I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6803 

To provide greater support for grandfamilies and older caregiver relatives. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

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

Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Financial 

Services, 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 provide greater support for grandfamilies and older 

caregiver relatives. 

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 ‘‘Grandfamilies Act of 

5 2023’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. INCREASING ACCESS TO SOCIAL SECURITY BENE2 FITS FOR CHILDREN WHO LIVE WITH GRAND3 PARENTS OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Social Security Act 

5 (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) in section 202(d)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1)(C), by inserting ‘‘ex8 cept as provided in paragraph (9),’’ before ‘‘was 

9 dependent’’; and 

10 (B) by amending paragraph (9) to read as 

11 follows: 

12 ‘‘(9)(A) In the case of a child who is the child of an 

13 individual under clause (3) of the first sentence of section 

14 216(e) and is not a child of such individual under clause 

15 (1) or (2) of such first sentence, the criteria specified in 

16 subparagraph (B) shall apply instead of the criteria speci17 fied in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1). 

18 ‘‘(B) The criteria of this subparagraph are that— 

19 ‘‘(i) the child has been living with such indi20 vidual in the United States for a period of not less 

21 than 12 months; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the child has been receiving not less than 

1 23 ⁄2 of the child’s support from such individual for a 

24 period of not less than 12 months; and 

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1 ‘‘(iii) the period during which the child was liv2 ing with such individual began before the child at3 tained age 18. 

4 ‘‘(C) In the case of a child who is less than 12 months 

5 old, such child shall be deemed to meet the requirements 

6 of subparagraph (B) if, on the date the child attains 1 

7 year of age, such child has lived with such individual in 

the United States and received at least 1 8 ⁄2 of the child’s 

9 support from such individual for substantially all of the 

10 period which began on the date of such child’s birth.’’; 

11 and 

12 (2) in section 216(e), in the first sentence— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘grandchild or 

14 stepgrandchild of an individual or his spouse’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘grandchild, stepgrandchild, or 

16 other first-degree, second-degree, third-degree, 

17 fourth-degree, or fifth-degree relative of an indi18 vidual or the individual’s spouse’’; 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘was no natural or adop20 tive parent’’ and inserting ‘‘is no living natural 

21 or adoptive parent’’; 

22 (C) by striking ‘‘was under a disability’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘is under a disability’’; 

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1 (D) by striking ‘‘living at the time’’ and all 

2 that follows through ‘‘, or (B)’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

3 (B)’’; and 

4 (E) by inserting ‘‘, or (C) the person has 

5 been in the custody of such individual pursuant 

6 to a court order for a period of not less than 

7 12 months’’ before the first period. 

8 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 202(d)(1) 

9 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(d)(1)) is amend10 ed— 

11 (1) by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (A), (B), and 

12 (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs (A) and (B) and 

13 subparagraph (C) or paragraph (9) (as applicable)’’; 

14 and 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (B) and (C)’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (B) and subparagraph 

17 (C) or paragraph (9) (as applicable)’’. 

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

19 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first 

20 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

21 Act. 

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1 SEC. 3. ELIMINATING BARRIERS TO TANF FOR CHILDREN, 

2 OLDER CAREGIVER RELATIVES, AND CARE3 GIVER RELATIVES CARING FOR A CHILD 

4 WITH A DISABILITY. 

5 (a) BROADENING GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION TO RE6 QUIREMENT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON NONCUSTO7 DIAL PARENTS.—Section 454(29)(A)(i) of the Social Se8 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 654(29)(A)(i)) is amended by strik9 ing ‘‘best interests of the child’’ and inserting ‘‘best inter10 ests of the child, including, if enforcement procedures 

11 against a non-custodial parent of the child are initiated, 

12 whether such procedures will impede the parent’s ability 

13 to reunify with the child in the future’’. 

14 (b) DISREGARD OF NONPARENT CAREGIVER REL15 ATIVE INCOME, ASSETS, AND RESOURCES IN CHILD-ONLY

16 CASES.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Social 

18 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is amended by add19 ing at the end the following new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(13) DISREGARD OF INCOME, ASSETS, AND

21 RESOURCES FOR NONPARENT CAREGIVER RELATIVES

22 IN CHILD-ONLY CASES.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a 

24 minor child who does not reside in the same 

25 household as a parent of the child, a State to 

26 which a grant is made under section 403 shall 

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1 not take into account the income, assets, or re2 sources of such child’s nonparent caregiver rel3 ative who is not seeking assistance under the 

4 State program funded under this part or any 

5 other State program funded with qualified 

6 State expenditures (as defined in section 

7 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) on their own behalf in deter8 mining whether the child is eligible for assist9 ance under any such program, or in deter10 mining the amount or types of such assistance 

11 to be provided to the child. 

12 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph (A) 

13 shall not apply in the case of a State pro14 gram— 

15 ‘‘(i) that is operated specifically for 

16 children living with nonparent caregiver 

17 relatives; 

18 ‘‘(ii) that provides monthly financial 

19 assistance to a child living with a non20 parent caregiver relative in an amount that 

21 is greater than the amount of assistance 

22 that the child would receive on the child’s 

23 own behalf under the State program fund24 ed under this part; 

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1 ‘‘(iii) that is separate from the State 

2 program funded under this part; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) that is described in the State 

4 plan submitted under section 402.’’. 

5 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se6 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)) is amended by adding 

7 at the end the following new paragraph: 

8 ‘‘(17) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO DISREGARD

9 INCOME, ASSETS, AND RESOURCES OF NONPARENT

10 CAREGIVER RELATIVE IN CHILD-ONLY CASES.—If 

11 the Secretary determines that a State to which a 

12 grant is made under section 403 in a fiscal year has 

13 violated section 408(a)(13) during the fiscal year, 

14 the Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the 

15 State under section 403(a)(1) for the immediately 

16 succeeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 3 per17 cent of the State family assistance grant.’’. 

18 (c) ELIMINATING 5-YEAR CAP ON ASSISTANCE IN

19 CHILD-ONLY CASES.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a)(7) of the So21 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)) is amended 

22 by adding at the end the following new subpara23 graph: 

24 ‘‘(H) NO LIMIT FOR CHILD-ONLY CASES.— 

25 A State shall not limit the number of months 

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1 of assistance under the State program funded 

2 under this part or any other State program 

3 funded with qualified State expenditures (as de4 fined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) for a family in 

5 which all adults in the family— 

6 ‘‘(i) are nonparent caregiver relatives 

7 of a child who does not reside in the same 

8 household of the parent of the child; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) do not receive assistance under 

10 the State program funded under this part 

11 or any other State program funded with 

12 qualified expenditures (as defined in sec13 tion 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) on their own be14 half.’’. 

15 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se16 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend17 ed by this section, is amended— 

18 (A) in paragraph (9), by inserting ‘‘(other 

19 than subparagraph (H))’’ after ‘‘section 

20 408(a)(7)’’; and 

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

22 paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(18) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH

24 5-YEAR CAP EXEMPTIONS.—If the Secretary deter25 mines that a State to which a grant is made under 

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1 section 403 in a fiscal year has violated subpara2 graph (H) of section 408(a)(7) during the fiscal 

3 year, the Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to 

4 the State under section 403(a)(1) for the imme5 diately succeeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 

6 3 percent of the State family assistance grant’’. 

7 (d) EXEMPTION FROM WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR

8 NONPARENT CAREGIVER RELATIVES IN CHILD-ONLY

9 CASES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408 of the Social 

11 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608) is amended by adding 

12 at the end the following new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(h) STATE REQUIRED TO EXEMPT NONPARENT

14 CAREGIVER RELATIVES FROM WORK PARTICIPATION IN

15 CHILD-ONLY CASES.—A State shall not require an indi16 vidual to engage in work if the individual— 

17 ‘‘(1) is the nonparent caregiver relative of a 

18 child who does not reside in the same household as 

19 a parent of the child; and 

20 ‘‘(2) resides in a household in which no adult 

21 receives assistance under the State program funded 

22 under this part or any other State program funded 

23 with qualified expenditures (as defined in section 

24 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) on their own behalf.’’. 

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1 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se2 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend3 ed by this section, is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following new paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(19) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH

6 WORK PARTICIPATION EXEMPTIONS.—If the Sec7 retary determines that a State to which a grant is 

8 made under section 403 in a fiscal year has violated 

9 subsection (h) of section 408 during the fiscal year, 

10 the Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the 

11 State under section 403(a)(1) for the immediately 

12 succeeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 3 per13 cent of the State family assistance grant.’’. 

14 (e) ELIMINATING 5-YEAR CAP ON ASSISTANCE FOR

15 OLDER CAREGIVER RELATIVES AND CAREGIVER REL16 ATIVES CARING FOR A CHILD WITH A DISABILITY.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a)(7) of the So18 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)), as amended 

19 by subsection (c)(1), is amended by adding at the 

20 end the following new subparagraph: 

21 ‘‘(I) NON-APPLICATION OF LIMIT TO

22 OLDER CAREGIVER RELATIVES AND CAREGIVER

23 RELATIVES CARING FOR A CHILD WITH A DIS24 ABILITY.— 

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1 ‘‘(i) NO LIMIT FOR OLDER CAREGIVER

2 RELATIVES AND CAREGIVER RELATIVES

3 CARING FOR A CHILD WITH A DIS4 ABILITY.—Subparagraph (A) shall not 

5 apply and a State shall not limit the num6 ber of months of assistance under the 

7 State program funded under this part or 

8 any other State program funded with 

9 qualified State expenditures (as defined in 

10 section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) based on receipt 

11 of such assistance by an individual who is 

12 an older caregiver relative or a caregiver 

13 relative caring for a child with a disability 

14 (as such terms are defined for purposes of 

15 paragraph (14)). 

16 ‘‘(ii) DISREGARD OF MONTHS OF AS17 SISTANCE.—In determining the number of 

18 months for which a family that includes an 

19 adult who has received assistance under 

20 the State program funded under this part 

21 or any other State program funded with 

22 qualified State expenditures (as defined in 

23 section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)), the State shall 

24 disregard any month for which such assist25 ance was provided with respect to the famVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Jan 05, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6803.IH H6803
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1 ily during which such adult was an older 

2 caregiver relative or a caregiver relative 

3 caring for a child with a disability (as such 

4 terms are defined for purposes of para5 graph (14)).’’. 

6 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se7 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend8 ed by this section, is amended— 

9 (A) in paragraph (9), by inserting ‘‘or (I)’’ 

10 after ‘‘subparagraph (H)’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (18), by inserting ‘‘or 

12 (I)’’ after ‘‘subparagraph (H)’’. 

13 (f) EXEMPTION FROM WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR

14 OLDER CAREGIVER RELATIVES AND CAREGIVER REL15 ATIVES CARING FOR A CHILD WITH A DISABILITY.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408 of the Social 

17 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608), by subsection (d)(1), 

18 is amended by adding at the end the following new 

19 subsection: 

20 ‘‘(i) STATE REQUIRED TO EXEMPT CAREGIVER REL21 ATIVES FROM WORK PARTICIPATION WHERE CAREGIVER

22 RECEIVES ASSISTANCE.—A State shall not require an in23 dividual to engage in work, and, at the option of the State 

24 and on a case-by-case basis, may disregard such individual 

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1 in determining the participation rates under section 

2 407(a), if the individual— 

3 ‘‘(1) is an older caregiver relative or a caregiver 

4 relative caring for a child with a disability (as such 

5 terms are defined for purposes of subsection 

6 (a)(14)); and 

7 ‘‘(2) directly receives assistance on the individ8 ual’s own behalf under the State program funded 

9 under this part or any other State program funded 

10 with qualified expenditures (as defined in section 

11 409(a)(7)(B)(i)).’’. 

12 (2) PENALTY.—Paragraph (18) of section 

13 409(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 609(a)), as added by subsection (d)(2), is amended 

15 by inserting ‘‘or (i)’’ after ‘‘subsection (h)’’. 

16 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—402(a)(1)(A) 

17 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(A)) 

18 is amended— 

19 (A) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘and subject 

20 to subsections (h) and (i) of section 408’’ before 

21 the period; and 

22 (B) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘and sub23 ject to subsections (h) and (i) of section 408’’ 

24 before the period. 

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1 (g) DISREGARD OF INCOME, ASSETS, AND RE2 SOURCES FOR OLDER CAREGIVER RELATIVES.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Social 

4 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)), as previously 

5 amended by this section, is amended by adding at 

6 the end the following new paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(14) DISREGARD OF INCOME, ASSETS, AND

8 RESOURCES FOR OLDER CAREGIVER RELATIVES AND

9 CAREGIVER RELATIVES CARING FOR A CHILD WITH

10 A DISABILITY.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In determining the 

12 eligibility for, and amount of, assistance under 

13 the State program funded under this part or 

14 any other State program funded with qualified 

15 State expenditures (as defined in section 

16 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) for a family that includes an 

17 individual who is an older caregiver relative (as 

18 defined in subparagraph (B)) or a caregiver rel19 ative caring for a child with a disability (as de20 fined in subparagraph (C)), a State to which a 

21 grant is made under section 403 shall not take 

22 into account the income, assets, or resources of 

23 that individual. 

24 ‘‘(B) DEFINITION OF OLDER CAREGIVER

25 RELATIVE.— 

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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of 

2 this paragraph, the term ‘older caregiver 

3 relative’ means an individual who— 

4 ‘‘(I) subject to clause (ii), has at5 tained age 55; and 

6 ‘‘(II) is the primary caregiver for 

7 a minor child who— 

8 ‘‘(aa) is living with the indi9 vidual; 

10 ‘‘(bb) does not have a parent 

11 living in the home; and 

12 ‘‘(cc) is a grandchild, 

13 stepgrandchild, or other first-de14 gree, second-degree, third-degree, 

15 fourth-degree, or fifth-degree rel16 ative of the individual or the indi17 vidual’s spouse. 

18 ‘‘(ii) STATE OPTION TO MODIFY AGE

19 CRITERION.—At the option of a State, 

20 such term shall include an individual who 

21 has not attained age 55. 

22 ‘‘(iii) DETERMINATION TO BE MADE

23 BY STATE.—The determination of whether 

24 an individual meets the criteria described 

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1 in clause (i)(II) shall be made by the 

2 State. 

3 ‘‘(C) DEFINITION OF CAREGIVER REL4 ATIVE CARING FOR A CHILD WITH A DIS5 ABILITY.— 

6 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of 

7 this paragraph, the term ‘caregiver relative 

8 caring for a child with a disability’ means 

9 an individual, regardless of age, who is the 

10 primary caregiver for a minor child who— 

11 ‘‘(I) is living with the individual; 

12 ‘‘(II) is a child, grandchild, 

13 stepgrandchild, or other first-degree, 

14 second-degree, third-degree, fourth-de15 gree, or fifth-degree relative of the in16 dividual or the individual’s spouse; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(III) has a disability, as defined 

19 in section 3 of the Americans with 

20 Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

21 12102)). 

22 ‘‘(ii) DETERMINATION TO BE MADE

23 BY STATE.—The determination of whether 

24 an individual meets the criteria described 

25 in clause (i) shall be made by the State.’’. 

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1 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se2 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend3 ed by this section, is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following new paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(20) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO DISREGARD

6 INCOME, ASSETS, AND RESOURCES FOR OLDER

7 CAREGIVER RELATIVES.—If the Secretary deter8 mines that a State to which a grant is made under 

9 section 403 in a fiscal year has violated section 

10 408(a)(14) during the fiscal year, the Secretary 

11 shall reduce the grant payable to the State under 

12 section 403(a)(1) for the immediately succeeding fis13 cal year by an amount equal to 3 percent of the 

14 State family assistance grant.’’. 

15 (h) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para17 graph (2), the amendments made by this section 

18 shall take effect on the first day of the first fiscal 

19 year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

20 Act. 

21 (2) DELAY PERMITTED.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Before the date de23 scribed in subparagraph (B), a State plan 

24 under title IV of the Social Security Act shall 

25 not be regarded as failing to comply with an adVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Jan 05, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6803.IH H6803
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1 ditional requirement imposed on the plan by 

2 this section if the Secretary of Health and 

3 Human Services determines that such addi4 tional requirement— 

5 (i) requires State legislation (other 

6 than legislation appropriating funds) in 

7 order for the plan to meet such additional 

8 requirement; or 

9 (ii) could not practicably be met by 

10 the plan before such date. 

11 (B) DATE DESCRIBED.—For purposes of 

12 subparagraph (A), the date described in this 

13 subparagraph is, with respect to a State, the 

14 first day of the first calendar quarter beginning 

15 after the close of the first regular session of the 

16 State legislature that begins after the date of 

17 enactment of this section. For purposes of the 

18 previous sentence, in the case of a State that 

19 has a 2-year legislative session, each year of 

20 such session shall be deemed to be a separate 

21 regular session of the State legislature. 

22 SEC. 4. IMPROVING THE COLLECTION OF CHILD SUPPORT 

23 FOR FAMILIES RECEIVING TANF ASSISTANCE. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 454 of the Social Security 

25 Act (42 U.S.C. 654) is amended— 

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1 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (30) through 

2 (34) as paragraphs (31) through (35), respectively; 

3 and 

4 (2) by inserting after paragraph (29) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(30) include a description of— 

7 ‘‘(A) the methods used by the State to de8 termine whether an individual who has applied 

9 for or is receiving assistance under the State 

10 program funded under part A, the State pro11 gram under part E, the State program under 

12 title XIX, or the supplemental nutrition assist13 ance program, as defined under section 3(h) of 

14 the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

15 2012(h)), is cooperating in good faith with the 

16 State in establishing paternity or in estab17 lishing, modifying, or enforcing a support order, 

18 as provided in paragraph (29); 

19 ‘‘(B) the State’s process for determining in 

20 a timely manner whether such an individual 

21 satisfies the cooperation requirement described 

22 in subparagraph (A) due to the individual’s 

23 participation in another State or Federal assist24 ance program; 

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1 ‘‘(C) the good cause or other exceptions to 

2 the cooperation requirement that the State rec3 ognizes, including an explanation of any special 

4 requirements or considerations for a relative 

5 caregiver seeking to apply for such an excep6 tion; and 

7 ‘‘(D) how the State makes clear to an indi8 vidual who has applied for or is receiving assist9 ance under a program referred to in subpara10 graph (A)— 

11 ‘‘(i) what, if anything, the individual 

12 needs to do in order to satisfy the coopera13 tion requirement, including explaining to 

14 the individual how the individual might 

15 satisfy the requirement through participa16 tion in another State or Federal assistance 

17 program; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the effect on the individual’s eli19 gibility to receive assistance under a pro20 gram referred to in subparagraph (A), and 

21 under other State or Federal assistance 

22 programs, if the individual fails to satisfy 

23 the cooperation requirement; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) the good cause or other excep25 tions to the cooperation requirement for 

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1 which the individual may be eligible, in2 cluding if a standard of proof is required 

3 to qualify for each exception and an expla4 nation of any special requirements or con5 siderations for caregiver relatives;’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Title IV of the So7 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended— 

8 (1) in section 452(k)(1), by striking ‘‘section 

9 454(31)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 454(32)’’; and 

10 (2) in section 454, in the matter following para11 graph (35) (as redesignated by subsection (a)) by 

12 striking ‘‘paragraph (33)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

13 (34)’’. 

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

15 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first 

16 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

17 Act. 

18 SEC. 5. ENCOURAGING STATES TO ADOPT TEMPORARY 

19 GUARDIANSHIP LAWS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 474(a)(7) of the Social 

21 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(7)) is amended by insert22 ing ‘‘(or, in the case of a State that has in effect for the 

23 quarter a temporary guardianship law (as defined in sec24 tion 475(14)), 75 percent)’’ after ‘‘50 percent’’. 

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1 (b) DEFINITION.—Section 475 of the Social Security 

2 Act (42 U.S.C. 675) is amended by adding at the end the 

3 following new paragraph: 

4 ‘‘(14)(A) The term ‘temporary guardianship law’ 

5 means a State law that allows for the establishment, by 

6 operation of such law and through an easily navigable sim7 ple civil process, of a relationship between a child and a 

8 nonparent caregiver who has taken responsibility for car9 ing for the child in the absence of the child’s parents in 

10 which some of the parental rights with respect to the child 

11 are transferred to the caregiver for a specified period of 

12 time which may be extended or renewed, except that the 

13 total period of time for which such rights are transferred 

14 to the caregiver (including any extensions or renewals) 

15 shall not exceed a maximum period of time (as established 

16 by the State). 

17 ‘‘(B) Under the process established under a law de18 scribed in subparagraph (A)— 

19 ‘‘(i) court fees shall be waived or reduced; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) any court forms or filings related to the 

21 process are easy enough to understand that a non22 parent caregiver who has taken responsibility for 

23 caring for the child in the absence of the child’s par24 ents could reasonably complete such forms or filings 

25 without legal assistance.’’. 

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

2 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first 

3 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

4 Act. 

5 SEC. 6. GUIDANCE. 

6 (a) GUIDANCE TO STATES ON ENSURING AWARE7 NESS OF CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM AMONG KINSHIP

8 CAREGIVERS.—Not later than the first day of the first fis9 cal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

10 Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

11 issue guidance to States on ways to ensure that kinship 

12 caregivers who receive assistance under a State program 

13 funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or any other State program fund15 ed with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 

16 409(a)(7)(B)(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(i))) 

17 are— 

18 (1) provided with information about any appro19 priate assistance and services available to them 

20 through the child welfare system of the State, in21 cluding eligibility for foster care licensure and path22 ways to guardianship assistance programs or adop23 tion subsidies, and how to access such assistance 

24 and services; and 

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1 (2) referred to any kinship navigator program 

2 operated by the State. 

3 (b) GUIDANCE ON COORDINATING ASSISTANCE FOR

4 CAREGIVERS.—Not later than the first day of the first fis5 cal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

6 Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

7 issue guidance for States identifying options for State pro8 grams, including programs funded under title IV of the 

9 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), programs 

10 funded under the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 

11 3001 et seq.), and other relevant programs that are jointly 

12 funded or administered by States and the Federal Govern13 ment, to collaborate, coordinate, and streamline outreach 

14 to, and processing of applications of assistance, for grand15 parents and older relative caregivers or kinship caregivers 

16 caring for grandchildren and other relative children resid17 ing with them. The options identified in such guidance 

18 shall include best practices for State programs to coordi19 nate with the National Technical Assistance Center on 

20 Grandfamilies and Kinship Families established under 

21 section 2922 of the American Rescue Plan Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 3020g). 

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1 SEC. 7. STATE SUPPORT PLANS FOR GRANDPARENTS CAR2 ING FOR GRANDCHILDREN. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the first day of the 

4 first fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment 

5 of this Act, from amounts appropriated to carry out this 

6 section, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

7 award grants to States for purposes of developing State 

8 support plans for grandparents caring for grandchildren 

9 and other relatives caring for relative children. 

10 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A State support plan for 

11 grandparents caring for grandchildren and other relatives 

12 caring for relative children that is funded by a grant under 

13 this section shall include the following: 

14 (1) An initial assessment of the state of grand15 parents caring for grandchildren and other relatives 

16 caring for relative children in the State. 

17 (2) A plan for how appropriate State agencies 

18 can collaborate in their efforts to provide financial 

19 support, housing services, and other services and 

20 supports to grandparents caring for grandchildren 

21 and other relatives caring for relative children. 

22 (3) Steps that the State proposes to take over 

23 the next 5 years to ensure that grandparents caring 

24 for grandchildren and other relatives caring for rel25 ative children have necessary resources. 

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1 (4) A plan to simplify or combine application 

2 requirements for State public assistance programs to 

3 reduce administrative burdens on recipients, with a 

4 focus on families consisting of grandparents or other 

5 older caregiver relatives raising relative children. 

6 (5) A plan to incorporate in the State support 

7 plan— 

8 (A) at least 1 recommendation from the 

9 most recent report to Congress of the Advisory 

10 Council to Support Grandparents Raising 

11 Grandchildren (provided that such report was 

12 released not more than 5 years before the date 

13 on which the State is awarded a grant under 

14 this section); or 

15 (B) least 1 recommendation from the Ad16 ministration for Community Living. 

17 (c) COORDINATION WITH NATIONAL TECHNICAL AS18 SISTANCE CENTER ON GRANDFAMILIES AND KINSHIP

19 FAMILIES.—The National Technical Assistance Center on 

20 Grandfamilies and Kinship Families established under 

21 section 2922 of the American Rescue Plan Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 3020g) is encouraged to coordinate with States on the de23 velopment of State support plans funded by grants under 

24 this section. 

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1 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to carry 

3 out this section. 

4 SEC. 8. GRANDFAMILIES AND KINSHIP FAMILIES ALLIANCE 

5 GRANTS. 

6 (a) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this section are— 

7 (1) to provide funds, through the Administra8 tion for Community Living, to strengthen and sup9 port grassroots efforts that address the unique needs 

10 of grandfamilies or kinship families, including those 

11 supporting children with disabilities or those navi12 gating through mental health concerns or trauma; 

13 and 

14 (2) to establish cross-sector partnerships, in 

15 order to establish interagency collaborations and fos16 ter the integration of new or existing activities, de17 signed to increase the health, well-being, financial 

18 security, or legal standing of members of 

19 grandfamilies or kinship families. 

20 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis22 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Administra23 tion for Community Living. 

24 (2) CROSS-SECTOR.—The term ‘‘cross-sector’’, 

25 used with respect to an entity, means that members 

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1 of the entity represent different service-related sec2 tors, such as aging, child welfare, income support, 

3 food and nutrition, legal, health and mental health, 

4 education, housing, or disability services. 

5 (3) CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.—The term 

6 ‘‘cross-sector partnership’’ means an alliance, or 

7 other partnership, that— 

8 (A) is cross-sector in nature; and 

9 (B) serves a local (which may be regional) 

10 area. 

11 (4) EDUCATIONAL PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘edu12 cational provider’’ includes an institution of higher 

13 education, including such an institution that is a 

14 junior or community college (as defined in section 

15 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

16 U.S.C. 1058(f))), and a secondary school (as defined 

17 in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

18 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)). 

19 (5) GRANDFAMILY OR KINSHIP FAMILY.—The 

20 term ‘‘grandfamily or kinship family’’ means a fam21 ily in which a child resides with and is being raised 

22 by a grandparent, another extended family member, 

23 or an adult with whom the child has a close family24 like relationship, such as a godparent or a close fam25 ily friend. 

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1 (6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

2 has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 

3 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

4 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

5 (7) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

6 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

7 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

8 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

9 (8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 

10 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com11 monwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, 

12 the United States Virgin Islands, and the Common13 wealth of the Northern Marianas. 

14 (c) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, acting 

16 directly, or by contract with another entity, shall 

17 carry out a grant program. In carrying out the pro18 gram, the Administrator shall make grants, on a 

19 competitive basis, to eligible entities. The Adminis20 trator shall make the grants for periods of 5 years 

21 and in amounts of not less than $200,000 per year. 

22 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to re23 ceive a grant under this section, an entity shall— 

24 (A) be a nonprofit organization, State or 

25 local agency (including an area agency on aging 

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1 as defined in section 102 of the Older Ameri2 cans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002)), an Indian 

3 Tribe, or an educational provider in 1 or more 

4 States; and 

5 (B) have a proven record of supporting 

6 members of grandfamilies or kinship families 

7 and convening key stakeholders to address an 

8 issue related to grandfamilies or kinship fami9 lies. 

10 (3) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

11 grant under this section, an entity shall submit an 

12 application with respect to a cross-sector partnership 

13 to the Administrator, at such time, in such manner, 

14 and containing such information as the Adminis15 trator may require, including— 

16 (A) information that demonstrates the en17 tity’s capacity for establishing and sustaining 

18 cross-system partnerships aimed at improving 

19 the health, well-being, financial security, or 

20 legal standing of grandfamily or kinship family 

21 members; 

22 (B) information that demonstrates the en23 tity sought and included, or an assurance that 

24 the entity will seek and include, input from key 

25 stakeholders, including members of 

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1 grandfamilies or kinship families, when estab2 lishing the partnership and identifying relevant 

3 activities; 

4 (C) a plan from the entity to incorporate 

5 in the activities carried out under the grant— 

6 (i) at least 1 recommendation from 

7 the most recent report to Congress of the 

8 Advisory Council to Support Grandparents 

9 Raising Grandchildren (provided that such 

10 report was released not more than 5 years 

11 before the date on which the entity submits 

12 its application for a grant under this sec13 tion); or 

14 (ii) at least 1 recommendation from 

15 the Administration for Community Living; 

16 (D) information that demonstrates that 

17 the cross-sector partnership involved has devel18 oped or adopted, or an assurance that the part19 nership will develop or adopt, well-defined ac20 tivities that are evidence-informed or trauma 

21 specific or trauma informed, to enhance the 

22 health, well-being, financial security, or legal 

23 standing of grandfamilies or kinship families; 

24 (E)(i) memoranda from at least 3 organi25 zations that are cross-sector stakeholders that 

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1 indicate the organizations will participate in the 

2 cross-sector partnership; 

3 (ii) an assurance that at least 1 partici4 pating stakeholder organization, or the lead en5 tity itself, will be an institution of higher edu6 cation that provides not less than a 2-year pro7 gram that is acceptable for full credit toward a 

8 degree; and 

9 (iii) an assurance that the contributions of 

10 the participating stakeholder organizations will 

11 be reflected in the programmatic budget of the 

12 partnership; 

13 (F) information that demonstrates how the 

14 eligible entity will work with the cross-sector 

15 partnership to align existing (as of the date of 

16 submission of the application) activities to sup17 port members of grandfamilies or kinship fami18 lies; 

19 (G) information that demonstrates how the 

20 eligible entity will identify, support, and provide 

21 stipends to volunteers to support the goals of 

22 the cross-sector partnership, which volunteers 

23 may include— 

24 (i) volunteers or participants of 

25 AmeriCorps programs under the National 

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1 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

2 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) or the Domestic Vol3 unteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 

4 4950 et seq.), the National Community 

5 Care Corps program supported by the Ad6 ministration for Community Living, or any 

7 other federally-funded program supporting 

8 volunteers in community service; 

9 (ii) community members; or 

10 (iii) students at an institution of high11 er education who are seeking internships 

12 or direct volunteer experiences; 

13 (H) information that identifies potential 

14 members of a cross-sector advisory council 

15 that— 

16 (i) will be comprised of at least 7 

17 members, and on which a majority of 

18 members are or have in the past been 

19 members of grandfamilies or kinship fami20 lies; and 

21 (ii) will advise the partnership on ac22 tivities to be carried out under the grant; 

23 and 

24 (I) a plan developed by the eligible entity 

25 to work in partnership with technical resource 

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1 centers supported by the Administration for 

2 Community Living, including the National 

3 Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies 

4 and Kinship Families established under section 

5 2922 of the American Rescue Plan Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 3020g), on activities related to the ob7 jectives for the grant. 

8 (4) PREFERENCES.—In determining which enti9 ties shall receive grants under this section, the Ad10 ministrator shall give preference to entities that— 

11 (A) provide geographic diversity, including 

12 entities that serve rural localities; 

13 (B) support children who have been or14 phaned by the COVID–19 pandemic or opioid 

15 crisis; 

16 (C) have capacity to provide culturally ap17 propriate activities; 

18 (D) demonstrate capacity to work with 

19 educational systems, including systems for early 

20 childhood education or elementary education; 

21 (E) support children with disabilities living 

22 with a grandfamily or kinship family; or 

23 (F) identify as a lived experience entity, 

24 which are organizations, groups, or collabora25 tions whose primary mission is to put people 

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1 with lived experience in grandfamilies or kin2 ship families in a position to support other indi3 viduals going through similar experiences. 

4 (5) USES OF FUNDS.— 

5 (A) REQUIRED USES.—An entity that re6 ceives a grant under this section shall use the 

7 grant funds— 

8 (i) to establish or sustain a cross-sec9 tor partnership to strengthen and support 

10 grassroots efforts that address the unique 

11 needs of grandfamilies or kinship families, 

12 including those supporting children with 

13 disabilities or those navigating through 

14 mental health concerns or trauma; 

15 (ii) to foster the integration of new or 

16 existing activities designed to increase the 

17 health, well-being, financial security, or 

18 legal standing of members of grandfamilies 

19 or kinship families; and 

20 (iii) to promote peer-to-peer support 

21 efforts, including such efforts through sup22 port groups, social activities, or edu23 cational training. 

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1 (B) ALLOWABLE USES.—An entity that re2 ceives a grant under this section may use the 

3 grant funds— 

4 (i) to support volunteer efforts related 

5 to objectives of the partnership, including 

6 conducting outreach to and providing sti7 pends for members of grandfamilies or kin8 ship families participating in advisory 

9 councils described in paragraph (3)(H), or 

10 providing peer-to-peer supports described 

11 in subparagraph (A)(iii), who are not oth12 erwise being paid for such participation or 

13 supports; 

14 (ii) for staff positions for the partner15 ship; 

16 (iii) to conduct a gap and asset anal17 ysis and to raise awareness of the needs of 

18 grandfamilies or kinship families within 

19 the local area served; 

20 (iv) to support technology and soft21 ware needs related to the partnership; 

22 (v) to reimburse project-related mile23 age for staff and volunteers; 

24 (vi) to attend grant recipient trainings 

25 or other meetings with technical resource 

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1 centers supported by the Administration 

2 for Community Living; or 

3 (vii) to help grandfamilies or kinship 

4 families coordinate benefits or assistance 

5 under any Federal program or any State 

6 or local program financed in whole or in 

7 part with Federal funds. 

8 (6) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts 

9 made available under this section shall be used to 

10 supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, 

11 and local public funds expended to provide services 

12 for grandfamilies or kinship families. 

13 (7) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

14 (A) INFORMATION FROM GRANT RECIPI15 ENTS.—Each recipient of a grant under this 

16 section shall annually submit to the Adminis17 trator information consisting of— 

18 (i) the number of individuals and or19 ganizations supported by the partnership 

20 funded by the grant, including the number 

21 of people who received direct services or 

22 training from the local activities carried 

23 out under this section and the estimated 

24 number of people who were impacted by 

25 the activities; 

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1 (ii) demographic data, including the 

2 age, sex, ethnicity, disability status, and 

3 race of those supported by the partnership; 

4 (iii) the number of and demographic 

5 data for volunteers involved in supporting 

6 the objectives of the activities and the 

7 number of people who benefited from the 

8 contributions of volunteers; 

9 (iv) recommendations to align and co10 ordinate activities across service-related 

11 sectors, such as aging, child welfare, in12 come support, food and nutrition, legal, 

13 health and mental health, or education 

14 services, for members of grandfamilies or 

15 kinship families, and lessons learned and 

16 promising practices developed during the 

17 year; and 

18 (v) ways in which the project sup19 ported by the grant has engaged individ20 uals with experience related to being a 

21 member of a grandfamily or kinship family 

22 in the design, implementation, and feed23 back related to the project. 

24 (B) REPORT BY ADMINISTRATOR.—Not 

25 later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

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1 of this Act and every year thereafter, the Ad2 ministrator shall— 

3 (i) prepare, based on the information 

4 submitted under subparagraph (A), a re5 port on the impact of the program carried 

6 out under this section; and 

7 (ii) submit the report to— 

8 (I) the Committee on Health, 

9 Education, Labor, and Pensions, the 

10 Special Committee on Aging, and the 

11 Committee on Finance of the Senate; 

12 and 

13 (II) the Committee on Education 

14 and the Workforce and the Committee 

15 on Ways and Means of the House of 

16 Representatives. 

17 (8) EVALUATION.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

19 shall reserve not more than 10 percent of the 

20 funds made available under this section for ad21 ministrative purposes. 

22 (B) EVALUATION.—The Administrator 

23 shall use funds reserved under subparagraph 

24 (A) for evaluation in the aggregate of the local 

25 activities supported by the grants. 

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1 (C) PERMISSIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—The 

2 Administrator shall use the reserved funds for 

3 administrative purposes that may include— 

4 (i) the establishment of an inter5 agency task force to evaluate the rec6 ommendations provided by grant recipients 

7 under paragraph (7)(A)(iv), to foster Fed8 eral coordination related to activities for 

9 grandfamilies or kinship families; 

10 (ii) support for the Administration for 

11 Community Living’s Research, Demonstra12 tion, and Evaluation Center for the Aging 

13 Network, established under section 201(g) 

14 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 

15 U.S.C. 3011(g)); 

16 (iii) evaluation described in subpara17 graph (B) by an independent evaluator, 

18 separate from any of the grant recipients, 

19 hired by the Administrator; and 

20 (iv) hosting, not less than annually, 

21 learning collaboratives with the grant re22 cipients. 

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1 (9) FUNDS.—There is authorized to be appro2 priated to carry out this section $8,750,000 for each 

3 of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 

Æ