I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4983 

To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require States 

to provide for the placement of a foster child in a cottage home, and 

to make a child so placed eligible for foster care maintenance payments. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 8, 2018 

Mr. MEADOWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

to require States to provide for the placement of a foster 

child in a cottage home, and to make a child so placed 

eligible for foster care maintenance payments. 

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 ‘‘Caring Homes and 

5 Improved Lives for Dependents (CHILD) Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF FOSTER CHILDREN IN COTTAGE 

2 HOMES. 

3 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 471(a) of 

4 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)), as amended 

5 by the Family First Prevention Services Act, is amend6 ed— 

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

8 (36); 

9 (2) by striking the period at the end of para10 graph (37) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(38) provides that, with respect to a child who 

13 has attained 6 years of age and who is removed 

14 from the child’s home, if a suitable relative or other 

15 designated caregiver is not available as a placement 

16 for the child, placing the child in a foster family 

17 home or a cottage home shall be considered the least 

18 restrictive setting for the child.’’. 

19 (b) ELIGIBILITY FOR FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE

20 PAYMENTS OF CERTAIN CHILDREN PLACED IN A COT21 TAGE HOME.—Section 472(a)(2)(C) of such Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 672(a)(2)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘home or 

23 child-care institution’’ and inserting ‘‘home, a child-care 

24 institution, or (if the child has attained 6 years of age 

25 and a suitable relative or other designated caregiver is not 


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1 available as a placement for the child) a cottage home that 

2 is not a foster family home or child-care institution’’. 

3 (c) DEFINITION OF COTTAGE HOME.—Section 

4 472(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 672(c)), as amended by 

5 the Family First Prevention Services Act, is amended by 

6 adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) COTTAGE HOME.—The term ‘cottage 

8 home’ means a residential operation— 

9 ‘‘(A) in which not more than 12 children 

10 reside; 

11 ‘‘(B) that has and implements a trauma12 informed treatment plan for its residents; 

13 ‘‘(C) that involves family members of a 

14 child in the treatment for the child, and main15 tains contact with the family of the child, if 

16 available and if the involvement is clinically ap17 propriate for the well-being of the child; 

18 ‘‘(D) that is licensed by the State in which 

19 it is situated or has been approved, by the 

20 agency of such State responsible for licensing or 

21 approval of institutions of this type; and 

22 ‘‘(E) that is accredited by the Council on 

23 Accreditation or another national accrediting 

24 body.’’. 

25 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 


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

2 this section shall take effect on the date of the en3 actment of this Act, and shall apply to payments 

4 under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

5 for calendar quarters beginning on or after such 

6 date. 

7 (2) DELAY PERMITTED IF STATE LEGISLATION

8 REQUIRED.—If the Secretary of Health and Human 

9 Services determines that State legislation (other 

10 than legislation appropriating funds) is required in 

11 order for a State plan under part E of title IV of 

12 the Social Security Act to meet the additional re13 quirements imposed by the amendments made by 

14 this section, the plan shall not be regarded as failing 

15 to meet any of the additional requirements before 

16 the first day of the first calendar quarter beginning 

17 after the first regular session of the State legislature 

18 that begins after the date of the enactment of this 

19 Act. For purposes of the preceding sentence, if the 

20 State has a 2-year legislative session, each year of 

21 the session is deemed to be a separate regular ses22 sion of the State legislature. 

Æ 


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