I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3438 

To provide for a temporarily enhanced Federal match for certain State or 

tribal child welfare data reporting expenditures. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 24, 2019 

Ms. BASS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To provide for a temporarily enhanced Federal match for 

certain State or tribal child welfare data reporting expenditures. 

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 ‘‘Child Welfare Data 

5 Modernization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TEMPORARILY ENHANCED FEDERAL MATCH FOR 

7 CERTAIN STATE OR TRIBAL EXPENDITURES 

8 FOR CHILD WELFARE DATA REPORTING. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The percentages which shall be in 

10 effect under section 474(a)(3)(C) of the Social Security 


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1 Act with respect to eligible child welfare data reporting 

2 expenditures of a State, Indian tribe, tribal organization, 

3 or tribal consortium in the applicable period shall— 

4 (1) be 75 percent; and 

5 (2) apply with respect to the expenditures, with6 out regard to whether the systems for which the ex7 penditures are made may be used with respect to 

8 foster or adoptive children other than those on be9 half of whom foster care maintenance payments or 

10 adoption assistance payments are made under a 

11 State or tribal plan approved under this part. 

12 (b) TREATMENT OF DIGITAL SYSTEM AS MECHA13 NIZED SYSTEM.—The digital system described in sub14 section (c)(2) of this section shall be considered a mecha15 nized system for purposes of subparagraphs (C) and (D) 

16 of section 474(a)(3) of the Social Security Act. 

17 (c) MEANING OF TERMS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro19 vided in this subsection, the terms used in this sec20 tion shall have the meanings the terms would have 

21 if this section were in part E of title IV of the Social 

22 Security Act. 

23 (2) ELIGIBLE CHILD WELFARE DATA REPORT24 ING EXPENDITURES.—In subsection (a) of this sec25 tion, the term ‘‘eligible child welfare data reporting 


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1 expenditures’’ means expenditures as are for the 

2 planning, design, development, update, or installa3 tion of statewide or tribal digital data collection and 

4 information retrieval systems (including for hard5 ware components for the systems), but only to the 

6 extent that the systems— 

7 (A) meet the requirements imposed by the 

8 regulations prescribed under section 479(b)(2) 

9 of the Social Security Act, as in effect on Janu10 ary 13, 2017; 

11 (B) use cost-effective, innovative tech12 nologies to automate the collection of high-qual13 ity case management data, and promote the 

14 analysis, distribution, and use the data by 

15 workers, supervisors, administrators, research16 ers, and policymakers— 

17 (i) in accordance with the Comprehen18 sive Child Welfare Information System 

19 Final Rule (81 FR 35449); or 

20 (ii) by means of a statewide auto21 mated child welfare information system 

22 that meets the requirements of the regula23 tions prescribed under such section 

24 479(b)(2); 


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1 (C) include the information required to be 

2 collected and reported by section 471(e)(4)(E), 

3 and the data described in clauses (i) and (ii) of 

4 479A(a)(7)(A), of such Act; 

5 (D) to the extent practicable, are capable 

6 of interfacing with the State or tribal data col7 lection system that collects information relating 

8 to child abuse and neglect; 

9 (E) to the extent practicable, have the ca10 pability of interfacing with, and retrieving infor11 mation from, the State or tribal data collection 

12 system that collects information relating to the 

13 eligibility of individuals for assistance under a 

14 program funded under part A, for purposes of 

15 facilitating verification of income for purposes 

16 of eligibility for benefits under a State plan ap17 proved under this part; and 

18 (F) are determined by the Secretary to be 

19 likely to provide more efficient, economical, and 

20 effective administration of a State or tribal pro21 gram carried out under a plan developed under 

22 part B or approved under this part. 

23 (3) APPLICABLE PERIOD.—In subsection (a), 

24 the term ‘‘applicable period’’ means the period that 


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1 begins with January 13, 2017, and ends with Sep2 tember 30, 2020. 

Æ 


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