I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7591 

To support the health and well-being of current and former foster care 

youth transitioning into adulthood. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 13, 2020 

Mr. LEWIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Education 

and Labor, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To support the health and well-being of current and former 

foster care youth transitioning into adulthood. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fostering Healthy 

5 Transitions into Adulthood Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

7 The purpose of this Act is to foster healthy adult out8 comes for current and former foster care youth aging out 


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1 of the foster care system and transitioning into adulthood. 

2 This Act also strengthens the direct responsibility of the 

3 Federal Government for foster care youth transitioning 

4 out of care. 

5 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) Nearly 25,000 foster youth become too old 

8 to receive foster care assistance and benefits—or 

9 ‘‘age out’’—every year. 

10 (2) Youth aging out of foster care and 

11 transitioning to independent living require consider12 able support from local, State, and Federal Govern13 ment to ensure a smooth transition into healthy, 

14 independent adulthood. 

15 (3) Foster youth are more likely to have been 

16 exposed to childhood and adolescent trauma, sub17 jected to multiple chronic health challenges, and di18 agnosed with poorer mental and physical health out19 comes than their peers. Additionally, foster youth 

20 are more vulnerable to suffer from persistent anx21 iety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and 

22 other severe challenges to their health. 

23 (4) As a result, youth aging out of foster care 

24 experience tremendous difficulty in completing edu25 cation, obtaining gainful employment, accessing and 


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1 receiving basic health care, maintaining stable hous2 ing, and avoiding the criminal justice system. 

3 (5) Studies indicate that more than 80 percent 

4 of foster youth transitioning into adulthood are un5 able to support themselves financially. 

6 (6) Only 4 percent of youth aging out of foster 

7 care earn a college degree by age 26, as compared 

8 to 36 percent of individuals who never experience 

9 foster care. 

10 (7) On average, youth aging out of foster care 

11 earn approximately half the income of their similarly 

12 educated peers and are employed at significantly 

13 lower rates. 

14 (8) Accordingly, individuals transitioning out of 

15 foster care are often linked with homelessness and 

16 housing instability. One national study estimated 

17 that approximately 66 percent of former foster 

18 youth experience a homeless episode within 6 

19 months after transitioning out of care. 

20 (9) Moreover, youth aging out of foster care are 

21 less likely to seek health and mental care services 

22 that are often desperately needed. 

23 (10) Nearly 60 percent of young men who have 

24 aged out of foster care and of emancipated young 

25 men have been convicted of a crime. 


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1 SEC. 4. MODIFICATIONS TO FEDERAL FOSTER CARE REIM2 BURSEMENT PROGRAM. 

3 (a) EXPANSION OF AGE OF ELIGIBILITY.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 475(8) of the Social 

5 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 675(8)) is amended to read 

6 as follows: 

7 ‘‘(8) The term ‘child’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) an individual who has not attained 18 

9 years of age; and 

10 ‘‘(B) an individual who has attained 18 

11 years of age but has not attained 21 years of 

12 age, but only in the case of an individual— 

13 ‘‘(i) who is in foster care under the 

14 responsibility of the State; 

15 ‘‘(ii) with respect to whom an adop16 tion assistance agreement is in effect 

17 under section 473 if the child had attained 

18 16 years of age before the agreement be19 came effective; or 

20 ‘‘(iii) with respect to whom a kinship 

21 guardianship assistance agreement is in ef22 fect under section 473(d) if the child had 

23 attained 16 years of age before the agree24 ment became effective.’’. 


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1 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Part E of 

2 title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 

3 et seq.) is amended— 

4 (A) by amending section 473(a)(4)(A)(i) of 

5 such Act (42 U.S.C. 673(a)(4)(A)(i)) to read as 

6 follows: 

7 ‘‘(i) who has attained 21 years of 

8 age;’’; 

9 (B) in section 471(a)(9)(C)(i)(I) of such 

10 Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(9)(C)(i)(I)), by striking 

11 ‘‘18 years of age or such older age as the State 

12 has elected under section 475(8) of this Act’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘21 years of age’’; 

14 (C) in section 472(c)(2) of such Act (42 

15 U.S.C. 672(c)(2)), by striking ‘‘18’’ and insert16 ing ‘‘21’’; and 

17 (D) in section 475(5)(I) of such Act (42 

18 U.S.C. 675(5)(I)), by striking ‘‘18 years of age 

19 or such greater age as the State has elected 

20 under paragraph (8)’’ and inserting ‘‘21 years 

21 of age’’. 

22 (b) PLACEMENT AND INTERACTION OF SIBLINGS IN

23 FOSTER CARE.—Section 471(a)(31) of the Social Security 

24 Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(31)) is amended— 


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

2 by striking ‘‘reasonable’’ and inserting ‘‘all avail3 able’’; and 

4 (2) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(B) in the case of siblings removed from 

7 their home who are not so jointly placed— 

8 ‘‘(i) to place each such sibling at a 

9 distance that is in close proximity to the 

10 placement location of, and permits fre11 quent, in-person contact with, all other sib12 lings; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) to provide for frequent visitation 

14 or other ongoing interaction between the 

15 siblings, including by making available to 

16 each such sibling at all times detailed up17 to-date contact information for each other 

18 sibling who is or has previously been in 

19 foster care in the State, 

20 unless the State documents that such placement 

21 or interaction would be contrary to the safety or 

22 well-being of any of the siblings; and 

23 ‘‘(C) to provide adults who were formerly 

24 in foster care and removed from their homes 

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1 tate contact between siblings if both parties 

2 consent to contact.’’. 

3 (c) REQUIREMENTS FOR OLDER FOSTER YOUTH.— 

4 Section 475(1)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 675(1)(D)) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(D) For a child who has attained 14 

7 years of age or over, a written description, de8 veloped in consultation with the child, updated 

9 on an annual basis until the child attains 17 

10 years of age, and, if necessary, coordinated with 

11 a transition plan under subparagraph (5)(H), 

12 of the programs and services which will help 

13 such child prepare for the transition from foster 

14 care to a successful adulthood, including spe15 cific options on— 

16 ‘‘(i) education, including identifying 

17 personalized goals for the child in terms of 

18 academic performance, course selection, 

19 and college admission as well as any coun20 seling, tutoring, or other support needed to 

21 meet those goals; 

22 ‘‘(ii) extracurricular activities and op23 portunities, including those offered both at 

24 the child’s school and in the child’s com25 munity; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) local opportunities for mentors 

2 and other continuing support services; 

3 ‘‘(iv) behavioral or mental health serv4 ices, including trauma-informed counseling; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(v) assistance, if requested by the 

7 child, in finding a part-time job, that does 

8 not require more than 10 hours of work 

9 per week when school is in session or 20 

10 hours of work per week when school is not 

11 in session.’’. 

12 (d) REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSITION PLANNING.— 

13 Section 475(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 675(5)) is amended— 

15 (1) by amending subparagraph (H) to read as 

16 follows: 

17 ‘‘(H) on an annual basis during each year 

18 of the period beginning on the date the child at19 tains 17 years of age and ending on the date 

20 the child is discharged from foster care, a case21 worker on the staff of the State agency, and, as 

22 appropriate, other representatives of the child 

23 provide the child with assistance and support in 

24 developing a transition plan that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) is personalized at the direction of 

2 the child and is as detailed as the child 

3 may elect; 

4 ‘‘(ii) includes specific options on hous5 ing, health insurance, education, local op6 portunities for mentors and continuing 

7 support services, and work force supports 

8 and employment services; 

9 ‘‘(iii) includes information about join10 ing the Armed Services, AmeriCorps, the 

11 Peace Corps, or Job Corps, or partici12 pating in any program under the Work13 force Innovation and Opportunity Act or 

14 section 10 of the Fostering Healthy Tran15 sitions into Adulthood Act of 2020; 

16 ‘‘(iv) includes information about the 

17 importance of designating another indi18 vidual to make financial and health care 

19 treatment decisions on behalf of the child 

20 if the child becomes unable to participate 

21 in such decisions and the child does not 

22 have, or does not want, a relative who 

23 would otherwise be authorized under State 

24 law to make such decisions; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) provides the child with the option 

2 to execute a durable power of attorney for 

3 finances, and a health care power of attor4 ney, health care proxy, or other similar 

5 document recognized under State law; 

6 and’’; and 

7 (2) in subparagraph (I), by inserting after 

8 ‘‘REAL ID Act of 2005,’’ the following: ‘‘certified 

9 copies of any legal documents pertaining to custody 

10 of the child or the child’s status in foster care, bank11 ing and financial information related to any ac12 counts opened by the child or on behalf of the 

13 child,’’. 

14 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

15 this section shall take effect on October 1, 2020. 

16 SEC. 5. MODIFICATIONS TO CHAFEE FOSTER CARE INDE17 PENDENCE PROGRAM. 

18 (a) EXPANSION OF AGE OF ELIGIBILITY.—Section 

19 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677) is amend20 ed— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ‘‘16’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘14’’; 

23 (2) by striking ‘‘18’’ each place it appears (ex24 cept in subsection (b)(3)(C)) and inserting ‘‘21’’; 


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1 (3) by striking ‘‘21’’ each place it appears (ex2 cept in subsection (f)) and inserting ‘‘26’’; and 

3 (4) by striking ‘‘23’’ each place it appears and 

4 inserting ‘‘28’’. 

5 (b) IN-STATE TUITION RATES FOR QUALIFYING

6 FOSTER YOUTH.—Section 477(b)(3) of such Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 677(b)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(L) A certification by the chief executive 

10 officer of the State that the State will not 

11 charge youths eligible for services under the 

12 State program of any State under this section 

13 tuition for attendance at a public institution of 

14 higher education (as defined in section 101 of 

15 the Higher Education Act of 1965) or a post16 secondary vocational institution (as defined in 

17 section 102(c) of such Act) in the State at a 

18 rate that is greater than the rate charged for 

19 residents of the State for such attendance.’’. 

20 (c) IMPROVED SERVICES FOR TRANSITIONING

21 YOUTH.—Section 477(b)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 677(b)(3)), as amended by subsection (b), is further 

23 amended— 


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1 (1) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘absti2 nence education programs’’ and inserting ‘‘com3 prehensive sexual education programs’’; 

4 (2) in subparagraph (K)— 

5 (A) by inserting ‘‘financial and’’ before 

6 ‘‘health care treatment’’; and 

7 (B) by inserting ‘‘a durable power of attor8 ney for finances, and’’ before ‘‘a health care 

9 power of attorney’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(M) A certification by the chief executive 

12 officer of the State that the State will— 

13 ‘‘(i) ensure that each youth partici14 pating in the program under this section is 

15 provided with— 

16 ‘‘(I) a financial education that 

17 helps the youth understand basic fi18 nancial topics, including budgeting, 

19 managing bank accounts, interest 

20 rates, savings, credit, retirement, in21 vestment, insurance, mortgages, loans, 

22 and identity theft and protection; 

23 ‘‘(II) assistance with establishing 

24 a checking account and a savings ac25 count at no cost to the youth; and 


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1 ‘‘(III) information about partici2 pating, and assistance with enrolling, 

3 in an individual development account 

4 (as defined in section 404(5) of the 

5 Assets for Independence Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 604(5)); and 

7 ‘‘(ii) designate at least 10 percent of 

8 the amount paid to the State from its al9 lotment under subsection (c) for a fiscal 

10 year to provide for an additional State 

11 match of the youth’s contributions to an 

12 individual development account (as so de13 fined). 

14 ‘‘(N) A certification by the chief executive 

15 officer of the State that the State will ensure 

16 that each youth participating in the program 

17 under this section is provided with information 

18 about identifying and applying for public and 

19 private scholarships, grants, and loans to con20 tinue education or career training, including (if 

21 requested by the youth) individualized assist22 ance with completing the Free Application for 

23 Federal Student Aid. 

24 ‘‘(O) A certification by the chief executive 

25 officer of the State that the State will ensure 


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1 that each youth participating in the program 

2 under this section is provided with information 

3 about the availability of various mental and be4 havioral health services in the youth’s commu5 nity and an explanation of how those services 

6 generally benefit youth who have experienced 

7 foster care. 

8 ‘‘(P) A certification by the chief executive 

9 officer of the State that, if the State has a 

10 voter registration requirement for any voter in 

11 the State with respect to an election for Federal 

12 office, the State will ensure that each youth 

13 participating in the program under this section 

14 who is a United States citizen and who meets 

15 the qualifications to be a voter under State law 

16 is, on an annual basis and not later than three 

17 months before the earlier of the date of the gen18 eral election or the date that is the deadline for 

19 registration for a general election, provided with 

20 written notice of the youth’s voter registration 

21 status and, if the youth is not registered to 

22 vote, provided with the opportunity to register 

23 to vote. 

24 ‘‘(Q) A certification by the chief executive 

25 officer of the State that the State will ensure 


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1 that each youth participating in the program 

2 under this section who is not a citizen of the 

3 United States is provided with information 

4 about maintaining or acquiring legal status, in5 cluding information about how to begin or com6 plete the process of naturalization. 

7 ‘‘(R) A certification by the chief executive 

8 officer of the State that the State will ensure 

9 that each youth participating in the program 

10 under this section has the opportunity to par11 ticipate, at no expense to the youth, in a men12 toring program or another program designed to 

13 build personal and emotional connections be14 tween adults and children aging out of foster 

15 care, and that each youth is provided with in16 formation about participating in such a pro17 gram on no less than an annual basis, which 

18 shall include an explanation of how such pro19 grams and connections generally benefit youth 

20 who have experienced foster care. 

21 ‘‘(S) A certification by the chief executive 

22 officer of the State that the State will— 

23 ‘‘(i) inquire of each individual con24 victed of a State offense (including juve25 niles), if such individual, at the time of 


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1 conviction, was in foster care, or was pre2 viously in foster care at any point; 

3 ‘‘(ii) inquire of each individual con4 victed of a State offense who is or was in 

5 foster care the circumstances and duration 

6 of foster care; 

7 ‘‘(iii) inform each individual convicted 

8 of a State offense who is or was in foster 

9 care of the right to decline to answer ques10 tions under clause (ii); and 

11 ‘‘(iv) report to the Secretary on an 

12 annual basis, in such form as the Sec13 retary may require— 

14 ‘‘(I) the number of individuals 

15 convicted of a State offense in the 

16 preceding year, disaggregated by type 

17 of conviction; 

18 ‘‘(II) the number of individuals 

19 convicted of a State offense in the 

20 preceding year who are or were in fos21 ter care, disaggregated by type of con22 viction; 

23 ‘‘(III) the number of individuals 

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1 fense in the preceding year, 

2 disaggregated by type of conviction; 

3 ‘‘(IV) the number of individuals 

4 held in incarceration for a Federal of5 fense in the preceding year who are or 

6 were in foster care, disaggregated by 

7 type of conviction; 

8 ‘‘(V) the total estimated cost of 

9 incarceration for each person who is 

10 or was in foster care; and 

11 ‘‘(VI) such other information as 

12 the Secretary may require.’’. 

13 (d) INCREASED AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA14 TIONS.—Section 477(h) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(h)) 

15 is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking 

17 ‘‘$140,000,000, or, beginning in fiscal year 2021, 

18 $143,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$429,000,000’’; and 

19 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking 

20 ‘‘$60,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$180,000,000’’. 

21 (e) EXPANSION OF EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING

22 VOUCHERS.—Section 477(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

23 677(i)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘may’’ and in25 serting ‘‘shall’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘16’’ and inserting ‘‘14’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘shall’’; 

6 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘may allow’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘shall allow’’; 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘26’’ and inserting ‘‘28’’; 

10 and 

11 (C) by striking ‘‘, but in no event may a 

12 youth participate in the program for more than 

13 5 years (whether or not consecutive)’’ and in14 serting ‘‘, except that the State shall allow 

15 youths participating in the voucher program 

16 who attain 28 years of age to complete their 

17 postsecondary education or training program’’; 

18 (4) by amending paragraph (4) to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(4) The voucher or vouchers provided for an 

21 individual under this section shall be available for, 

22 and in an amount that shall not exceed, the cost of 

23 attendance (as defined in section 472 of the Higher 

24 Education Act of 1965) at an institution of higher 

25 education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher 


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1 Education Act of 1965) or a postsecondary voca2 tional institution (as defined in section 102(c) of 

3 such Act).’’; and 

4 (5) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘may’’ and in5 serting ‘‘shall’’. 

6 (f) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by 

8 this section shall take effect on June 1, 2021, except 

9 that the amendments made by subsection (d) shall 

10 apply with respect to fiscal years beginning with fis11 cal year 2021. 

12 (2) AUTHORITY TO EXTEND DEADLINE.—If a 

13 State demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Sec14 retary that it is necessary to amend State law in 

15 order to change a particular practice that is incon16 sistent with this Act, the Secretary may extend the 

17 compliance date for the State a reasonable number 

18 of days after the close of the first State legislative 

19 session beginning after the date of the enactment of 

20 the Fostering Healthy Transitions into Adulthood 

21 Act of 2020. 

22 SEC. 6. FOSTER CARE TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS. 

23 Part E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 

24 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 

25 477 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 477A. FOSTER CARE TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE 

2 GRANTS. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In coordination with assistance 

4 provided under the programs under sections 477 and 

5 477B, the Secretary shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) administer the programs described in this 

7 section; and 

8 ‘‘(2) develop professional guidelines and na9 tional standards to be made available for use by fos10 ter care transitional services and related programs 

11 receiving Federal funding. 

12 ‘‘(b) IMPROVED FEDERAL INFORMATION RESOURCES

13 FOR CURRENT AND FORMER FOSTER YOUTH.— 

14 ‘‘(1) WEBSITE FOR CURRENT AND FORMER

15 FOSTER YOUTH.— 

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

17 develop and maintain a website designed to pro18 vide specific information about Federal, State, 

19 and local resources available to current and 

20 former foster youth. 

21 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION GUIDELINES.—The 

22 website shall include information about the 

23 availability of, and the eligibility requirements 

24 for, all public resources available to current and 

25 former foster youth, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) information about transition plan2 ning requirements required by section 

3 475(5)(H); 

4 ‘‘(ii) assistance with any program 

5 under this section, section 477, or section 

6 477B; 

7 ‘‘(iii) assistance with any program es8 tablished under the Fostering Healthy 

9 Transitions into Adulthood Act of 2020; 

10 ‘‘(iv) the Free Application for Federal 

11 Student Aid and other information about 

12 Federal financial aid; 

13 ‘‘(v) Pell Grants; 

14 ‘‘(vi) Federal TRIO programs; 

15 ‘‘(vii) waivers for applications to insti16 tutions of higher education; 

17 ‘‘(viii) job training programs available 

18 to current or former foster youth; 

19 ‘‘(ix) Medicaid; and 

20 ‘‘(x) programs offered by State and 

21 local governments aimed at assisting cur22 rent or former foster youth. 

23 ‘‘(C) ACCESSIBILITY.—The website shall 

24 be— 


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1 ‘‘(i) accessible with a simple website 

2 address that can be used in advertisements 

3 and easily remembered; 

4 ‘‘(ii) searchable from the public 

5 websites of the Department of Health and 

6 Human Services, the Department of Edu7 cation, the Department of Housing and 

8 Urban Development, and the Department 

9 of Labor; 

10 ‘‘(iii) compliant with all applicable 

11 laws and regulations regarding accessi12 bility, data protection, and privacy for 

13 Federal websites; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) able to be easily navigated and 

15 understood by current and former foster 

16 youth. 

17 ‘‘(2) HOTLINE.— 

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

19 develop and maintain a telephone hotline de20 signed to provide specific information about 

21 Federal, State, and local resources available to 

22 current and former foster youth. 

23 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION GUIDELINES.—The 

24 hotline shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) accept calls from current foster 

2 youth, former foster youth, and assisting 

3 adults; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) answer questions and provide 

5 guidance about the availability of, and an 

6 individual’s eligibility for, all public re7 sources available to current and former 

8 foster youth described in paragraph 

9 (1)(B). 

10 ‘‘(C) ACCESSIBILITY.—The hotline shall 

11 be— 

12 ‘‘(i) accessible with a toll-free number 

13 that can be used in advertisements and 

14 easily remembered; 

15 ‘‘(ii) compliant with all applicable laws 

16 and regulations regarding accessibility, 

17 data protection, and privacy for Federal 

18 telephone systems; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) able to be easily navigated and 

20 understood by current and former foster 

21 youth. 

22 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In developing the re23 sources required by this section, the Secretary shall 

24 consult with— 

25 ‘‘(A) the Secretary of Education; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

2 Development; 

3 ‘‘(C) the Secretary of Labor; 

4 ‘‘(D) other Federal agencies serving cur5 rent or former foster youth; 

6 ‘‘(E) State and local government child wel7 fare agencies; 

8 ‘‘(F) State Medicaid agencies; 

9 ‘‘(G) State and local government education 

10 and labor agencies; 

11 ‘‘(H) advocacy groups representing current 

12 and former foster youth; and 

13 ‘‘(I) nonprofit organizations serving cur14 rent or former foster youth. 

15 ‘‘(4) PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.—After es16 tablishing the website and telephone hotline as re17 quired by this subsection, the Secretary shall col18 laborate with agencies and stakeholders identified in 

19 paragraph (3) to publicize the website and the hot20 line to current foster youth, former foster youth, 

21 caseworkers, service providers, mentors, school coun22 selors, foster parents, adoptive parents of former 

23 foster youth, and other concerned adults. 


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1 ‘‘(5) DEADLINES.—The requirements of this 

2 subsection shall be fully implemented not later than 

3 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 ‘‘(c) BASIC HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION ALLOW5 ANCE FOR TRANSITIONAL FOSTER CARE INDIVIDUALS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (5), 

7 the Secretary shall provide to eligible individuals (as 

8 described in paragraph (3)) a basic monthly allow9 ance for housing and transportation in the amount 

10 determined under paragraph (2), to be paid in ad11 vance on the day preceding the first day of each 

12 month in the individual’s independent living transi13 tion period. 

14 ‘‘(2) AMOUNTS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

16 subparagraphs (B), the amount of a basic 

17 monthly allowance for housing and transpor18 tation with respect to an eligible individual for 

19 a month in the individual’s independent living 

20 transition period shall be an amount equal to 

21 the applicable percentage (as determined under 

22 subparagraph (C)) of the sum of the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) The average monthly cost (as de24 termined by the Secretary in coordination 

25 with the Secretary of Housing and Urban 


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1 Development) of a one-bedroom apartment 

2 in the geographic area in which the eligible 

3 individual resides during such month, in4 cluding the cost of— 

5 ‘‘(I) rent; 

6 ‘‘(II) utilities, including elec7 tricity, natural gas, heating oil, water, 

8 sewer, trash, recycling, cable tele9 vision, telephones, and internet access; 

10 ‘‘(III) maintenance fees or other 

11 fees commonly paid in connection with 

12 a residential property; and 

13 ‘‘(IV) renter’s insurance or a 

14 similar product. 

15 ‘‘(ii) The average monthly cost (as de16 termined by the Secretary in coordination 

17 with the Secretary of Transportation) of 

18 automobile ownership in the geographic 

19 area in which the eligible individual resides 

20 during such month, including the cost of— 

21 ‘‘(I) automobile operation, main22 tenance, registration, and insurance; 

23 ‘‘(II) licensing and insuring a 

24 driver; 


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1 ‘‘(III) property, ad valorem, or 

2 other State or local taxes paid in rela3 tion to owning or operating an auto4 mobile; and 

5 ‘‘(IV) parking an automobile. 

6 ‘‘(B) INITIAL MONTH INSTALLMENT PAY7 MENT.—In the case of an eligible individual 

8 who receives a basic monthly allowance under 

9 subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall provide 

10 the individual an initial installment payment for 

11 the first month of the individual’s independent 

12 living transition period, in an amount equal to 

13 and in addition to the basic monthly allowance 

14 for such month, for the purpose of paying a se15 curity deposit, application fee, or related ex16 penses. 

17 ‘‘(C) APPLICABLE PERCENTAGE.—For 

18 purposes of subparagraph (A), the applicable 

19 percentage shall be— 

20 ‘‘(i) 100 percent for any month in the 

21 1st year of the individual’s independent liv22 ing transition period; 

23 ‘‘(ii) 75 percent for any month in the 

24 2nd year of the individual’s independent 

25 living transition period; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) 50 percent for any month in the 

2 3rd year of the individual’s independent 

3 living transition period; and 

4 ‘‘(iv) 25 percent for any month in the 

5 4th year of the individual’s independent 

6 living transition period. 

7 ‘‘(D) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL

8 AMOUNTS.—In addition to amounts otherwise 

9 provided to an eligible individual under this 

10 paragraph, the Secretary may use amounts 

11 made available to carry out this subsection to 

12 make a one-time payment to any eligible indi13 vidual to purchase items and services and pay 

14 fees necessary to establish a household. An eli15 gible individual seeking such a payment shall 

16 apply in such a manner and at such time as the 

17 Secretary shall prescribe not later than 6 

18 months after the date of the enactment of this 

19 Act. 

20 ‘‘(E) NO REQUIREMENT RELATING TO

21 AUTOMOBILE OWNERSHIP.—Nothing in this 

22 paragraph shall be construed to require an eli23 gible individual who receives a basic monthly al24 lowance under subparagraph (A) to own, oper25 ate, maintain, license, permit, insure, park, or 


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1 pay taxes on an automobile, or license or insure 

2 the eligible individual as a driver thereof, in 

3 order to receive such allowance. 

4 ‘‘(F) NO REDUCTION BASED ON CHANGES

5 IN AVERAGE HOUSING OR TRANSPORTATION

6 COST.—The amount of a basic monthly allow7 ance for housing and transportation with re8 spect to an eligible individual may not be re9 duced in any month as a result of changes in 

10 the average monthly costs, in the geographic 

11 area in which the eligible individual resides, of 

12 a one-bedroom apartment or automobile owner13 ship, as such costs are described in subpara14 graph (A). 

15 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—An individual eligible to re16 ceive a basic allowance for housing and transpor17 tation for a month under this subsection is an indi18 vidual— 

19 ‘‘(A) who is a former foster care recipient 

20 who has attained 21 years of age; 

21 ‘‘(B) who is living independently and not 

22 residing— 

23 ‘‘(i) at a Federal, State, local, or pri24 vate foster home, group home, or similar 

25 transitional living facility; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) with a parent, foster parent, or 

2 legal guardian; and 

3 ‘‘(C) who is— 

4 ‘‘(i) completing secondary education 

5 or a program leading to an equivalent cre6 dential; 

7 ‘‘(ii) enrolled in an institution that 

8 provides postsecondary or vocational edu9 cation; 

10 ‘‘(iii) actively seeking employment or 

11 participating in a program or activity de12 signed to promote, or remove barriers to, 

13 employment; 

14 ‘‘(iv) employed for at least 80 hours 

15 per month; or 

16 ‘‘(v) incapable of doing any of the ac17 tivities described in clauses (i) through (iv) 

18 due to a medical condition demonstrated 

19 by regularly updated information sub20 mitted to the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(4) INDEPENDENT LIVING TRANSITION PE22 RIOD.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 

23 ‘independent living transition period’ means, with re24 spect to an eligible individual, the 4-year period be25 ginning with the month after the month during 


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1 which the individual aged out of foster care or left 

2 foster care for independent living. 

3 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 To carry out this subsection, there are authorized to 

5 be appropriated $217,000,000 for each of fiscal 

6 years 2021 through 2025. 

7 ‘‘(d) FOSTER YOUTH EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent amounts are 

9 made available to carry out this subsection, the Sec10 retary shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) award grants to eligible entities to es12 tablish, expand, or support programs for eligi13 ble individuals as described in paragraph (2); 

14 ‘‘(B) ensure that any such programs re15 ceiving funding under this subsection use evi16 dence-informed or evidence-based models, prac17 tices, and methods that are culturally and lin18 guistically appropriate and can be replicated in 

19 other appropriate settings; and 

20 ‘‘(C) provide technical assistance to eligible 

21 entities in applying for and administering a 

22 grant made under this subsection. 

23 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity may 

24 use amounts awarded under a grant under para25 graph (1) to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) provide information or services re2 lated to housing, nutrition assistance, financial 

3 assistance, academic tutoring and guidance, 

4 mental health support services, child care, or 

5 career preparatory services for eligible individ6 uals; 

7 ‘‘(B) provide training to employees of eligi8 ble entities in promising and evidence-based 

9 practices and models for the education of cur10 rent and former foster youth; and 

11 ‘‘(C) evaluate outcomes of current and 

12 former foster youth enrolled in institutions of 

13 higher education (as defined in section 101 of 

14 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

15 1001)). 

16 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES.— 

17 In this subsection: 

18 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term 

19 ‘eligible individual’ means an individual at least 

20 14 years of age— 

21 ‘‘(i) who— 

22 ‘‘(I) is in foster care; or 

23 ‘‘(II) was formerly in foster care 

24 at any time after attaining 14 years 

25 of age; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) is enrolled at an institution of 

2 higher education (as defined in section 101 

3 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

4 U.S.C. 1001)) or a postsecondary voca5 tional institution (as defined in section 

6 102(c) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1002(c))). 

7 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi8 ble entity’ means an institution of higher edu9 cation (as defined in section 101 of the Higher 

10 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) or a 

11 postsecondary vocational institution (as defined 

12 in section 102(c) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 

13 1002(c)). 

14 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking 

15 a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit to the 

16 Secretary an application at such time, in such man17 ner, and containing such information as the Sec18 retary may require. 

19 ‘‘(5) MATCHING FUNDS.—The Secretary may 

20 not award a grant under this subsection to an eligi21 ble entity unless the eligible entity agrees, with re22 spect to the costs to be incurred by the eligible enti23 ty in carrying out the activities described in para24 graph (2), to make available non-Federal contribu25 tions (in cash or in kind) toward such costs in an 


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1 amount that is not less than 10 percent of the total 

2 amount of Federal funds provided in the grant. 

3 ‘‘(6) COORDINATION WITH FEDERAL TRIO PRO4 GRAMS.—An eligible entity awarded a grant under 

5 this subsection that also operates a program that re6 ceives assistance under chapter 1 of subpart 2 of 

7 title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

8 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et seq.) shall coordinate activities 

9 under each such program to ensure that current or 

10 former foster youth have maximum access and in11 volvement in such activities. 

12 ‘‘(7) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall, by 

13 grant, contract, or interagency agreement, conduct 

14 rigorous and well-designed evaluations of the pro15 grams for which a grant is made under this section. 

16 ‘‘(8) REPORTS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) TO THE SECRETARY.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity 

19 awarded a grant under this section shall— 

20 ‘‘(I) submit interim reports to 

21 the Secretary on the activities carried 

22 out under the project, including the 

23 number of applications received and 

24 the number of participants enrolled; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(II) on the conclusion of the 

2 project, a final report on the activi3 ties, including the number of partici4 pants who successfully completed the 

5 program. 

6 ‘‘(ii) DATA ON PARTICIPANT OUT7 COMES.—Each such report shall include 

8 data on participant outcomes related to 

9 employment, educational or credential at10 tainment, participant demographics, and 

11 such other data as may be specified by the 

12 Secretary. 

13 ‘‘(B) TO THE CONGRESS.—Not later than 

14 December 31 of each calendar year, the Sec15 retary shall submit to the appropriate Congres16 sional committees a report for the preceding fis17 cal year on activities funded under this sub18 section, including— 

19 ‘‘(i) the demographics of the partici20 pants in the projects for which a grant is 

21 made under this subsection; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the amount of funds spent on 

23 complying with subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

24 of paragraph (2) of this subsection, respec25 tively; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the employment and educational 

2 credentials acquired by project partici3 pants; 

4 ‘‘(iv) the employment of participants 

5 on completion of activities under the 

6 projects, and the earnings of participants 

7 at entry into employment; 

8 ‘‘(v) best practices and promising 

9 practices used by grantees; 

10 ‘‘(vi) the nature of any technical as11 sistance provided to grantees under this 

12 subsection; 

13 ‘‘(vii) with respect to the period since 

14 the period covered in the most recent prior 

15 report submitted under this paragraph— 

16 ‘‘(I) the number of applications 

17 submitted under this subsection and 

18 the number of applications that were 

19 approved; and 

20 ‘‘(II) the number of eligible indi21 viduals who applied, enrolled, and re22 mained enrolled in programs operated 

23 by each eligible entity; and 

24 ‘‘(viii) the 10 individual applications 

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1 section that showed the greatest potential 

2 to meet the goals of this subsection, in3 cluding the estimated number of bene4 ficiaries of each such application. 

5 ‘‘(C) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COM6 MITTEES.—In this paragraph, the term ‘appro7 priate Congressional committees’ means— 

8 ‘‘(i) the Committee on Education and 

9 Labor of the House of Representatives; 

10 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Ways and 

11 Means of the House of Representatives; 

12 ‘‘(iii) the Committee on Appropria13 tions of the House of Representatives; 

14 ‘‘(iv) the Committee on Health, Edu15 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 

16 ‘‘(v) the Committee on Finance of the 

17 Senate; and 

18 ‘‘(vi) the Committee on Appropria19 tions of the Senate. 

20 ‘‘(9) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 To carry out this subsection, there are authorized to 

22 be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

23 2021 through 2025. 

24 ‘‘(e) FOSTER YOUTH EDUCATION PREPARATION AS25 SISTANCE.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent amounts are 

2 made available to carry out this subsection, the Sec3 retary shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) make grants to eligible entities to 

5 provide assistance to eligible individuals for 

6 costs associated with preparing for postsec7 ondary education; and 

8 ‘‘(B) provide technical assistance to eligible 

9 entities in applying for and administering a 

10 grant made under this subsection. 

11 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Assistance provided to 

13 an eligible individual by a grantee under this 

14 subsection may be used for— 

15 ‘‘(i) the cost of an examination re16 quired for admission to an institution of 

17 higher education (as defined in section 101 

18 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

19 U.S.C. 1001)) or a postsecondary voca20 tional institution (as defined in section 

21 102(c) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1002(c))); 

22 ‘‘(ii) the cost of a preparatory course 

23 for an examination required for admission 

24 to such an institution; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the cost of visiting such an insti2 tution prior to attendance, including the 

3 associated costs of lodging, transportation, 

4 and food; 

5 ‘‘(iv) the cost of a preparatory course 

6 for a professional licensing or certification 

7 examination; or 

8 ‘‘(v) the cost of any applicable appli9 cation fees for enrollment in such an insti10 tution. 

11 ‘‘(B) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE.—The 

12 amount of assistance provided to an eligible in13 dividual by a grantee under this subsection may 

14 not exceed— 

15 ‘‘(i) for fiscal year 2021, $1,000; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) for each succeeding fiscal year, 

17 $1,000 multiplied by the percentage (if 

18 any) by which the consumer price index for 

19 all urban consumers (CPI–U) for the fiscal 

20 year preceding such fiscal year exceeds the 

21 CPI–U for fiscal year 2020. 

22 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 

23 in this paragraph permits the use of assistance 

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1 tion to pay for tuition at a private elementary, 

2 middle, or secondary school. 

3 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES.— 

4 In this subsection: 

5 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term 

6 ‘eligible individual’ means an individual who— 

7 ‘‘(i) is in foster care or was formerly 

8 in foster care and is participating in the 

9 program under section 477; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) is actively seeking or preparing 

11 to seek admission to an institution of high12 er education (as defined in section 101 of 

13 the Higher Education Act of 1965) or a 

14 postsecondary vocational institution (as de15 fined in section 102(c) of such Act). 

16 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi17 ble entity’ means an entity eligible to receive 

18 grants under chapter 1 of subpart 2 of title IV 

19 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

20 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et seq.). 

21 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In mak22 ing grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall 

23 ensure that at least one grantee is an eligible entity 

24 from which assistance is available to all eligible indi25 viduals in the United States. 


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1 ‘‘(5) VERIFICATION.—Not later than 6 months 

2 after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec3 retary shall provide guidance to eligible entities— 

4 ‘‘(A) to regulate the process by which an 

5 eligible individual receives assistance or reim6 bursement from an eligible entity; and 

7 ‘‘(B) to ensure that such process is as sim8 ple and coordinated for the eligible individual as 

9 possible. 

10 ‘‘(6) COORDINATION WITH FEDERAL TRIO PRO11 GRAMS.—An eligible entity awarded a grant under 

12 this subsection that also operates a program that re13 ceives assistance under chapter 1 of subpart 2 of 

14 title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

15 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et seq.) shall coordinate activities 

16 under each such program to ensure that current or 

17 former foster youth have maximum access and in18 volvement in such activities. 

19 ‘‘(7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 To carry out this subsection, there are authorized to 

21 be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

22 2021 through 2025. 

23 ‘‘SEC. 477B. FOSTER YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To the extent amounts are made 

25 available to carry out this section, the Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) award grants to eligible entities to develop, 

2 maintain, or enhance foster youth mental health pro3 motion, intervention, and treatment programs for el4 igible individuals; 

5 ‘‘(2) ensure that any such programs receiving 

6 funding under this section use evidence-informed or 

7 evidence-based models, practices, and methods that 

8 are culturally and linguistically appropriate and can 

9 be replicated in other appropriate settings; and 

10 ‘‘(3) provide technical assistance to eligible enti11 ties in applying for and administering a grant made 

12 under this section. 

13 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity may use 

14 amounts awarded under a grant under subsection (a) to— 

15 ‘‘(1) provide age-appropriate mental health pro16 motion, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment serv17 ices, including social and behavioral services, for eli18 gible individuals; 

19 ‘‘(2) provide training— 

20 ‘‘(A) to health care professionals with ex21 pertise in the mental health care of foster youth 

22 and youth suffering traumatic experiences in 

23 appropriate and relevant integration with other 

24 disciplines such as primary care clinicians, early 

25 intervention specialists, child welfare staff, 


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1 home visitors, and others who work with chil2 dren, adolescents, and young adults; and 

3 ‘‘(B) to mental health clinicians in prom4 ising and evidence-based practices and models 

5 for foster youth mental health treatment, in6 cluding practices for identifying and treating 

7 mental illness and behavioral disorders of foster 

8 youth resulting from exposure or repeated expo9 sure to adverse experiences or trauma; and 

10 ‘‘(3) provide comprehensive services, including 

11 transportation, child care, and replacement of lost 

12 wages, to eligible individuals in care in order to fa13 cilitate activities described in paragraph (1). 

14 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES.—In this 

15 section: 

16 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—The term ‘eligi17 ble individual’ means an individual at least 5 years 

18 of age but not more than 26 years of age— 

19 ‘‘(A) who— 

20 ‘‘(i) is in foster care; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) was formerly in foster care at 

22 any time after attaining 5 years of age; 

23 ‘‘(B) is at risk for, shows early signs of, or 

24 has been diagnosed with a mental illness, in25 cluding a serious emotional disturbance; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) may benefit from intervention, mental 

2 health treatment programs, or other services 

3 provided by an eligible entity. 

4 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en5 tity’ means a State agency or nonprofit entity 

6 that— 

7 ‘‘(A) employs licensed mental health pro8 fessionals who have specialized training and ex9 perience in childhood or adolescent mental 

10 health promotion, assessment, diagnosis, trau11 ma-informed care, and treatment services; 

12 ‘‘(B) is accredited or approved by the 

13 State to provide such services for individuals 

14 who are or were in foster care at any point be15 tween the ages of 5 and 26; and 

16 ‘‘(C) provides such services using methods 

17 that are evidence-based or that have been sci18 entifically demonstrated to show promise but 

19 would benefit from further applied development. 

20 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a 

21 grant under subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary 

22 an application at such time, in such manner, and con23 taining such information as the Secretary may require. 


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1 ‘‘(e) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under this 

2 section, the Secretary may give priority to eligible entities 

3 located in or serving areas with— 

4 ‘‘(1) insufficient access to behavioral or mental 

5 health services despite demonstrated need, especially 

6 among vulnerable populations; or 

7 ‘‘(2) the largest populations of individuals in 

8 foster care. 

9 ‘‘(f) MATCHING FUNDS.—The Secretary may not 

10 award a grant under this subsection to an eligible entity 

11 unless the eligible entity agrees, with respect to the costs 

12 to be incurred by the eligible entity in carrying out the 

13 activities described in subsection (b), to make available 

14 non-Federal contributions (in cash or in kind) toward such 

15 costs in an amount that is not less than 10 percent of 

16 the total amount of Federal funds provided in the grant. 

17 ‘‘(g) COORDINATION WITH MEDICAID.—An eligible 

18 entity awarded grant under this section shall coordinate 

19 activities under each such program with the State Med20 icaid program to ensure that current or former foster 

21 youth have maximum access and involvement in such ac22 tivities. 

23 ‘‘(h) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall, by grant, 

24 contract, or interagency agreement, conduct rigorous and 


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1 well-designed evaluations of the programs for which a 

2 grant is made under this section. 

3 ‘‘(i) REPORTS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) TO THE SECRETARY.—(A) An eligible enti5 ty awarded a grant under this section shall submit 

6 interim reports to the Secretary on the activities car7 ried out under the project, including the number of 

8 eligible individuals served, and on the conclusion of 

9 the project, shall submit a final report to the Sec10 retary on the activities carried out under a grant 

11 made under this section. 

12 ‘‘(B) Each such report shall include data on 

13 participant outcomes related to earnings, employ14 ment, education, credential attainment, participant 

15 demographics, and other data specified by the Sec16 retary. 

17 ‘‘(2) TO THE CONGRESS.—Not later than De18 cember 31 of each year, the Secretary shall submit 

19 to the appropriate Congressional committees a re20 port for the preceding fiscal year on— 

21 ‘‘(A) the demographics of the participants 

22 in the projects for which a grant is made under 

23 this section; 

24 ‘‘(B) results of the evaluations required by 

25 subsection (h); 


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1 ‘‘(C) best practices and promising practices 

2 used in the projects; 

3 ‘‘(D) the nature of any technical assistance 

4 provided to grantees under this section; and 

5 ‘‘(E) the 10 individual applications not ap6 proved for a grant under this subsection that 

7 showed the greatest potential to meet the goals 

8 of this subsection, including the estimated num9 ber of beneficiaries of each such application. 

10 ‘‘(3) PUBLICATION.—Upon submission to Con11 gress of a report under this subsection, the Sec12 retary shall make such report available to the public 

13 on an internet website of the Department of Health 

14 and Human Services in a manner that is user 

15 friendly and able to be searched and downloaded by 

16 users of the website. 

17 ‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

18 carry out this section, there are authorized to be appro19 priated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 

20 2025. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 477C. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO OLDER FOSTER 

22 YOUTH. 

23 ‘‘(a) PROGRAMMATIC FLEXIBILITY.—During any 

24 qualifying emergency period, the following rules apply with 


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1 respect to areas affected by such qualifying emergency pe2 riod: 

3 ‘‘(1) ELIMINATION OF AGE LIMITATIONS ON

4 ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE.—Eligibility for serv5 ices or assistance under a State program operated 

6 pursuant to sections 477 or 477A shall be provided 

7 without regard to the age of the recipient. 

8 ‘‘(2) SUSPENSION OF WORK AND EDUCATION

9 REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE EDUCATION AND

10 TRAINING VOUCHER PROGRAM.—Sections 477(i)(3), 

11 477A(c)(3)(C), and 477A(d) shall be applied and ad12 ministered without regard to any work or education 

13 requirement. 

14 ‘‘(3) AUTHORITY TO WAIVE LIMITATION ON

15 PERCENTAGE OF FUNDS USED FOR HOUSING ASSIST16 ANCE.—The Secretary shall apply and administer 

17 section 477 without regard to subsection (b)(3)(B) 

18 of such section. 

19 ‘‘(4) SUSPENSION OF APPLICABLE PERCENTAGE

20 OF INDEPENDENT LIVING PERIOD.—The applicable 

21 percentage described in section 477A(c)(2)(C) shall 

22 be 100 percent. 

23 ‘‘(b) STATE DEFINED.—In subsection (a), the term 

24 ‘State’ has the meaning given the term in section 1101(a) 

25 of the Social Security Act for purposes of title IV of such 


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1 Act, and includes an Indian tribe, tribal organization, or 

2 tribal consortium with an application and plan approved 

3 under section 477(j) of such Act for fiscal year 2020. 

4 ‘‘(c) QUALIFYING EMERGENCY DEFINED.—For pur5 poses of subsection (a), the term ‘qualifying emergency pe6 riod’ means the period beginning on the date on which 

7 an emergency is declared under section 319 of the Public 

8 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) or under section 401 

9 or section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

10 and Emergency Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and ending 

11 on the date that is 180 days after the date on which such 

12 emergency terminates.’’. 

13 SEC. 7. IN-STATE TUITION RATES FOR HOMELESS YOUTH 

14 AND FOSTER YOUTH; COORDINATION WITH 

15 CERTAIN HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 

16 (a) INSTITUTIONAL SERVICES FOR FOSTER

17 YOUTH.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Part B of title I of the 

19 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011 et 

20 seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 

21 new section: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 124. SERVICES FOR CURRENT AND FORMER FOSTER 

23 YOUTH. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—No institution of higher edu25 cation shall be eligible to receive funds or any other form 


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1 of financial assistance under any Federal program, includ2 ing participation in any federally funded or guaranteed 

3 student loan program, unless the institution certifies to 

4 the Secretary that the institution— 

5 ‘‘(1) provides flexibility and assistance to help 

6 eligible youth complete the application and admis7 sion process for the institution, including by waiving 

8 application fees and facilitating the process of enroll9 ment for such youth; 

10 ‘‘(2) designates a single point of contact to— 

11 ‘‘(A) meet with eligible youth and assist 

12 them identifying and utilizing available support 

13 services for current or former foster youth, in14 cluding academic supports, financial assistance, 

15 and professional or internship opportunities; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(B) coordinate programs with relevant 

18 on- and off-campus stakeholders, including 

19 State child welfare agencies and nonprofit orga20 nizations, to increase the enrollment of eligible 

21 youth at the institution and align services at 

22 the institution for such youth; 

23 ‘‘(3) adjusts the cost of attendance for eligible 

24 youth to include the cost of housing during periods 

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1 fying housing resources available during such peri2 ods; 

3 ‘‘(4) subsidizes any fees for eligible youth asso4 ciated with orientation, offers free transportation to 

5 college orientation or move-in week, offers free lodg6 ing if necessary for the purposes of traveling for ori7 entation or move-in week, and offers free transpor8 tation for one person to accompany each eligible 

9 youth on such travel; 

10 ‘‘(5) ensures the availability of robust health 

11 services for students, including physical and mental 

12 health services, that meet the specific needs of eligi13 ble youth; 

14 ‘‘(6) establishes or expands early alert systems 

15 to identify and support eligible youth who may be 

16 struggling academically; 

17 ‘‘(7) provides eligible youth with emergency 

18 grants to subsidize reasonable, unanticipated ex19 penses that are not included in the cost of attend20 ance for the institution or that may not be covered 

21 by other forms of student financial assistance; and 

22 ‘‘(8) collects, reviews, and monitors data for 

23 program improvement. 

24 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE YOUTH.—In this section, the term ‘el25 igible youth’ means an individual who— 


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1 ‘‘(1) is in foster care; or 

2 ‘‘(2) is receiving services under section 477 or 

3 477A of the Social Security Act.’’. 

4 (2) APPLICABILITY.—Section 124 of the Higher 

5 Education Act of 1965, as added by paragraph (1), 

6 shall apply with respect to the eligibility of institu7 tions of higher education to participate in Federal 

8 programs for academic years beginning after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act. 

10 (b) IN-STATE TUITION RATES FOR HOMELESS

11 YOUTH AND FOSTER YOUTH.—Section 135 of the Higher 

12 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015d) is amended— 

13 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘MEM14 BERS OF THE ARMED FORCES ON ACTIVE

15 DUTY, SPOUSES, AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (a)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and inserting 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘(1) ARMED FORCES.—In the case’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(2) HOMELESS YOUTH AND FOSTER YOUTH.— 

23 In the case of a homeless youth or a foster youth, 

24 such State shall not charge such individual tuition 

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1 cation in the State at a rate that is greater than the 

2 rate charged for residents of the State.’’; and 

3 (3) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and in4 serting the following: 

5 ‘‘(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

6 ‘‘(1) ARMED FORCES.—With respect to an indi7 vidual described in subsection (a)(1), this section 

8 shall remain in effect as it was in effect on the day 

9 before the date of enactment of the Fostering 

10 Healthy Transitions into Adulthood Act of 2020. 

11 ‘‘(2) HOMELESS YOUTH AND FOSTER YOUTH.— 

12 With respect to an individual described in subsection 

13 (a)(2) or (a)(3), this section shall take effect at each 

14 public institution of higher education in a State that 

15 receives assistance under this Act for the first period 

16 of enrollment at such institution that begins during 

17 the first full award year following the date of enact18 ment the Fostering Healthy Transitions into Adult19 hood Act of 2020. 

20 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 ‘‘(1) ARMED FORCES.—The terms ‘armed 

22 forces’ and ‘active duty for a period of more than 30 

23 days’ have the meanings given those terms in section 

24 101 of title 10, United States Code. 


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1 ‘‘(2) HOMELESS YOUTH.—The term ‘homeless 

2 youth’ has the meaning given the term ‘homeless 

3 children and youths’ in section 725 of the McKin4 ney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 11434a). 

6 ‘‘(3) FOSTER YOUTH.—The term ‘foster youth’ 

7 means an individual who— 

8 ‘‘(A) is in foster care; or 

9 ‘‘(B) is receiving services under section 

10 477 or 477A of the Social Security Act.’’. 

11 (c) COORDINATION WITH FOSTER CARE TRANSI12 TIONAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS.—Section 402A(c)(6) of the 

13 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a– 

14 11(c)(6)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘The Secretary shall ensure that any recipient of funds 

16 under a program authorized by this chapter that also re17 ceives funds under section 477A of the Social Security Act 

18 (42 U.S.C. 677A) shall coordinate activities carried out 

19 under this chapter with activities carried out under such 

20 section 477A to ensure that current or former foster youth 

21 have maximum access to and involvement in such activi22 ties.’’. 

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1 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092f(b)) is amended by 

2 adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(5) INFORMATION FOR FOSTER YOUTH ON DE4 PARTMENT WEBSITE.— 

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

6 include on the Department’s website informa7 tion for current and former foster youth regard8 ing such youth’s potential eligibility for Federal 

9 student aid, including the specific Federal pro10 grams under which such youth may be eligible 

11 to receive assistance. 

12 ‘‘(B) COORDINATION WITH SECRETARY OF

13 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.—The posting 

14 of the information required by subparagraph 

15 (A) on the website and via the hotline estab16 lished by section 477A of the Social Security 

17 Act shall satisfy the requirement established by 

18 this paragraph’’. 

19 SEC. 8. EXPANSION OF WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT 

20 ELIGIBILITY TO CURRENT AND FORMER FOS21 TER YOUTH. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 51 of the Internal Rev23 enue Code (26 U.S.C. 51) is amended in subsection 

24 (d)(1)— 

25 (1) by striking ‘‘, or’’ in subparagraph (I); 


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1 (2) by striking the period and inserting ‘‘, or’’ 

2 in subparagraph (J); and 

3 (3) by inserting at the end the following new 

4 subparagraph: 

5 ‘‘(K) an individual who— 

6 ‘‘(i) receives or is eligible to receive 

7 benefits under section 477 or section 477A 

8 of the Social Security Act; 

9 ‘‘(ii) who has aged out of foster care; 

10 or 

11 ‘‘(iii) has been in foster care at any 

12 point after age 14.’’. 

13 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The changes made by this 

14 section shall take effect on January 1, 2021. 

15 SEC. 9. FOSTER CARE DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart C of part IV of sub17 chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

18 1986 (relating to refundable credits) is amended by add19 ing after section 36B the following new section: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 36C. CREDIT FOR FOSTER CARE DEVELOPMENT. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an individual, 

22 there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed 

23 by this subtitle for any taxable year an amount equal to 

24 50 percent of the contributions made by the taxpayer for 


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1 the taxable year to an individual development account for 

2 a current or former foster youth. 

3 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

4 ‘‘(1) CURRENT OR FORMER FOSTER YOUTH.— 

5 The term ‘current or former foster youth’ means any 

6 individual— 

7 ‘‘(A) currently in foster care; 

8 ‘‘(B) who was in foster care at any point 

9 after age 14; or 

10 ‘‘(C) receiving services under section 477 

11 or section 477A of the Social Security Act. 

12 ‘‘(2) INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT.— 

13 The term ‘individual development account’ has the 

14 meaning given such term in section 404(5) of the 

15 Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604(5)).’’. 

16 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

17 for subpart C of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 

18 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by in19 serting after the item relating to section 36B the following 

20 new item: 

Sec. 36C. Credit for foster care development. 

21 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

22 this section shall apply with respect to taxable years begin23 ning after December 31, 2019. 


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1 SEC. 10. WORKFORCE GRANTS FOR CURRENT OR FORMER 

2 FOSTER YOUTH. 

3 Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Innovation and 

4 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3221 et seq.) is amended by 

5 adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 173. WORKFORCE GRANTS FOR CURRENT OR 

7 FORMER FOSTER YOUTH. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall— 

9 ‘‘(1) make four-year grants on a competitive 

10 basis to eligible entities to design and implement 

11 programs to improve the self-sufficiency, education 

12 attainment, and employment skills of eligible individ13 uals; 

14 ‘‘(2) ensure that any such programs receiving 

15 funding under this subsection use evidence-informed 

16 or evidence-based models, practices, and methods 

17 that are culturally and linguistically appropriate and 

18 can be replicated in other appropriate settings; 

19 ‘‘(3) develop best practices for serving current 

20 and former foster youth in the workforce; 

21 ‘‘(4) offer recommendations to Congress and 

22 States about improving workforce conditions for cur23 rent and former foster youth; and 

24 ‘‘(5) provide technical assistance to eligible enti25 ties in applying for and administering a grant made 

26 under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity may use 

2 amounts awarded under a grant under subsection to pro3 vide— 

4 ‘‘(1) job training or other workforce develop5 ment programming for eligible individuals; 

6 ‘‘(2) comprehensive services, including coun7 seling, transportation, and child care, to participants 

8 in order to facilitate successful completion of activi9 ties described in paragraph (1); 

10 ‘‘(3) training to businesses and employers who 

11 have dedicated programs to hiring current or former 

12 foster youth; and 

13 ‘‘(4) training to workforce development profes14 sionals about best practices for counseling and serv15 ing current or former foster youth in training and 

16 successful, long-term job placement. 

17 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this section, an eligible 

18 entity is defined as— 

19 ‘‘(1) a State; 

20 ‘‘(2) a local government; 

21 ‘‘(3) a labor organization; 

22 ‘‘(4) a nonprofit organization that trains work23 ers or serves current or former foster youth; 


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1 ‘‘(5) an institution of higher education (as de2 fined in section 101 or section 102(a)(1)(B) of the 

3 Higher Education Act of 1965); or 

4 ‘‘(6) a partnership of one or more of the above 

5 entities. 

6 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—In this section, an eli7 gible individual is defined as— 

8 ‘‘(1) a youth older than 16 years of age who is 

9 aging out of foster care; or 

10 ‘‘(2) an individual older than 16 years of age 

11 who was in foster care at any point after age 14 who 

12 is receiving services under section 477 or section 

13 477A of the Social Security Act. 

14 ‘‘(e) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a 

15 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 

16 application at such time, in such manner, and containing 

17 such information as the Secretary may require. 

18 ‘‘(f) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under this 

19 section, the Secretary may give priority to applications 

20 serving youth in areas with the largest foster care popu21 lations. 

22 ‘‘(g) MATCHING FUNDS.—The Secretary may not 

23 award a grant under this section to an eligible entity un24 less the eligible entity agrees, with respect to the costs to 

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1 ties described in subsection (b), to make available non2 Federal contributions (in cash or in kind) toward such 

3 costs in an amount that is not less than 10 percent of 

4 the total amount of Federal funds provided in the grant. 

5 ‘‘(h) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall, by grant, 

6 contract, or interagency agreement, conduct rigorous and 

7 well-designed evaluations of the programs for which a 

8 grant is made under this section. 

9 ‘‘(i) REPORTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY REPORT.— 

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

12 awarded a grant under this section shall— 

13 ‘‘(i) submit interim reports to the Sec14 retary on the activities carried out under 

15 the project, including the number of appli16 cations received and the number of partici17 pants enrolled; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) on the conclusion of the project, 

19 a final report on the activities, including 

20 the number of participants who success21 fully completed the program. 

22 ‘‘(B) DATA REQUIREMENT.—Each such re23 port shall include data on participant outcomes 

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1 dential attainment, participant demographics, 

2 and other data specified by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(2) CONGRESSIONAL REPORT.—Not later than 

4 December 31 of each year, the Secretary shall sub5 mit to the appropriate Committees of Congress a re6 port for the preceding fiscal year on— 

7 ‘‘(A) the demographics of the participants 

8 in the projects for which a grant is made under 

9 this section; 

10 ‘‘(B) the rate of which project participants 

11 completed all activities under the projects; 

12 ‘‘(C) the employment credentials acquired 

13 by project participants; 

14 ‘‘(D) the employment of project partici15 pants on completion of activities under the 

16 projects, and the earnings of project partici17 pants at entry into employment; 

18 ‘‘(E) best practices and promising prac19 tices used in the projects; 

20 ‘‘(F) the nature of any technical assistance 

21 provided to grantees under this section; 

22 ‘‘(G) with respect to the period since the 

23 period covered in the most recent prior report 

24 submitted under this paragraph— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the number of applications sub2 mitted under this section and the number 

3 of applications that were approved; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the number of eligible individuals 

5 who applied, enrolled, and remained en6 rolled in programs operated by each eligi7 ble entity; and 

8 ‘‘(H) the 10 individual applications not ap9 proved for a grant under this section that 

10 showed the greatest potential to meet the goals 

11 of this section, including the estimated number 

12 of beneficiaries of each such application. 

13 ‘‘(3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON14 GRESS.—In this paragraph, the term ‘appropriate 

15 Committees of Congress’ means— 

16 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Education and 

17 Labor of the House of Representatives; 

18 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Ways and Means 

19 of the House of Representatives; 

20 ‘‘(C) the Committee on Appropriations of 

21 the House of Representatives; 

22 ‘‘(D) the Committee on Health, Education, 

23 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 

24 ‘‘(E) the Committee on Finance of the 

25 Senate; and 


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1 ‘‘(F) the Committee on Appropriations of 

2 the Senate. 

3 ‘‘(j) APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, 

4 there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for 

5 each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025.’’. 

6 SEC. 11. FOSTER YOUTH IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 301 of title 18, United 

8 States Code, is amended by adding at the following the 

9 new section: 

10 ‘‘§ 4015. Foster care reporting 

11 ‘‘(a) The Attorney General shall inquire of each indi12 vidual convicted of a Federal offense, including juveniles, 

13 if such individual is currently or was at any point in foster 

14 care. 

15 ‘‘(b) In the case of an individual convicted of a Fed16 eral offense who is or was in foster care, the Attorney Gen17 eral shall further inquire about the circumstances around 

18 and duration of the time spent in foster care, except than 

19 the Attorney General shall inform each such individual of 

20 the right to decline to answer, and an individual may de21 cline to answer any such inquiry. 

22 ‘‘(c) Not later than December 31 of each year, the 

23 Attorney General shall issue a report to the Committee 

24 on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, the 

25 Committee of Finance of the Senate, and the Committees 


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1 on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of 

2 the Senate that includes— 

3 ‘‘(1) the number of individuals convicted of a 

4 Federal offense during the preceding year, 

5 disaggregated by— 

6 ‘‘(A) the classification of the offense under 

7 section 3559(a); 

8 ‘‘(B) whether the offense was a crime of 

9 violence (as such term is defined in section 16); 

10 ‘‘(C) whether the offense was a felony drug 

11 offense (as such term is defined in section 102 

12 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 

13 802); and 

14 ‘‘(D) whether the offense was committed 

15 by a juvenile; 

16 ‘‘(2) the number of individuals convicted of a 

17 Federal offense during the preceding year who are 

18 or were in foster care, disaggregated by the types of 

19 convictions described in paragraph (1); 

20 ‘‘(3) the number of individuals who were serv21 ing a term of imprisonment for a Federal offense 

22 during the preceding year, disaggregated by the 

23 types of convictions described in paragraph (1); 

24 ‘‘(4) the number of individuals who were serv25 ing a term of imprisonment for a Federal offense 


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1 during the preceding year who, at the time of convic2 tion, were in foster care, or were previously in foster 

3 care at any point, disaggregated by the types of con4 victions described in paragraph (1); and 

5 ‘‘(5) the total cost of incarcerating individuals 

6 who were in foster care at the time of conviction or 

7 previously were in foster care at any point. 

8 ‘‘(d) Not later than 1 year after the date of enact9 ment of this section, the Attorney General shall issue rules 

10 to implement this section.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

12 for chapter 301 of title 18, United States Code, is amend13 ed by inserting after the item related to section 4014 the 

14 following: 

‘‘4015. Foster care reporting.’’. 

15 SEC. 12. HEALTH INSURANCE FOR FORMER FOSTER 

16 YOUTH. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 1002 of 

18 the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (Public 

19 Law 115–271) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(a) COVERAGE CONTINUITY FOR FORMER FOSTER

21 CARE CHILDREN UP TO AGE 26.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 

23 1902(a)(10)(A)(i)(IX) of the Social Security Act (42 

24 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(IX)) is amended— 

25 ‘‘(A) in item (bb)— 


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1 ‘‘(i) by striking ‘are not described in 

2 or enrolled under’ and inserting ‘are not 

3 described in and are not enrolled under’; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(ii) by adding ‘and’ at the end; 

6 ‘‘(B) in item (cc), by striking ‘responsi7 bility of the State’ and all that follows through 

8 ‘475(8)(B)(iii); and’ and inserting ‘responsi9 bility of a State on the date of attaining 21 

10 years of age, were in such care at any age but 

11 subsequently left such care to enter into a legal 

12 guardianship with a kinship caregiver (without 

13 regard to whether kinship guardianship pay14 ments are being made on behalf of the child 

15 under part E of title IV), or were emancipated 

16 from such care prior to attaining age 21;’; and 

17 ‘‘(C) by striking item (dd). 

18 ‘‘(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments 

19 made by this subsection shall apply with respect to 

20 eligibility determinations made on or after the date 

21 of enactment of the Fostering Healthy Transitions 

22 into Adulthood Act of 2020.’’. 

23 (b) SECRETARIAL NOTIFICATION PROCESS.—Not 

24 later than January 1, 2021, the Secretary of Health and 

25 Human Services, in coordination with State Medicaid 


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1 agencies and State agencies responsible for administering 

2 the State plan under part E of title IV of the Social Secu3 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.), shall have in place a 

4 process— 

5 (1) to notify each foster child and each indi6 vidual under 26 years of age who was previously in 

7 foster care in any State that such child or individual 

8 may be eligible to enroll in the State plan approved 

9 under title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 

10 seq.) of the State in which such child or individual 

11 resides (or under a waiver of such plan); and 

12 (2) to provide each such child and individual 

13 with information on how to submit an application to 

14 enroll in such State plan (or under such a waiver). 

Æ 


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