PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 

RECONNECTING HOMELESS 

YOUTH ACT OF 2008 


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122 STAT. 4068 PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 

Public Law 110–378 

110th Congress 

An Act 

To amend the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to authorize appropriations, and 

for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reconnecting Homeless Youth 

Act of 2008’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

Section 302 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 

5701) is amended— 

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respectively; and 

(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following: 

‘‘(3) services to such young people should be developed 

and provided using a positive youth development approach 

that ensures a young person a sense of— 

‘‘(A) safety and structure; 

‘‘(B) belonging and membership; 

‘‘(C) self-worth and social contribution; 

‘‘(D) independence and control over one’s life; and 

‘‘(E) closeness in interpersonal relationships.’’. 

SEC. 3. BASIC CENTER PROGRAM. 

(a) SERVICES PROVIDED.—Section 311 of the Runaway and 

Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5711) is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking clause (i) and 

inserting the following: 

‘‘(i) safe and appropriate shelter provided for not 

to exceed 21 days; and’’; and 

(2) in subsection (b)(2)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘(2) The’’ and inserting ‘‘(2)(A) Except 

as provided in subparagraph (B), the’’; 

(B) by striking ‘‘$100,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$200,000’’; 

(C) by striking ‘‘$45,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$70,000’’; and 

(D) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(B) For fiscal years 2009 and 2010, the amount allotted under 

paragraph (1) with respect to a State for a fiscal year shall be 

not less than the amount allotted under paragraph (1) with respect 

to such State for fiscal year 2008. 

‘‘(C) Whenever the Secretary determines that any part of the 

amount allotted under paragraph (1) to a State for a fiscal year 

will not be obligated before the end of the fiscal year, the Secretary 

Reallotment. 

Allotment. 

42 USC 5601 

note. 

Reconnecting 

Homeless Youth 

Act of 2008. 

Oct. 8, 2008 

[S. 2982] 


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PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 122 STAT. 4069 

shall reallot such part to the remaining States for obligation for 

the fiscal year.’’. 

(b) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 312(b) of the Runaway and Homeless 

Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5712(b)) is amended— 

(1) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

(2) in paragraph (12), by striking the period and inserting 

‘‘; and’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(13) shall develop an adequate emergency preparedness 

and management plan.’’. 

SEC. 4. TRANSITIONAL LIVING GRANT PROGRAM. 

(a) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 322(a) of the Runaway and Homeless 

Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2(a)) is amended— 

(1) in paragraph (1)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘directly or indirectly’’ and inserting 

‘‘by grant, agreement, or contract’’; and 

(B) by striking ‘‘services’’ the first place it appears 

and inserting ‘‘provide, by grant, agreement, or contract, 

services,’’; 

(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘a continuous period not 

to exceed 540 days, except that’’ and all that follows and 

inserting the following: ‘‘a continuous period not to exceed 

540 days, or in exceptional circumstances 635 days, except 

that a youth in a program under this part who has not reached 

18 years of age on the last day of the 635-day period may, 

in exceptional circumstances and if otherwise qualified for the 

program, remain in the program until the youth’s 18th birthday;’’; 

(3) in paragraph (14), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

(4) in paragraph (15), by striking the period and inserting 

‘‘; and’’; and 

(5) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(16) to develop an adequate emergency preparedness and 

management plan.’’. 

(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 322(c) of the Runaway and Homeless 

Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2(c)) is amended by— 

(1) striking ‘‘part, the term’’ and inserting the following: 

‘‘part— 

‘‘(1) the term’’; 

(2) striking the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

(3) adding at the end thereof the following: 

‘‘(2) the term ‘exceptional circumstances’ means circumstances in which a youth would benefit to an unusual 

extent from additional time in the program.’’. 

SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR RESEARCH EVALUATION, DEMONSTRATION, AND 

SERVICE PROJECTS. 

Section 343 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 

5714–23) is amended— 

(1) in subsection (b)— 

(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 

‘‘special consideration’’ and inserting ‘‘priority’’; 

(B) in paragraph (8)— 

(i) by striking ‘‘to health’’ and inserting ‘‘to quality 

health’’; 

(ii) by striking ‘‘mental health care’’ and inserting 

‘‘behavioral health care’’; and 


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122 STAT. 4070 PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 

(iii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

(C) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the 

end and inserting ‘‘, including access to educational and 

workforce programs to achieve outcomes such as decreasing 

secondary school dropout rates, increasing rates of 

attaining a secondary school diploma or its recognized 

equivalent, or increasing placement and retention in postsecondary education or advanced workforce training programs; and’’; and 

(D) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(10) providing programs, including innovative programs, 

that assist youth in obtaining and maintaining safe and stable 

housing, and which may include programs with supportive 

services that continue after the youth complete the remainder 

of the programs.’’; and 

(2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following: 

‘‘(c) In selecting among applicants for grants under subsection 

(a), the Secretary shall— 

‘‘(1) give priority to applicants who have experience working 

with runaway or homeless youth; and 

‘‘(2) ensure that the applicants selected— 

‘‘(A) represent diverse geographic regions of the United 

States; and 

‘‘(B) carry out projects that serve diverse populations 

of runaway or homeless youth.’’. 

SEC. 6. COORDINATING, TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. 

Part D of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 

5714–21 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘SEC. 345. PERIODIC ESTIMATE OF INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF 

YOUTH HOMELESSNESS. 

‘‘(a) PERIODIC ESTIMATE.—Not later than 2 years after the 

date of enactment of the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 

2008, and at 5-year intervals thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 

shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Education and 

Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the 

Judiciary of the Senate, and make available to the public, a report— 

‘‘(1) by using the best quantitative and qualitative social 

science research methods available, containing an estimate of 

the incidence and prevalence of runaway and homeless individuals who are not less than 13 years of age but are less than 

26 years of age; and 

‘‘(2) that includes with such estimate an assessment of 

the characteristics of such individuals. 

‘‘(b) CONTENT.—The report required by subsection (a) shall 

include— 

‘‘(1) the results of conducting a survey of, and direct interviews with, a representative sample of runaway and homeless 

individuals who are not less than 13 years of age but are 

less than 26 years of age, to determine past and current— 

‘‘(A) socioeconomic characteristics of such individuals; 

and 

‘‘(B) barriers to such individuals obtaining— 

‘‘(i) safe, quality, and affordable housing; 

Deadline. 

Public 

information. 

Reports. 

42 USC 5714–25. 


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PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 122 STAT. 4071 

‘‘(ii) comprehensive and affordable health insurance and health services; and 

‘‘(iii) incomes, public benefits, supportive services, 

and connections to caring adults; and 

‘‘(2) such other information as the Secretary determines, 

in consultation with States, units of local government, and 

national nongovernmental organizations concerned with 

homelessness, may be useful. 

‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—If the Secretary enters into any contract 

with a non-Federal entity for purposes of carrying out subsection 

(a), such entity shall be a nongovernmental organization, or an 

individual, determined by the Secretary to have appropriate expertise in quantitative and qualitative social science research.’’. 

SEC. 7. SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM. 

Section 351(b) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 

U.S.C. 5714–41(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘public and’’ after ‘‘priority to’’. 

SEC. 8. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. 

Part F of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 

5714a et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 386 the following: 

‘‘SEC. 386A. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. 

‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.—Not later 

than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008, the Secretary shall issue rules that specify 

performance standards for public and nonprofit private entities 

and agencies that receive grants under sections 311, 321, and 

351. 

‘‘(b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult with representatives of public and nonprofit private entities and agencies 

that receive grants under this title, including statewide and regional 

nonprofit organizations (including combinations of such organizations) that receive grants under this title, and national nonprofit 

organizations concerned with youth homelessness, in developing 

the performance standards required by subsection (a). 

‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION OF PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.—The Secretary shall integrate the performance standards into the processes 

of the Department of Health and Human Services for grantmaking, 

monitoring, and evaluation for programs under sections 311, 321, 

and 351.’’. 

SEC. 9. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY AND REPORT. 

(a) STUDY.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the United 

States shall conduct a study, including making findings and 

recommendations, relating to the processes for making grants 

under parts A, B, and E of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 

Act (42 U.S.C. 5711 et seq., 5714–1 et seq., 5714–41). 

(2) SUBJECTS.—In particular, the Comptroller General shall 

study— 

(A) the Secretary’s written responses to and other 

communications with applicants who do not receive grants 

under part A, B, or E of such Act, to determine if the 

information provided in the responses and communications 

is conveyed clearly; 

Deadline. 

Regulations. 

42 USC 5732–1. 


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122 STAT. 4072 PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 

(B) the content and structure of the grant application 

documents, and of other associated documents (including 

grant announcements), to determine if the requirements 

of the applications and other associated documents are 

presented and structured in a way that gives an applicant 

a clear understanding of the information that the applicant 

must provide in each portion of an application to successfully complete it, and a clear understanding of the terminology used throughout the application and other associated documents; 

(C) the peer review process for applications for the 

grants, including the selection of peer reviewers, the oversight of the process by staff of the Department of Health 

and Human Services, and the extent to which such staff 

make funding determinations based on the comments and 

scores of the peer reviewers; 

(D) the typical timeframe, and the process and responsibilities of such staff, for responding to applicants for 

the grants, and the efforts made by such staff to communicate with the applicants when funding decisions or 

funding for the grants is delayed, such as when funding 

is delayed due to funding of a program through appropriations made under a continuing resolution; and 

(E) the plans for implementation of, and the 

implementation of, where practicable, the technical assistance and training programs carried out under section 342 

of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714– 

22), and the effect of such programs on the application 

process for the grants. 

(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

of this Act, the Comptroller General shall prepare and submit 

to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate 

a report containing the findings and recommendations resulting 

from the study. 

SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS. 

(a) HOMELESS YOUTH.—Section 387(3) of the Runaway and 

Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732a(3)) is amended— 

(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 

‘‘The’’ and all that follows through ‘‘means’’ and inserting ‘‘The 

term ‘homeless’, used with respect to a youth, means’’; and 

(2) in subparagraph (A)— 

(A) in clause (i)— 

(i) by striking ‘‘not more than’’ each place it 

appears and inserting ‘‘less than’’; and 

(ii) by inserting after ‘‘age’’ the last place it appears 

the following: ‘‘, or is less than a higher maximum 

age if the State where the center is located has an 

applicable State or local law (including a regulation) 

that permits such higher maximum age in compliance 

with licensure requirements for child-and youthserving facilities’’; and 

(B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘age;’’ and inserting the 

following: ‘‘age and either— 

‘‘(I) less than 22 years of age; or 


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PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 122 STAT. 4073 

‘‘(II) not less than 22 years of age, as of the 

expiration of the maximum period of stay permitted under section 322(a)(2) if such individual 

commences such stay before reaching 22 years of 

age;’’. 

(b) RUNAWAY YOUTH.—Section 387 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732a) is amended— 

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), (6), and (7) as 

paragraphs (5), (6), (7), and (8), respectively; and 

(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following: 

‘‘(4) RUNAWAY YOUTH.—The term ‘runaway’, used with 

respect to a youth, means an individual who is less than 18 

years of age and who absents himself or herself from home 

or a place of legal residence without the permission of a parent 

or legal guardian.’’. 

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

Section 388(a) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 

U.S.C. 5751(a)) is amended— 

(1) in paragraph (1)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘is authorized’’ and inserting ‘‘are 

authorized’’; 

(B) by striking ‘‘part E) $105,000,000 for fiscal year 

2004’’ and inserting ‘‘section 345 and part E) $140,000,000 

for fiscal year 2009’’; and 

(C) by striking ‘‘2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008’’ and 

inserting ‘‘2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013’’; 

(2) in paragraph (3)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘In’’ and inserting the following: 

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In’’; 

(B) by inserting ‘‘(other than section 345)’’ before the 

period; and 

(C) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(B) PERIODIC ESTIMATE.—There are authorized to be 

appropriated to carry out section 345 such sums as may 

be necessary for fiscal years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 

2013.’’; and 

(3) in paragraph (4)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘is authorized’’ and inserting ‘‘are 

authorized’’; and 

(B) by striking ‘‘such sums as may be necessary for 

fiscal years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008’’ and inserting 


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122 STAT. 4074 PUBLIC LAW 110–378—OCT. 8, 2008 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 2982 (H.R. 5524): 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 154 (2008): 

Sept. 25, considered and passed Senate. 

Sept. 26, considered and passed House. 

Æ 

‘‘$25,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may 

be necessary for fiscal years 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013’’. 

Approved October 8, 2008. 


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