 nency, and well-being of foster children 

17 and on activities designed to increase 

18 retention, recruitment, and training of 

19 caseworkers; 

20 ‘‘(II) implementing technology so21 lutions to streamline caseworker duties 

22 and modernize systems, ensuring im23 proved efficiency and effectiveness in 

24 child welfare services; 


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1 ‘‘(III) improving caseworker safe2 ty; 

3 ‘‘(IV) mental health resources to 

4 support caseworker well-being, includ5 ing peer-to-peer support programs; and 

6 ‘‘(V) recruitment campaigns 

7 aimed at attracting qualified case8 worker candidates.’’. 

9 (d) ELIMINATION OF COST-SHARE PENALTY TIED TO

10 MONTHLY CASEWORKER VISIT STANDARD.—Section 424(f) 

11 (42 U.S.C. 624(f)) is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘(1)(A)’’; and 

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

14 SEC. 13. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FOR IMPROVING RE15 LATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INCARCERATED PAR16 ENTS AND CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 439 (42 U.S.C. 629i) is 

18 amended to read as follows: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 439. STATE PARTNERSHIP PLANNING AND DEM20 ONSTRATION GRANTS TO SUPPORT MEAN21 INGFUL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FOSTER 

22 CHILDREN AND THE INCARCERATED PAR23 ENTS OF THE CHILDREN. 

24 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.— 


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

2 demonstration grants to eligible State partnerships to 

3 develop, implement, and provide support for pro4 grams that enable and sustain meaningful relation5 ships between covered foster children and the incarcer6 ated parents of the children. 

7 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT OF ANNUAL INSTALLMENTS.—The 

8 Secretary shall pay each demonstration grant in 5 

9 annual installments. 

10 ‘‘(3) 1-YEAR PLANNING GRANTS.—The Secretary 

11 may make a planning grant to a recipient of a dem12 onstration grant, to be paid to the recipient 1 year 

13 before payment of the 1st annual installment of the 

14 demonstration grant and in an amount not greater 

15 than any installment of the demonstration grant, if— 

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

17 planning grant in the application under sub18 section (c); and 

19 ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that a plan20 ning grant would assist the recipient and im21 prove the effectiveness of the demonstration 

22 grant. 

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


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term ‘eli2 gible State partnership’ means an agreement entered 

3 into by, at a minimum, the following: 

4 ‘‘(A) The State child welfare agency respon5 sible for the administration of the State plans 

6 under this part. 

7 ‘‘(B) The State agency responsible for adult 

8 corrections. 

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

10 this section, an eligible State partnership may in11 clude any entity with experience in serving incarcer12 ated parents and their children. 

13 ‘‘(3) PARTNERSHIPS ENTERED INTO BY INDIAN

14 TRIBES OR TRIBAL CONSORTIA.—Notwithstanding 

15 paragraph (1), if an Indian tribe or tribal consor16 tium enters into a partnership pursuant to this sec17 tion that does not consist solely of tribal child welfare 

18 agencies (or a consortium of the agencies), the part19 nership shall be considered an eligible State partner20 ship for purposes of this section. 

21 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible State 

22 partnership seeking a demonstration grant under this sec23 tion to carry out a program described in subsection (a)(1) 

24 shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 

25 in such manner, and containing such information as the 


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1 Secretary may require. The application shall include the 

2 following: 

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

4 the program will support a meaningful relationship 

5 between a covered foster child and an incarcerated 

6 parent of the child. 

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

8 out by the program, which must include all of the ac9 tivities described in subsection (d) that are in the best 

10 interest of the covered foster child. 

11 ‘‘(3) A framework for identifying— 

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

13 services under the program, including, to the ex14 tent practicable, coordination of data between 

15 relevant State child welfare agencies and court 

16 systems; and 

17 ‘‘(B) the roles and responsibilities of the en18 tities in the partnership. 

19 ‘‘(4) Documentation that the applicant is an eli20 gible State partnership. 

21 ‘‘(5) Assurances that the applicant will partici22 pate fully in the evaluation described in subsection 

23 (f)(2) and shall maintain records for the program, in24 cluding demographic information disaggregated by 

25 relevant characteristics with respect to covered foster 


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1 children and incarcerated parents who participate in 

2 the program. 

3 ‘‘(d) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—To the extent that the ac4 tivities are in the best interest of the covered foster child, 

5 the activities referred to in subsection (c)(2) shall include 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(1) REVISION OF POLICIES.—Through consulta8 tion with incarcerated parents and their families, 

9 grantees shall promote organizational policies of par10 ticipating child welfare entities and collaborating cor11 rectional facilities to promote meaningful relation12 ships through regular and developmentally appro13 priate communication and visitation between covered 

14 foster children and the incarcerated parents, includ15 ing, when appropriate, the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) For child welfare entities— 

17 ‘‘(i) inclusion of parents in case plan18 ning and decision making for children; 

19 ‘‘(ii) regular sharing of information 

20 and responses to requests for information 

21 between caseworkers and incarcerated par22 ents with respect to the case information of 

23 a child, any changes to a case, permanency 

24 plans, requirements to maintain parental 


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1 rights, and any efforts to terminate paren2 tal rights; 

3 ‘‘(iii) appropriate opportunities for in4 carcerated parents to demonstrate their re5 lationship with a covered foster child given 

6 their incarceration, including training and 

7 courses required for a service plan; and 

8 ‘‘(iv) the enhanced visitation described 

9 in paragraph (2). 

10 ‘‘(B) For correctional facilities, fostering 

11 visitation and communication that is develop12 mentally appropriate in terms of— 

13 ‘‘(i) the nature of communication and 

14 visitation, including— 

15 ‘‘(I) the ability to physically 

16 touch parents; 

17 ‘‘(II) engaging with parents in lo18 cations that are appropriate for the 

19 age and development of the child; 

20 ‘‘(III) exchanging items that are 

21 appropriate to the age and develop22 ment of the child, include expectations 

23 that are appropriate for the age and 

24 development of the child related to be25 havior, attire, and wait times; and 


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1 ‘‘(IV) allowing appropriate adults 

2 to bring children if legal guardians are 

3 not available to promote regular con4 tact; 

5 ‘‘(ii) reasonable inclusion of all chil6 dren of the parent; 

7 ‘‘(iii) communication and visitation at 

8 times when the children are available; 

9 ‘‘(iv) security procedures to comfort 

10 children and be minimally invasive; and 

11 ‘‘(v) promoting parent-child relation12 ships regardless of the sentence imposed on 

13 the parent. 

14 ‘‘(2) ENHANCED VISITATION.— 

15 ‘‘(A) Grantees shall facilitate weekly com16 munication and, for at least 9 days each year, 

17 in-person visitation between a covered foster 

18 child and any incarcerated parent of the child. 

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

20 video visits, phone calls, and recorded books) 

21 may be used but shall not be the sole method to 

22 promote a meaningful relationship for purposes 

23 of the grant. 

24 ‘‘(C) Enhanced visitation programs shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) integrate best practices for visita2 tion programs with incarcerated parents 

3 and their children; 

4 ‘‘(ii) adopt developmentally appro5 priate visitation policies and procedures 

6 such as those described in paragraph 

7 (1)(B); 

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

9 developmentally appropriate communica10 tion and visitation for the covered foster 

11 child, which may include the purchase of 

12 communication technology, covering trans13 portation, insurance, and lodging costs, 

14 costs related to providing appropriate visi15 tation spaces and activities, and other rel16 evant costs; 

17 ‘‘(iv) to the extent practicable, inte18 grate appropriate parenting education to 

19 help prepare and process visits; and 

20 ‘‘(v) avoid restricting visitation and 

21 communication as a punishment for the in22 carcerated parents. 

23 ‘‘(3) TRAINING.—Grantees shall incorporate on24 going training for child welfare workers, correctional 

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1 stand the importance of promoting meaningful rela2 tionships between children and incarcerated parents. 

3 ‘‘(4) CASE MANAGEMENT.—Grantees shall pro4 vide case management services for the incarcerated 

5 parents of a covered foster child to promote the rela6 tionship, access to services, and coordination with the 

7 caseworkers of the covered foster child to strengthen 

8 the relationship. 

9 ‘‘(5) LEGAL ASSISTANCE.—Grantees shall facili10 tate access to necessary legal services and may use 

11 grant funds for services that are not reimbursable 

12 under other Federal programs. 

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

14 of any activity carried out using a grant made under this 

15 section shall be not greater than 75 percent. 

16 ‘‘(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, EVALUATIONS, AND RE17 PORTS.— 

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

19 shall provide technical assistance with respect to 

20 grants under this section, including by— 

21 ‘‘(A) assisting grantees in understanding 

22 best practices in promoting meaningful relation23 ships between incarcerated parents and their 

24 children as well as consulting with appropriate 

25 stakeholders when developing their programs; 


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1 ‘‘(B) assisting grantees with establishing 

2 and analyzing implementation and performance 

3 indicators; and 

4 ‘‘(C) conducting an annual technical assist5 ance and training meeting and an annual 

6 grantee meeting so that grantees can learn from 

7 the experiences of other grantees. 

8 ‘‘(2) EVALUATIONS.—The Secretary shall con9 duct an evaluation of program outcomes, including 

10 with respect to parent and child well-being, parent11 child interactions, parental involvement, awareness of 

12 child development and parenting practices, placement 

13 stability, and termination of parental rights with re14 spect to covered foster children and incarcerated par15 ents, to measure program effectiveness, as determined 

16 by the Secretary, and identify opportunities for im17 proved program practices and implementation. 

18 ‘‘(3) REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS.— 

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

20 years after the date of the enactment of this sec21 tion, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

22 on Ways and Means of the House of Representa23 tives and the Committee on Finance of the Sen24 ate a report that includes— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the number of applications for 

2 grants under this section; 

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

4 and the amounts for each grant; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) information on the grants, in6 cluding— 

7 ‘‘(I) interim results of the evalua8 tion described in paragraph (2); 

9 ‘‘(II) disaggregated data on cov10 ered foster children and incarcerated 

11 parents; 

12 ‘‘(III) information on the com13 position of eligible State partnerships; 

14 ‘‘(IV) best practices for facili15 tating meaningful relationships be16 tween covered foster children and in17 carcerated parents; and 

18 ‘‘(V) barriers to implementation 

19 or expansion of programs funded under 

20 this section. 

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

22 years after the date of the enactment of this sec23 tion, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

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1 tives and the Committee on Finance of the Sen2 ate a report that includes— 

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

4 described in paragraph (2); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) recommendations for refinements 

6 to grant requirements to improve program 

7 outcomes. 

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

9 INDIAN TRIBES AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) WAIVER OR MODIFICATION OF REQUIRE11 MENTS.—In making a grant to an Indian tribe or 

12 tribal organization under this section, the Secretary 

13 may waive the matching requirement of subsection (e) 

14 or modify an application requirement imposed by or 

15 under subsection (c) if the Secretary determines that 

16 the waiver or modification is appropriate to the 

17 needs, culture, and circumstances of the Indian tribe 

18 or tribal organization. 

19 ‘‘(2) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall use trib20 ally relevant data in carrying out the evaluation 

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

22 tribe or tribal organization. 

23 ‘‘(h) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA24 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Sep 18, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H9076.RH H9076

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1 retary not more than $35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

2 2026 through 2029 to carry out this section. 

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

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

5 that— 

6 ‘‘(1) is in foster care; and 

7 ‘‘(2) has at least 1 parent incarcerated in a Fed8 eral, State, or local correctional facility.’’. 

9 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

10 (1) Section 431(a)(2)(B)(vii) (42 U.S.C. 

11 629a(a)(2)(B)(vii)) is amended by striking ‘‘(as de12 fined in section 439(b)(2))’’. 

13 (2) Section 431(a) (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)), as 

14 amended by sections 6(b)(2) and 10(a)(4) of this Act, 

15 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(12) MENTORING.—The term ‘mentoring’ means 

17 a structured, managed program in which children are 

18 appropriately matched with screened and trained 

19 adult volunteers for one on-one relationships, involv20 ing meetings and activities on a regular basis, in21 tended to meet, in part, the child’s need for involve22 ment with a caring and supportive adult who pro23 vides a positive role model.’’. 


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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 Medicare 

8 and Medicaid Services, the Administration for Community 

9 Living, the Department of Justice, and other relevant policy 

10 experts, as determined by the Secretary, shall issue and dis11 seminate, or update and revise, as applicable, guidance to 

12 State agencies in administering State plans approved 

13 under parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

14 on the following: 

15 (1) Best practices for Federal and State agencies 

16 to collect data and share information related to the 

17 well-being of youth residing in residential treatment 

18 facilities, including those facilities operating in mul19 tiple States or serving out-of-state youth. 

20 (2) Best practices on improving State collection 

21 and sharing of data related to incidences of maltreat22 ment of youth residing in residential treatment facili23 ties, including with respect to meeting the require24 ment of section 471(a)(9)(A) of such Act for such 

25 youth in foster care. 


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1 (3) Best practices on improving oversight of 

2 youth residential programs receiving Federal funding, 

3 and research-based strategies for risk assessment re4 lated to the health, safety, and well-being of youth in 

5 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 to 

10 read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(c) EVALUATION, RESEARCH, AND TECHNICAL AS12 SISTANCE WITH RESPECT TO TARGETED PROGRAM RE13 SOURCES.—Of the amount reserved under section 437(b)(1) 

14 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not less than— 

15 ‘‘(1) $1,000,000 for technical assistance to grant16 ees under section 437(f) and to support design of local 

17 site evaluations with the goal of publishing and sub18 mitting evaluation findings to the clearinghouse es19 tablished under section 476(d), or to award grants to 

20 allow current or former grantees under section 437(f) 

21 to analyze, publish, and submit to the clearinghouse 

22 data collected during past grants; and 

23 ‘‘(2) $1,000,000 for technical assistance required 

24 under section 429B of this Act to support effective im25 plementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 


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1 and to support development of associated State plan 

2 measures described pursuant to section 422(b)(9) of 

3 this Act.’’. 

4 (b) ELIMINATION OF RESEARCH SET-ASIDE FROM

5 MANDATORY FUNDS.— 

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

7 629f(b)), as amended by the preceding provisions of 

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

9 redesignating paragraphs (2) through (5) as para10 graphs (1) through (4), respectively. 

11 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

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

14 ‘‘436(b)(2)’’. 

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

16 amended by section 12(b) of this Act, is amended 

17 by striking ‘‘436(b)(4)(A)’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘436(b)(3)(A)’’ each place it appears. 

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

20 629d(a)(2)(A)) is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘436(b)(4)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘436(b)(3)(B)’’. 

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

23 629g(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘436(b)(1)’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘435’’. 


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1 (E) Section 437(f)(3) (42 U.S.C. 629g(f)(3)) 

2 is amended by striking ‘‘436(b)(5)’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘436(b)(4)’’. 

4 (F) Section 438(c) (42 U.S.C. 629g(c)) is 

5 amended in each of paragraphs (1) through (3) 

6 is amended by striking ‘‘436(b)(2)’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘436(b)(1)’’. 

8 SEC. 16. REPORT ON POST ADOPTION AND SUBSIDIZED 

9 GUARDIANSHIP SERVICES. 

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

11 enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human 

12 Services shall prepare and submit to the Committee on 

13 Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the 

14 Committee on Finance of the Senate a report on children 

15 who enter into foster care under the supervision of a State 

16 administering a plan approved under part B or E of title 

17 IV of the Social Security Act after finalization of an adop18 tion or legal guardianship. 

19 (b) INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall include in the 

20 report information, to the extent available through the 

21 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System 

22 and other data sources, regarding the incidence of adoption 

23 disruption and dissolution affecting children described in 

24 subsection (a) and factors associated with such cir25 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 of 

4 the child involved. 

5 (c) POST-ADOPTION SERVICES AND GUARDIANSHIP.— 

6 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 evi11 dence-informed. 

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 Act 

18 shall take effect on October 1, 2025, and shall apply to pay19 ments under part B of title IV of the Social Security Act 

20 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 ap24 propriating funds) is required in order for a State plan 

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1 rity Act to meet the additional requirements imposed by 

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

3 regarded as failing to meet any of the additional require4 ments before the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter begin5 ning after the first regular session of the State legislature 

6 that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act. For 

7 purposes of the preceding sentence, if the State has a 2- 

8 year legislative session, each year of the session is deemed 

9 to be a separate regular session of the State legislature. 

10 (c) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY INDIAN

11 TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case of an Indian tribe, 

12 tribal organization, or tribal consortium that the Secretary 

13 of Health and Human Services determines requires time 

14 to take action necessary to comply with the additional re15 quirements imposed by the amendments made by this Act 

16 (whether the tribe, organization, or tribal consortium has 

17 a plan under section 479B of the Social Security Act or 

18 a cooperative agreement or contract entered into with a 

19 State), the Secretary shall provide the tribe, organization, 

20 or tribal consortium with such additional time as the Sec21 retary determines is necessary for the tribe, organization, 

22 or tribal consortium to take the action to comply with the 

23 additional requirements before being regarded as failing to 

24 comply with the requirements. 


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Union Calendar No. 574 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9076 

[Report No. 118–679] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and modernize part B of title IV of 

able families, and for other purposes. tion services to better meet the needs of vulnerfare services, expand the availability of preventhe Social Security Act to strengthen child welSEPTEMBER 17, 2024 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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