114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5456 

AN ACT 

To amend parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security 

Act to invest in funding prevention and family services 

to help keep children safe and supported at home, to 

ensure that children in foster care are placed in the 

least restrictive, most family-like, and appropriate settings, and for other purposes. 

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family First Preven3 tion Services Act of 2016’’. 

4 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

5 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—INVESTING IN PREVENTION AND FAMILY SERVICES 

Sec. 101. Purpose. 

Subtitle A—Prevention Activities Under Title IV–E 

Sec. 111. Foster care prevention services and programs. 

Sec. 112. Foster care maintenance payments for children with parents in a licensed residential family-based treatment facility for substance 

abuse. 

Sec. 113. Title IV–E payments for evidence-based kinship navigator programs. 

Subtitle B—Enhanced Support Under Title IV–B 

Sec. 121. Elimination of time limit for family reunification services while in foster care and permitting time-limited family reunification services when a child returns home from foster care. 

Sec. 122. Reducing bureaucracy and unnecessary delays when placing children 

in homes across State lines. 

Sec. 123. Enhancements to grants to improve well-being of families affected by 

substance abuse. 

Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 

Sec. 131. Reviewing and improving licensing standards for placement in a relative foster family home. 

Sec. 132. Development of a statewide plan to prevent child abuse and neglect 

fatalities. 

Sec. 133. Modernizing the title and purpose of title IV–E. 

Sec. 134. Effective dates. 

TITLE II—ENSURING THE NECESSITY OF A PLACEMENT THAT IS 

NOT IN A FOSTER FAMILY HOME 

Sec. 201. Limitation on Federal financial participation for placements that are 

not in foster family homes. 

Sec. 202. Assessment and documentation of the need for placement in a qualified residential treatment program. 

Sec. 203. Protocols to prevent inappropriate diagnoses. 

Sec. 204. Additional data and reports regarding children placed in a setting 

that is not a foster family home. 

Sec. 205. Effective dates; application to waivers. 
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TITLE III—CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR CHILD AND FAMILY 

SERVICES 

Sec. 301. Supporting and retaining foster families for children. 

Sec. 302. Extension of child and family services programs. 

Sec. 303. Improvements to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program and related provisions. 

TITLE IV—CONTINUING INCENTIVES TO STATES TO PROMOTE 

ADOPTION AND LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP 

Sec. 401. Reauthorizing adoption and legal guardianship incentive programs. 

TITLE V—TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS 

Sec. 501. Technical corrections to data exchange standards to improve program 

coordination. 

Sec. 502. Technical corrections to State requirement to address the developmental needs of young children. 

TITLE VI—ENSURING STATES REINVEST SAVINGS RESULTING 

FROM INCREASE IN ADOPTION ASSISTANCE 

Sec. 601. Delay of adoption assistance phase-in. 

Sec. 602. GAO study and report on State reinvestment of savings resulting 

from increase in adoption assistance. 

1 TITLE I—INVESTING IN PREVEN2 TION AND FAMILY SERVICES 

3 SEC. 101. PURPOSE. 

4 The purpose of this title is to enable States to use 

5 Federal funds available under parts B and E of title IV 

6 of the Social Security Act to provide enhanced support to 

7 children and families and prevent foster care placements 

8 through the provision of mental health and substance 

9 abuse prevention and treatment services, in-home parent 

10 skill-based programs, and kinship navigator services. 
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1 Subtitle A—Prevention Activities 

2 Under Title IV–E 

3 SEC. 111. FOSTER CARE PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO4 GRAMS. 

5 (a) STATE OPTION.—Section 471 of the Social Secu6 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 671) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘and’’ and 

8 all that follows through the semicolon and inserting 

9 ‘‘, adoption assistance in accordance with section 

10 473, and, at the option of the State, services or pro11 grams specified in subsection (e)(1) of this section 

12 for children who are candidates for foster care or 

13 who are pregnant or parenting foster youth and the 

14 parents or kin caregivers of the children, in accord15 ance with the requirements of that subsection;’’; and 

16 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(e) PREVENTION AND FAMILY SERVICES AND PRO18 GRAMS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the succeeding 

20 provisions of this subsection, the Secretary may 

21 make a payment to a State for providing the fol22 lowing services or programs for a child described in 

23 paragraph (2) and the parents or kin caregivers of 

24 the child when the need of the child, such a parent, 

25 or such a caregiver for the services or programs are 
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1 directly related to the safety, permanence, or well2 being of the child or to preventing the child from en3 tering foster care: 

4 ‘‘(A) MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE

5 ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT SERV6 ICES.—Mental health and substance abuse pre7 vention and treatment services provided by a 

8 qualified clinician for not more than a 12- 

9 month period that begins on any date described 

10 in paragraph (3) with respect to the child. 

11 ‘‘(B) IN-HOME PARENT SKILL-BASED PRO12 GRAMS.—In-home parent skill-based programs 

13 for not more than a 12-month period that be14 gins on any date described in paragraph (3) 

15 with respect to the child and that include par16 enting skills training, parent education, and in17 dividual and family counseling. 

18 ‘‘(2) CHILD DESCRIBED.—For purposes of 

19 paragraph (1), a child described in this paragraph is 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) A child who is a candidate for foster 

22 care (as defined in section 475(13)) but can re23 main safely at home or in a kinship placement 

24 with receipt of services or programs specified in 

25 paragraph (1). 
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1 ‘‘(B) A child in foster care who is a preg2 nant or parenting foster youth. 

3 ‘‘(3) DATE DESCRIBED.—For purposes of para4 graph (1), the dates described in this paragraph are 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) The date on which a child is identi7 fied in a prevention plan maintained under 

8 paragraph (4) as a child who is a candidate for 

9 foster care (as defined in section 475(13)). 

10 ‘‘(B) The date on which a child is identi11 fied in a prevention plan maintained under 

12 paragraph (4) as a pregnant or parenting foster 

13 youth in need of services or programs specified 

14 in paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(4) REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO PROVIDING

16 SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.—Services and programs 

17 specified in paragraph (1) may be provided under 

18 this subsection only if specified in advance in the 

19 child’s prevention plan described in subparagraph 

20 (A) and the requirements in subparagraphs (B) 

21 through (E) are met: 

22 ‘‘(A) PREVENTION PLAN.—The State 

23 maintains a written prevention plan for the 

24 child that meets the following requirements (as 

25 applicable): 
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1 ‘‘(i) CANDIDATES.—In the case of a 

2 child who is a candidate for foster care de3 scribed in paragraph (2)(A), the prevention 

4 plan shall— 

5 ‘‘(I) identify the foster care pre6 vention strategy for the child so that 

7 the child may remain safely at home, 

8 live temporarily with a kin caregiver 

9 until reunification can be safely 

10 achieved, or live permanently with a 

11 kin caregiver; 

12 ‘‘(II) list the services or pro13 grams to be provided to or on behalf 

14 of the child to ensure the success of 

15 that prevention strategy; and 

16 ‘‘(III) comply with such other re17 quirements as the Secretary shall es18 tablish. 

19 ‘‘(ii) PREGNANT OR PARENTING FOS20 TER YOUTH.—In the case of a child who is 

21 a pregnant or parenting foster youth de22 scribed in paragraph (2)(B), the preven23 tion plan shall— 
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1 ‘‘(I) be included in the child’s 

2 case plan required under section 

3 475(1); 

4 ‘‘(II) list the services or pro5 grams to be provided to or on behalf 

6 of the youth to ensure that the youth 

7 is prepared (in the case of a pregnant 

8 foster youth) or able (in the case of a 

9 parenting foster youth) to be a par10 ent; 

11 ‘‘(III) describe the foster care 

12 prevention strategy for any child born 

13 to the youth; and 

14 ‘‘(IV) comply with such other re15 quirements as the Secretary shall es16 tablish. 

17 ‘‘(B) TRAUMA-INFORMED.—The services or 

18 programs to be provided to or on behalf of a 

19 child are provided under an organizational 

20 structure and treatment framework that in21 volves understanding, recognizing, and respond22 ing to the effects of all types of trauma and in 

23 accordance with recognized principles of a trau24 ma-informed approach and trauma-specific 
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1 interventions to address trauma’s consequences 

2 and facilitate healing. 

3 ‘‘(C) ONLY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS PRO4 VIDED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROMISING, SUP5 PORTED, OR WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICES PER6 MITTED.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Only State ex8 penditures for services or programs speci9 fied in subparagraph (A) or (B) of para10 graph (1) that are provided in accordance 

11 with practices that meet the requirements 

12 specified in clause (ii) of this subparagraph 

13 and that meet the requirements specified 

14 in clause (iii), (iv), or (v), respectively, for 

15 being a promising, supported, or well-sup16 ported practice, shall be eligible for a Fed17 eral matching payment under section 

18 474(a)(6)(A). 

19 ‘‘(ii) GENERAL PRACTICE REQUIRE20 MENTS.—The general practice require21 ments specified in this clause are the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(I) The practice has a book, 

24 manual, or other available writings 

25 that specify the components of the 
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1 practice protocol and describe how to 

2 administer the practice. 

3 ‘‘(II) There is no empirical basis 

4 suggesting that, compared to its likely 

5 benefits, the practice constitutes a 

6 risk of harm to those receiving it. 

7 ‘‘(III) If multiple outcome studies 

8 have been conducted, the overall 

9 weight of evidence supports the bene10 fits of the practice. 

11 ‘‘(IV) Outcome measures are reli12 able and valid, and are administrated 

13 consistently and accurately across all 

14 those receiving the practice. 

15 ‘‘(V) There is no case data sug16 gesting a risk of harm that was prob17 ably caused by the treatment and that 

18 was severe or frequent. 

19 ‘‘(iii) PROMISING PRACTICE.—A prac20 tice shall be considered to be a ‘promising 

21 practice’ if the practice is superior to an 

22 appropriate comparison practice using con23 ventional standards of statistical signifi24 cance (in terms of demonstrated meaning25 ful improvements in validated measures of 
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1 important child and parent outcomes, such 

2 as mental health, substance abuse, and 

3 child safety and well-being), as established 

4 by the results or outcomes of at least one 

5 study that— 

6 ‘‘(I) was rated by an independent 

7 systematic review for the quality of 

8 the study design and execution and 

9 determined to be well-designed and 

10 well-executed; and 

11 ‘‘(II) utilized some form of con12 trol (such as an untreated group, a 

13 placebo group, or a wait list study). 

14 ‘‘(iv) SUPPORTED PRACTICE.—A prac15 tice shall be considered to be a ‘supported 

16 practice’ if— 

17 ‘‘(I) the practice is superior to an 

18 appropriate comparison practice using 

19 conventional standards of statistical 

20 significance (in terms of demonstrated 

21 meaningful improvements in validated 

22 measures of important child and par23 ent outcomes, such as mental health, 

24 substance abuse, and child safety and 

25 well-being), as established by the re-
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1 sults or outcomes of at least one study 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(aa) was rated by an inde4 pendent systematic review for the 

5 quality of the study design and 

6 execution and determined to be 

7 well-designed and well-executed; 

8 ‘‘(bb) was a rigorous ran9 dom-controlled trial (or, if not 

10 available, a study using a rig11 orous quasi-experimental re12 search design); and 

13 ‘‘(cc) was carried out in a 

14 usual care or practice setting; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(II) the study described in sub17 clause (I) established that the practice 

18 has a sustained effect (when com19 pared to a control group) for at least 

20 6 months beyond the end of the treat21 ment. 

22 ‘‘(v) WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICE.—A 

23 practice shall be considered to be a ‘well24 supported practice’ if— 
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1 ‘‘(I) the practice is superior to an 

2 appropriate comparison practice using 

3 conventional standards of statistical 

4 significance (in terms of demonstrated 

5 meaningful improvements in validated 

6 measures of important child and par7 ent outcomes, such as mental health, 

8 substance abuse, and child safety and 

9 well-being), as established by the re10 sults or outcomes of at least two stud11 ies that— 

12 ‘‘(aa) were rated by an inde13 pendent systematic review for the 

14 quality of the study design and 

15 execution and determined to be 

16 well-designed and well-executed; 

17 ‘‘(bb) were rigorous random18 controlled trials (or, if not avail19 able, studies using a rigorous 

20 quasi-experimental research de21 sign); and 

22 ‘‘(cc) were carried out in a 

23 usual care or practice setting; 

24 and 
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1 ‘‘(II) at least one of the studies 

2 described in subclause (I) established 

3 that the practice has a sustained ef4 fect (when compared to a control 

5 group) for at least 1 year beyond the 

6 end of treatment. 

7 ‘‘(D) GUIDANCE ON PRACTICES CRITERIA

8 AND PRE-APPROVED SERVICES AND PRO9 GRAMS.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Oc11 tober 1, 2018, the Secretary shall issue 

12 guidance to States regarding the practices 

13 criteria required for services or programs 

14 to satisfy the requirements of subpara15 graph (C). The guidance shall include a 

16 pre-approved list of services and programs 

17 that satisfy the requirements. 

18 ‘‘(ii) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall 

19 issue updates to the guidance required by 

20 clause (i) as often as the Secretary deter21 mines necessary. 

22 ‘‘(E) OUTCOME ASSESSMENT AND REPORT23 ING.—The State shall collect and report to the 

24 Secretary the following information with respect 

25 to each child for whom, or on whose behalf 
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1 mental health and substance abuse prevention 

2 and treatment services or in-home parent skill3 based programs are provided during a 12- 

4 month period beginning on the date the child is 

5 determined by the State to be a child described 

6 in paragraph (2): 

7 ‘‘(i) The specific services or programs 

8 provided and the total expenditures for 

9 each of the services or programs. 

10 ‘‘(ii) The duration of the services or 

11 programs provided. 

12 ‘‘(iii) In the case of a child described 

13 in paragraph (2)(A), the child’s placement 

14 status at the beginning, and at the end, of 

15 the 1-year period, respectively, and wheth16 er the child entered foster care within 2 

17 years after being determined a candidate 

18 for foster care. 

19 ‘‘(5) STATE PLAN COMPONENT.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State electing to 

21 provide services or programs specified in para22 graph (1) shall submit as part of the State plan 

23 required by subsection (a) a prevention services 

24 and programs plan component that meets the 

25 requirements of subparagraph (B). 
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1 ‘‘(B) PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO2 GRAMS PLAN COMPONENT.—In order to meet 

3 the requirements of this subparagraph, a pre4 vention services and programs plan component, 

5 with respect to each 5-year period for which the 

6 plan component is in operation in the State, 

7 shall include the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) How providing services and pro9 grams specified in paragraph (1) is ex10 pected to improve specific outcomes for 

11 children and families. 

12 ‘‘(ii) How the State will monitor and 

13 oversee the safety of children who receive 

14 services and programs specified in para15 graph (1), including through periodic risk 

16 assessments throughout the period in 

17 which the services and programs are pro18 vided on behalf of a child and reexamina19 tion of the prevention plan maintained for 

20 the child under paragraph (4) for the pro21 vision of the services or programs if the 

22 State determines the risk of the child en23 tering foster care remains high despite the 

24 provision of the services or programs. 
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1 ‘‘(iii) With respect to the services and 

2 programs specified in subparagraphs (A) 

3 and (B) of paragraph (1), information on 

4 the specific promising, supported, or well5 supported practices the State plans to use 

6 to provide the services or programs, includ7 ing a description of— 

8 ‘‘(I) the services or programs and 

9 whether the practices used are prom10 ising, supported, or well-supported; 

11 ‘‘(II) how the State plans to im12 plement the services or programs, in13 cluding how implementation of the 

14 services or programs will be continu15 ously monitored to ensure fidelity to 

16 the practice model and to determine 

17 outcomes achieved and how informa18 tion learned from the monitoring will 

19 be used to refine and improve prac20 tices; 

21 ‘‘(III) how the State selected the 

22 services or programs; 

23 ‘‘(IV) the target population for 

24 the services or programs; and 
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1 ‘‘(V) how each service or pro2 gram provided will be evaluated 

3 through a well-designed and rigorous 

4 process, which may consist of an on5 going, cross-site evaluation approved 

6 by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(iv) A description of the consultation 

8 that the State agencies responsible for ad9 ministering the State plans under this part 

10 and part B engage in with other State 

11 agencies responsible for administering 

12 health programs, including mental health 

13 and substance abuse prevention and treat14 ment services, and with other public and 

15 private agencies with experience in admin16 istering child and family services, including 

17 community-based organizations, in order to 

18 foster a continuum of care for children de19 scribed in paragraph (2) and their parents 

20 or kin caregivers. 

21 ‘‘(v) A description of how the State 

22 shall assess children and their parents or 

23 kin caregivers to determine eligibility for 

24 services or programs specified in para25 graph (1). 
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1 ‘‘(vi) A description of how the services 

2 or programs specified in paragraph (1) 

3 that are provided for or on behalf of a 

4 child and the parents or kin caregivers of 

5 the child will be coordinated with other 

6 child and family services provided to the 

7 child and the parents or kin caregivers of 

8 the child under the State plan under part 

9 B. 

10 ‘‘(vii) Descriptions of steps the State 

11 is taking to support and enhance a com12 petent, skilled, and professional child wel13 fare workforce to deliver trauma-informed 

14 and evidence-based services, including— 

15 ‘‘(I) ensuring that staff is quali16 fied to provide services or programs 

17 that are consistent with the prom18 ising, supported, or well-supported 

19 practice models selected; and 

20 ‘‘(II) developing appropriate pre21 vention plans, and conducting the risk 

22 assessments required under clause 

23 (iii). 

24 ‘‘(viii) A description of how the State 

25 will provide training and support for case-
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1 workers in assessing what children and 

2 their families need, connecting to the fami3 lies served, knowing how to access and de4 liver the needed trauma-informed and evi5 dence-based services, and overseeing and 

6 evaluating the continuing appropriateness 

7 of the services. 

8 ‘‘(ix) A description of how caseload 

9 size and type for prevention caseworkers 

10 will be determined, managed, and overseen. 

11 ‘‘(x) An assurance that the State will 

12 report to the Secretary such information 

13 and data as the Secretary may require 

14 with respect to the provision of services 

15 and programs specified in paragraph (1), 

16 including information and data necessary 

17 to determine the performance measures for 

18 the State under paragraph (6) and compli19 ance with paragraph (7). 

20 ‘‘(C) REIMBURSEMENT FOR SERVICES

21 UNDER THE PREVENTION PLAN COMPONENT.— 

22 ‘‘(i) LIMITATION.—Except as provided 

23 in subclause (ii), a State may not receive 

24 a Federal payment under this part for a 

25 given promising, supported, or well-sup-
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1 ported practice unless (in accordance with 

2 subparagraph (B)(iii)(V)) the plan includes 

3 a well-designed and rigorous evaluation 

4 strategy for that practice. 

5 ‘‘(ii) WAIVER OF LIMITATION.—The 

6 Secretary may waive the requirement for a 

7 well-designed and rigorous evaluation of 

8 any well-supported practice if the Sec9 retary deems the evidence of the effective10 ness of the practice to be compelling and 

11 the State meets the continuous quality im12 provement requirements included in sub13 paragraph (B)(iii)(II) with regard to the 

14 practice. 

15 ‘‘(6) PREVENTION SERVICES MEASURES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT; ANNUAL UP17 DATES.—Beginning with fiscal year 2021, and 

18 annually thereafter, the Secretary shall estab19 lish the following prevention services measures 

20 based on information and data reported by 

21 States that elect to provide services and pro22 grams specified in paragraph (1): 

23 ‘‘(i) PERCENTAGE OF CANDIDATES

24 FOR FOSTER CARE WHO DO NOT ENTER

25 FOSTER CARE.—The percentage of can-
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1 didates for foster care for whom, or on 

2 whose behalf, the services or programs are 

3 provided who do not enter foster care, in4 cluding those placed with a kin caregiver 

5 outside of foster care, during the 12-month 

6 period in which the services or programs 

7 are provided and through the end of the 

8 succeeding 12-month-period. 

9 ‘‘(ii) PER-CHILD SPENDING.—The 

10 total amount of expenditures made for 

11 mental health and substance abuse preven12 tion and treatment services or in-home 

13 parent skill-based programs, respectively, 

14 for, or on behalf of, each child described in 

15 paragraph (2). 

16 ‘‘(B) DATA.—The Secretary shall establish 

17 and annually update the prevention services 

18 measures— 

19 ‘‘(i) based on the median State values 

20 of the information reported under each 

21 clause of subparagraph (A) for the 3 then 

22 most recent years; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) taking into account State dif24 ferences in the price levels of consumption 

25 goods and services using the most recent 
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1 regional price parities published by the Bu2 reau of Economic Analysis of the Depart3 ment of Commerce or such other data as 

4 the Secretary determines appropriate. 

5 ‘‘(C) PUBLICATION OF STATE PREVENTION

6 SERVICES MEASURES.—The Secretary shall an7 nually make available to the public the preven8 tion services measures of each State. 

9 ‘‘(7) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT FOR STATE

10 FOSTER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a State elects to 

12 provide services and programs specified in para13 graph (1) for a fiscal year, the State foster care 

14 prevention expenditures for the fiscal year shall 

15 not be less than the amount of the expenditures 

16 for fiscal year 2014. 

17 ‘‘(B) STATE FOSTER CARE PREVENTION

18 EXPENDITURES.—The term ‘State foster care 

19 prevention expenditures’ means the following: 

20 ‘‘(i) TANF; IV–B; SSBG.—State ex21 penditures for foster care prevention serv22 ices and activities under the State program 

23 funded under part A (including from 

24 amounts made available by the Federal 

25 Government), under the State plan devel-
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1 oped under part B (including any such 

2 amounts), or under the Social Services 

3 Block Grant Programs under subtitle A of 

4 title XX (including any such amounts). 

5 ‘‘(ii) OTHER STATE PROGRAMS.— 

6 State expenditures for foster care preven7 tion services and activities under any State 

8 program that is not described in clause (i) 

9 (other than any State expenditures for fos10 ter care prevention services and activities 

11 under the State program under this part 

12 (including under a waiver of the pro13 gram)). 

14 ‘‘(C) STATE EXPENDITURES.—The term 

15 ‘State expenditures’ means all State or local 

16 funds that are expended by the State or a local 

17 agency including State or local funds that are 

18 matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern19 ment and State or local funds that are not 

20 matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern21 ment. 

22 ‘‘(D) DETERMINATION OF PREVENTION

23 SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 

24 shall require each State that elects to provide 

25 services and programs specified in paragraph 
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1 (1) to report the expenditures specified in sub2 paragraph (B) for fiscal year 2014 and for such 

3 fiscal years thereafter as are necessary to deter4 mine whether the State is complying with the 

5 maintenance of effort requirement in subpara6 graph (A). The Secretary shall specify the spe7 cific services and activities under each program 

8 referred to in subparagraph (B) that are ‘pre9 vention services and activities’ for purposes of 

10 the reports. 

11 ‘‘(8) PROHIBITION AGAINST USE OF STATE FOS12 TER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES AND FED13 ERAL IV–E PREVENTION FUNDS FOR MATCHING OR

14 EXPENDITURE REQUIREMENT.—A State that elects 

15 to provide services and programs specified in para16 graph (1) shall not use any State foster care preven17 tion expenditures for a fiscal year for the State 

18 share of expenditures under section 474(a)(6) for a 

19 fiscal year. 

20 ‘‘(9) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Expenditures 

21 described in section 474(a)(6)(B)— 

22 ‘‘(A) shall not be eligible for payment 

23 under subparagraph (A), (B), or (E) of section 

24 474(a)(3); and 
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1 ‘‘(B) shall be eligible for payment under 

2 section 474(a)(6)(B) without regard to whether 

3 the expenditures are incurred on behalf of a 

4 child who is, or is potentially, eligible for foster 

5 care maintenance payments under this part. 

6 ‘‘(10) APPLICATION.—The provision of services 

7 or programs under this subsection to or on behalf of 

8 a child described in paragraph (2) shall not be con9 sidered to be receipt of aid or assistance under the 

10 State plan under this part for purposes of eligibility 

11 for any other program established under this Act.’’. 

12 (b) DEFINITION.—Section 475 of such Act (42 

13 U.S.C. 675) is amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(13) The term ‘child who is a candidate for 

16 foster care’ means, a child who is identified in a pre17 vention plan under section 471(e)(4)(A) as being at 

18 imminent risk of entering foster care (without re19 gard to whether the child would be eligible for foster 

20 care maintenance payments under section 472 or is 

21 or would be eligible for adoption assistance or kin22 ship guardianship assistance payments under section 

23 473) but who can remain safely in the child’s home 

24 or in a kinship placement as long as services or pro25 grams specified in section 471(e)(1) that are nec-
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1 essary to prevent the entry of the child into foster 

2 care are provided. The term includes a child whose 

3 adoption or guardianship arrangement is at risk of 

4 a disruption or dissolution that would result in a 

5 foster care placement.’’. 

6 (c) PAYMENTS UNDER TITLE IV–E.—Section 474(a) 

7 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at 

9 the end and inserting ‘‘; plus’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(6) subject to section 471(e)— 

12 ‘‘(A) for each quarter— 

13 ‘‘(i) subject to clause (ii)— 

14 ‘‘(I) beginning after September 

15 30, 2019, and before October 1, 2025, 

16 an amount equal to 50 percent of the 

17 total amount expended during the 

18 quarter for the provision of services or 

19 programs specified in subparagraph 

20 (A) or (B) of section 471(e)(1) that 

21 are provided in accordance with prom22 ising, supported, or well-supported 

23 practices that meet the applicable cri24 teria specified for the practices in sec25 tion 471(e)(4)(C); and 
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1 ‘‘(II) beginning after September 

2 30, 2025, an amount equal to the 

3 Federal medical assistance percentage 

4 (which shall be as defined in section 

5 1905(b), in the case of a State other 

6 than the District of Columbia, or 70 

7 percent, in the case of the District of 

8 Columbia) of the total amount ex9 pended during the quarter for the pro10 vision of services or programs speci11 fied in subparagraph (A) or (B) of 

12 section 471(e)(1) that are provided in 

13 accordance with promising, supported, 

14 or well-supported practices that meet 

15 the applicable criteria specified for the 

16 practices in section 471(e)(4)(C) (or, 

17 with respect to the payments made 

18 during the quarter under a coopera19 tive agreement or contract entered 

20 into by the State and an Indian tribe, 

21 tribal organization, or tribal consor22 tium for the administration or pay23 ment of funds under this part, an 

24 amount equal to the Federal medical 

25 assistance percentage that would 
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1 apply under section 479B(d) (in this 

2 paragraph referred to as the ‘tribal 

3 FMAP’) if the Indian tribe, tribal or4 ganization, or tribal consortium made 

5 the payments under a program oper6 ated under that section, unless the 

7 tribal FMAP is less than the Federal 

8 medical assistance percentage that ap9 plies to the State); except that 

10 ‘‘(ii) not less than 50 percent of the 

11 total amount payable to a State under 

12 clause (i) for a fiscal year shall be for the 

13 provision of services or programs specified 

14 in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 

15 471(e)(1) that are provided in accordance 

16 with well-supported practices; plus 

17 ‘‘(B) for each quarter specified in subpara18 graph (A), an amount equal to the sum of the 

19 following proportions of the total amount ex20 pended during the quarter: 

21 ‘‘(i) 50 percent of so much of the ex22 penditures as are found necessary by the 

23 Secretary for the proper and efficient ad24 ministration of the State plan for the pro25 vision of services or programs specified in 
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1 section 471(e)(1), including expenditures 

2 for activities approved by the Secretary 

3 that promote the development of necessary 

4 processes and procedures to establish and 

5 implement the provision of the services and 

6 programs for individuals who are eligible 

7 for the services and programs and expendi8 tures attributable to data collection and re9 porting; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) 50 percent of so much of the ex11 penditures with respect to the provision of 

12 services and programs specified in section 

13 471(e)(1) as are for training of personnel 

14 employed or preparing for employment by 

15 the State agency or by the local agency ad16 ministering the plan in the political sub17 division and of the members of the staff of 

18 State-licensed or State-approved child wel19 fare agencies providing services to children 

20 described in section 471(e)(2) and their 

21 parents or kin caregivers, including on how 

22 to determine who are individuals eligible 

23 for the services or programs, how to iden24 tify and provide appropriate services and 

25 programs, and how to oversee and evaluate 
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1 the ongoing appropriateness of the services 

2 and programs.’’. 

3 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES, 

4 CLEARINGHOUSE, AND DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUA5 TIONS.—Section 476 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 676) is 

6 amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES, 

8 CLEARINGHOUSE, DATA COLLECTION, AND EVALUATIONS

9 RELATING TO PREVENTION SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRAC11 TICES.—The Secretary shall provide to States and, 

12 as applicable, to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 

13 and tribal consortia, technical assistance regarding 

14 the provision of services and programs described in 

15 section 471(e)(1) and shall disseminate best prac16 tices with respect to the provision of the services and 

17 programs, including how to plan and implement a 

18 well-designed and rigorous evaluation of a prom19 ising, supported, or well-supported practice. 

20 ‘‘(2) CLEARINGHOUSE OF PROMISING, SUP21 PORTED, AND WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICES.—The 

22 Secretary shall, directly or through grants, con23 tracts, or interagency agreements, evaluate research 

24 on the practices specified in clauses (iii), (iv), and 

25 (v), respectively, of section 471(e)(4)(C), and pro-
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1 grams that meet the requirements described in sec2 tion 427(a)(1), including culturally specific, or 

3 location- or population-based adaptations of the 

4 practices, to identify and establish a public clearing5 house of the practices that satisfy each category de6 scribed by such clauses. In addition, the clearing7 house shall include information on the specific out8 comes associated with each practice, including 

9 whether the practice has been shown to prevent child 

10 abuse and neglect and reduce the likelihood of foster 

11 care placement by supporting birth families and kin12 ship families and improving targeted supports for 

13 pregnant and parenting youth and their children. 

14 ‘‘(3) DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATIONS.— 

15 The Secretary, directly or through grants, contracts, 

16 or interagency agreements, may collect data and 

17 conduct evaluations with respect to the provision of 

18 services and programs described in section 471(e)(1) 

19 for purposes of assessing the extent to which the 

20 provision of the services and programs— 

21 ‘‘(A) reduces the likelihood of foster care 

22 placement; 

23 ‘‘(B) increases use of kinship care arrange24 ments; or 

25 ‘‘(C) improves child well-being. 
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1 ‘‘(4) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

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

3 submit to the Committee on Finance of the 

4 Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means 

5 of the House of Representatives periodic reports 

6 based on the provision of services and programs 

7 described in section 471(e)(1) and the activities 

8 carried out under this subsection. 

9 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec10 retary shall make the reports to Congress sub11 mitted under this paragraph publicly available. 

12 ‘‘(5) APPROPRIATION.—Out of any money in 

13 the Treasury of the United States not otherwise ap14 propriated, there is appropriated to the Secretary 

15 $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 and each fiscal year 

16 thereafter to carry out this subsection.’’. 

17 (e) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY IN18 DIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 479B of such Act 

20 (42 U.S.C. 679c) is amended— 

21 (A) in subsection (c)(1)— 

22 (i) in subparagraph (C)(i)— 

23 (I) in subclause (II), by striking 

24 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
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1 (II) in subclause (III), by strik2 ing the period at the end and insert3 ing ‘‘; and’’; and 

4 (III) by adding at the end the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(IV) at the option of the tribe, 

7 organization, or consortium, services 

8 and programs specified in section 

9 471(e)(1) to children described in sec10 tion 471(e)(2) and their parents or 

11 kin caregivers, in accordance with sec12 tion 471(e) and subparagraph (E).’’; 

13 and 

14 (ii) by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(E) PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO17 GRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS

18 AND KIN CAREGIVERS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a 

20 tribe, organization, or consortium that 

21 elects to provide services and programs 

22 specified in section 471(e)(1) to children 

23 described in section 471(e)(2) and their 

24 parents or kin caregivers under the plan, 

25 the Secretary shall specify the require-
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1 ments applicable to the provision of the 

2 services and programs. The requirements 

3 shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be 

4 consistent with the requirements applicable 

5 to States under section 471(e) and shall 

6 permit the provision of the services and 

7 programs in the form of services and pro8 grams that are adapted to the culture and 

9 context of the tribal communities served. 

10 ‘‘(ii) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.—The 

11 Secretary shall establish specific perform12 ance measures for each tribe, organization, 

13 or consortium that elects to provide serv14 ices and programs specified in section 

15 471(e)(1). The performance measures 

16 shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be 

17 consistent with the prevention services 

18 measures required for States under section 

19 471(e)(6) but shall allow for consideration 

20 of factors unique to the provision of the 

21 services by tribes, organizations, or con22 sortia.’’; and 

23 (B) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘and 

24 (5)’’ and inserting ‘‘(5), and (6)(A)’’. 
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1 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading 

2 for subsection (d) of section 479B of such Act (42 

3 U.S.C. 679c) is amended by striking ‘‘FOR FOSTER

4 CARE MAINTENANCE AND ADOPTION ASSISTANCE

5 PAYMENTS’’. 

6 SEC. 112. FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE PAYMENTS FOR 

7 CHILDREN WITH PARENTS IN A LICENSED 

8 RESIDENTIAL FAMILY-BASED TREATMENT 

9 FACILITY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 472 of the Social Security 

11 Act (42 U.S.C. 672) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(C), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘, with a parent residing in a licensed 

14 residential family-based treatment facility, but only 

15 to the extent permitted under subsection (j), or in 

16 a’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(j) CHILDREN PLACED WITH A PARENT RESIDING

19 IN A LICENSED RESIDENTIAL FAMILY-BASED TREAT20 MENT FACILITY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the pre22 ceding provisions of this section, a child who is eligi23 ble for foster care maintenance payments under this 

24 section, or who would be eligible for the payments if 

25 the eligibility were determined without regard to 
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1 paragraphs (1)(B) and (3) of subsection (a), shall be 

2 eligible for the payments for a period of not more 

3 than 12 months during which the child is placed 

4 with a parent who is in a licensed residential family5 based treatment facility for substance abuse, but 

6 only if— 

7 ‘‘(A) the recommendation for the place8 ment is specified in the child’s case plan before 

9 the placement; 

10 ‘‘(B) the treatment facility provides, as 

11 part of the treatment for substance abuse, par12 enting skills training, parent education, and in13 dividual and family counseling; and 

14 ‘‘(C) the substance abuse treatment, par15 enting skills training, parent education, and in16 dividual and family counseling is provided 

17 under an organizational structure and treat18 ment framework that involves understanding, 

19 recognizing, and responding to the effects of all 

20 types of trauma and in accordance with recog21 nized principles of a trauma-informed approach 

22 and trauma-specific interventions to address the 

23 consequences of trauma and facilitate healing. 

24 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—With respect to children 

25 for whom foster care maintenance payments are 
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1 made under paragraph (1), only the children who 

2 satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (1)(B) and 

3 (3) of subsection (a) shall be considered to be chil4 dren with respect to whom foster care maintenance 

5 payments are made under this section for purposes 

6 of subsection (h) or section 473(b)(3)(B).’’. 

7 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 474(a)(1) 

8 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(1)) is amended by inserting 

9 ‘‘subject to section 472(j),’’ before ‘‘an amount equal to 

10 the Federal’’ the first place it appears. 

11 SEC. 113. TITLE IV–E PAYMENTS FOR EVIDENCE-BASED 

12 KINSHIP NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS. 

13 Section 474(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 674(a)), as amended by section 111(c), is amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 

16 the end and inserting ‘‘; plus’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(7) an amount equal to 50 percent of the 

19 amounts expended by the State during the quarter 

20 as the Secretary determines are for kinship navi21 gator programs that meet the requirements de22 scribed in section 427(a)(1) and that the Secretary 

23 determines are operated in accordance with prom24 ising, supported, or well-supported practices that 

25 meet the applicable criteria specified for the prac-
39 

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1 tices in section 471(e)(4)(C), without regard to 

2 whether the expenditures are incurred on behalf of 

3 children who are, or are potentially, eligible for fos4 ter care maintenance payments under this part.’’. 

5 Subtitle B—Enhanced Support 

6 Under Title IV–B 

7 SEC. 121. ELIMINATION OF TIME LIMIT FOR FAMILY REUNI8 FICATION SERVICES WHILE IN FOSTER CARE 

9 AND PERMITTING TIME-LIMITED FAMILY RE10 UNIFICATION SERVICES WHEN A CHILD RE11 TURNS HOME FROM FOSTER CARE. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 431(a)(7) of the Social 

13 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(7)) is amended— 

14 (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

15 ‘‘TIME-LIMITED FAMILY’’ and inserting ‘‘FAMILY’’; 

16 and 

17 (2) in subparagraph (A)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘time-limited family’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘family’’; 

20 (B) by inserting ‘‘or a child who has been 

21 returned home’’ after ‘‘child care institution’’; 

22 and 

23 (C) by striking ‘‘, but only during the 15- 

24 month period that begins on the date that the 

25 child, pursuant to section 475(5)(F), is consid-
40 

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1 ered to have entered foster care’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘and to ensure the strength and stability of the 

3 reunification. In the case of a child who has 

4 been returned home, the services and activities 

5 shall only be provided during the 15-month pe6 riod that begins on the date that the child re7 turns home’’. 

8 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

9 (1) Section 430 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629) is 

10 amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

11 striking ‘‘time-limited’’. 

12 (2) Subsections (a)(4), (a)(5)(A), and (b)(1) of 

13 section 432 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629b) are 

14 amended by striking ‘‘time-limited’’ each place it ap15 pears. 

16 SEC. 122. REDUCING BUREAUCRACY AND UNNECESSARY 

17 DELAYS WHEN PLACING CHILDREN IN 

18 HOMES ACROSS STATE LINES. 

19 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 

20 471(a)(25) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 671(a)(25)) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘provide’’ and insert ‘‘provides’’; 

23 and 

24 (2) by inserting ‘‘, which, not later than Octo25 ber 1, 2026, shall include the use of an electronic 
41 

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1 interstate case-processing system’’ before the first 

2 semicolon. 

3 (b) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC4 TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EX5 PEDITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN

6 FOSTER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.— 

7 Section 437 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g) is amended by 

8 adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(g) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC10 TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EX11 PEDITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN

12 FOSTER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.— 

13 ‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection 

14 is to facilitate the development of an electronic inter15 state case-processing system for the exchange of 

16 data and documents to expedite the placements of 

17 children in foster, guardianship, or adoptive homes 

18 across State lines. 

19 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—A State 

20 that desires a grant under this subsection shall sub21 mit to the Secretary an application containing the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(A) A description of the goals and out24 comes to be achieved during the period for 
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1 which grant funds are sought, which goals and 

2 outcomes must result in— 

3 ‘‘(i) reducing the time it takes for a 

4 child to be provided with a safe and appro5 priate permanent living arrangement 

6 across State lines; 

7 ‘‘(ii) improving administrative proc8 esses and reducing costs in the foster care 

9 system; and 

10 ‘‘(iii) the secure exchange of relevant 

11 case files and other necessary materials in 

12 real time, and timely communications and 

13 placement decisions regarding interstate 

14 placements of children. 

15 ‘‘(B) A description of the activities to be 

16 funded in whole or in part with the grant 

17 funds, including the sequencing of the activities. 

18 ‘‘(C) A description of the strategies for in19 tegrating programs and services for children 

20 who are placed across State lines. 

21 ‘‘(D) Such other information as the Sec22 retary may require. 

23 ‘‘(3) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may 

24 make a grant to a State that complies with para25 graph (2). 
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1 ‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—A State to which a grant 

2 is made under this subsection shall use the grant to 

3 support the State in connecting with the electronic 

4 interstate case-processing system described in para5 graph (1). 

6 ‘‘(5) EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 1 year 

7 after the final year in which grants are awarded 

8 under this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to 

9 the Congress, and make available to the general 

10 public by posting on a website, a report that con11 tains the following information: 

12 ‘‘(A) How using the electronic interstate 

13 case-processing system developed pursuant to 

14 paragraph (4) has changed the time it takes for 

15 children to be placed across State lines. 

16 ‘‘(B) The number of cases subject to the 

17 Interstate Compact on the Placement of Chil18 dren that were processed through the electronic 

19 interstate case-processing system, and the num20 ber of interstate child placement cases that 

21 were processed outside the electronic interstate 

22 case-processing system, by each State in each 

23 year. 
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1 ‘‘(C) The progress made by States in im2 plementing the electronic interstate case-proc3 essing system. 

4 ‘‘(D) How using the electronic interstate 

5 case-processing system has affected various 

6 metrics related to child safety and well-being, 

7 including the time it takes for children to be 

8 placed across State lines. 

9 ‘‘(E) How using the electronic interstate 

10 case-processing system has affected administra11 tive costs and caseworker time spent on placing 

12 children across State lines. 

13 ‘‘(6) DATA INTEGRATION.—The Secretary, in 

14 consultation with the Secretariat for the Interstate 

15 Compact on the Placement of Children and the 

16 States, shall assess how the electronic interstate 

17 case-processing system developed pursuant to para18 graph (4) could be used to better serve and protect 

19 children that come to the attention of the child wel20 fare system, by— 

21 ‘‘(A) connecting the system with other 

22 data systems (such as systems operated by 

23 State law enforcement and judicial agencies, 

24 systems operated by the Federal Bureau of In-
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1 vestigation for the purposes of the Innocence 

2 Lost National Initiative, and other systems); 

3 ‘‘(B) simplifying and improving reporting 

4 related to paragraphs (34) and (35) of section 

5 471(a) regarding children or youth who have 

6 been identified as being a sex trafficking victim 

7 or children missing from foster care; and 

8 ‘‘(C) improving the ability of States to 

9 quickly comply with background check require10 ments of section 471(a)(20), including checks of 

11 child abuse and neglect registries as required by 

12 section 471(a)(20)(B).’’. 

13 (c) RESERVATION OF FUNDS TO IMPROVE THE

14 INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN.—Section 437(b) 

15 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g(b)) is amended by adding 

16 at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) IMPROVING THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT

18 OF CHILDREN.—The Secretary shall reserve 

19 $5,000,000 of the amount made available for fiscal 

20 year 2017 for grants under subsection (g), and the 

21 amount so reserved shall remain available through 

22 fiscal year 2021.’’. 
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1 SEC. 123. ENHANCEMENTS TO GRANTS TO IMPROVE WELL2 BEING OF FAMILIES AFFECTED BY SUB3 STANCE ABUSE. 

4 Section 437(f) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 629g(f)) is amended— 

6 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘IN7 CREASE THE WELL-BEING OF, AND TO IMPROVE

8 THE PERMANENCY OUTCOMES FOR, CHILDREN AF9 FECTED BY’’ and inserting ‘‘IMPLEMENT IV–E PRE10 VENTION SERVICES, AND IMPROVE THE WELL11 BEING OF, AND IMPROVE PERMANENCY OUTCOMES

12 FOR, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY HER13 OIN, OPIOIDS, AND OTHER’’; 

14 (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(2) REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP DEFINED.—In 

17 this subsection, the term ‘regional partnership’ 

18 means a collaborative agreement (which may be es19 tablished on an interstate, State, or intrastate basis) 

20 entered into by the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) MANDATORY PARTNERS FOR ALL

22 PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.— 

23 ‘‘(i) The State child welfare agency 

24 that is responsible for the administration 

25 of the State plan under this part and part 

26 E. 
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1 ‘‘(ii) The State agency responsible for 

2 administering the substance abuse preven3 tion and treatment block grant provided 

4 under subpart II of part B of title XIX of 

5 the Public Health Service Act. 

6 ‘‘(B) MANDATORY PARTNERS FOR PART7 NERSHIP GRANTS PROPOSING TO SERVE CHIL8 DREN IN OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS.—If the 

9 partnership proposes to serve children in out-of10 home placements, the Juvenile Court or Admin11 istrative Office of the Court that is most appro12 priate to oversee the administration of court 

13 programs in the region to address the popu14 lation of families who come to the attention of 

15 the court due to child abuse or neglect. 

16 ‘‘(C) OPTIONAL PARTNERS.—At the option 

17 of the partnership, any of the following: 

18 ‘‘(i) An Indian tribe or tribal consor19 tium. 

20 ‘‘(ii) Nonprofit child welfare service 

21 providers. 

22 ‘‘(iii) For-profit child welfare service 

23 providers. 
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1 ‘‘(iv) Community health service pro2 viders, including substance abuse treat3 ment providers. 

4 ‘‘(v) Community mental health pro5 viders. 

6 ‘‘(vi) Local law enforcement agencies. 

7 ‘‘(vii) School personnel. 

8 ‘‘(viii) Tribal child welfare agencies 

9 (or a consortia of the agencies). 

10 ‘‘(ix) Any other providers, agencies, 

11 personnel, officials, or entities that are re12 lated to the provision of child and family 

13 services under a State plan approved under 

14 this subpart. 

15 ‘‘(D) EXCEPTION FOR REGIONAL PART16 NERSHIPS WHERE THE LEAD APPLICANT IS AN

17 INDIAN TRIBE OR TRIBAL CONSORTIA.—If an 

18 Indian tribe or tribal consortium enters into a 

19 regional partnership for purposes of this sub20 section, the Indian tribe or tribal consortium— 

21 ‘‘(i) may (but is not required to) in22 clude the State child welfare agency as a 

23 partner in the collaborative agreement; 

24 ‘‘(ii) may not enter into a collabo25 rative agreement only with tribal child wel-
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1 fare agencies (or a consortium of the agen2 cies); and 

3 ‘‘(iii) if the condition described in 

4 paragraph (2)(B) applies, may include 

5 tribal court organizations in lieu of other 

6 judicial partners.’’; 

7 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

8 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’; and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘$500,000 and not 

12 more than $1,000,000’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘$250,000 and not more than 

14 $1,000,000’’; 

15 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

16 (i) in the subparagraph heading, by 

17 inserting ‘‘; PLANNING’’ after ‘‘APPROVAL’’; 

18 (ii) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘clause 

19 (ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘clauses (ii) and (iii)’’; 

20 and 

21 (iii) by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(iii) SUFFICIENT PLANNING.—A 

24 grant awarded under this subsection shall 

25 be disbursed in two phases: a planning 
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1 phase (not to exceed 2 years); and an im2 plementation phase. The total disburse3 ment to a grantee for the planning phase 

4 may not exceed $250,000, and may not ex5 ceed the total anticipated funding for the 

6 implementation phase.’’; and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(D) LIMITATION ON PAYMENT FOR A FIS9 CAL YEAR.—No payment shall be made under 

10 subparagraph (A) or (C) for a fiscal year until 

11 the Secretary determines that the eligible part12 nership has made sufficient progress in meeting 

13 the goals of the grant and that the members of 

14 the eligible partnership are coordinating to a 

15 reasonable degree with the other members of 

16 the eligible partnership.’’; 

17 (4) in paragraph (4)— 

18 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

19 (i) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, par20 ents, and families’’ after ‘‘children’’; 

21 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘safety 

22 and permanence for such children; and’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘safe, permanent caregiving 

24 relationships for the children;’’; 
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1 (iii) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘increase reunification rates 

3 for children who have been placed in out of 

4 home care, or decrease’’; and 

5 (iv) by redesignating clause (iii) as 

6 clause (v) and inserting after clause (ii) 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(iii) improve the substance abuse 

9 treatment outcomes for parents including 

10 retention in treatment and successful com11 pletion of treatment; 

12 ‘‘(iv) facilitate the implementation, de13 livery, and effectiveness of prevention serv14 ices and programs under section 471(e); 

15 and’’; 

16 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

17 ‘‘where appropriate,’’; and 

18 (C) by striking subparagraphs (E) and (F) 

19 and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(E) A description of a plan for sustaining 

21 the services provided by or activities funded 

22 under the grant after the conclusion of the 

23 grant period, including through the use of pre24 vention services and programs under section 

25 471(e) and other funds provided to the State 
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1 for child welfare and substance abuse preven2 tion and treatment services. 

3 ‘‘(F) Additional information needed by the 

4 Secretary to determine that the proposed activi5 ties and implementation will be consistent with 

6 research or evaluations showing which practices 

7 and approaches are most effective.’’; 

8 (5) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking ‘‘abuse 

9 treatment’’ and inserting ‘‘use disorder treatment in10 cluding medication assisted treatment and in-home 

11 substance abuse disorder treatment and recovery’’; 

12 (6) in paragraph (7)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub14 paragraph (C); and 

15 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as 

16 subparagraph (E) and inserting after subpara17 graph (C) the following: 

18 ‘‘(D) demonstrate a track record of suc19 cessful collaboration among child welfare, sub20 stance abuse disorder treatment and mental 

21 health agencies; and’’; 

22 (7) in paragraph (8)— 

23 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 
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1 (i) by striking ‘‘establish indicators 

2 that will be’’ and inserting ‘‘review indica3 tors that are’’; and 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘in using funds made 

5 available under such grants to achieve the 

6 purpose of this subsection’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘and establish a set of core indicators re8 lated to child safety, parental recovery, 

9 parenting capacity, and family well-being. 

10 In developing the core indicators, to the 

11 extent possible, indicators shall be made 

12 consistent with the outcome measures de13 scribed in section 471(e)(6)’’; and 

14 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

16 by inserting ‘‘base the performance meas17 ures on lessons learned from prior rounds 

18 of regional partnership grants under this 

19 subsection, and’’ before ‘‘consult’’; and 

20 (ii) by striking clauses (iii) and (iv) 

21 and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(iii) Other stakeholders or constitu23 encies as determined by the Secretary.’’; 

24 (8) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking clause (i) 

25 and inserting the following: 
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1 ‘‘(i) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—Not 

2 later than September 30 of each fiscal year 

3 in which a recipient of a grant under this 

4 subsection is paid funds under the grant, 

5 and every 6 months thereafter, the grant 

6 recipient shall submit to the Secretary a 

7 report on the services provided and activi8 ties carried out during the reporting pe9 riod, progress made in achieving the goals 

10 of the program, the number of children, 

11 adults, and families receiving services, and 

12 such additional information as the Sec13 retary determines is necessary. The report 

14 due not later than September 30 of the 

15 last such fiscal year shall include, at a 

16 minimum, data on each of the performance 

17 indicators included in the evaluation of the 

18 regional partnership.’’; and 

19 (9) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘2012 

20 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 
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1 Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 

2 SEC. 131. REVIEWING AND IMPROVING LICENSING STAND3 ARDS FOR PLACEMENT IN A RELATIVE FOS4 TER FAMILY HOME. 

5 (a) IDENTIFICATION OF REPUTABLE MODEL LI6 CENSING STANDARDS.—Not later than October 1, 2017, 

7 the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall identify 

8 reputable model licensing standards with respect to the li9 censing of foster family homes (as defined in section 

10 472(c)(1) of the Social Security Act). 

11 (b) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 471(a) of 

12 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (34)(B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

14 after the semicolon; 

15 (2) in paragraph (35)(B), by striking the period 

16 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

18 ‘‘(36) provides that, not later than April 1, 

19 2018, the State shall submit to the Secretary infor20 mation addressing— 

21 ‘‘(A) whether the State licensing standards 

22 are in accord with model standards identified 

23 by the Secretary, and if not, the reason for the 

24 specific deviation and a description as to why 

25 having a standard that is reasonably in accord 
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1 with the corresponding national model stand2 ards is not appropriate for the State; 

3 ‘‘(B) whether the State has elected to 

4 waive standards established in 471(a)(10)(A) 

5 for relative foster family homes (pursuant to 

6 waiver authority provided by 471(a)(10)(D)), a 

7 description of which standards the State most 

8 commonly waives, and if the State has not 

9 elected to waive the standards, the reason for 

10 not waiving these standards; 

11 ‘‘(C) if the State has elected to waive 

12 standards specified in subparagraph (B), how 

13 caseworkers are trained to use the waiver au14 thority and whether the State has developed a 

15 process or provided tools to assist caseworkers 

16 in waiving nonsafety standards per the author17 ity provided in 471(a)(10)(D) to quickly place 

18 children with relatives; and 

19 ‘‘(D) a description of the steps the State is 

20 taking to improve caseworker training or the 

21 process, if any; and’’. 
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1 SEC. 132. DEVELOPMENT OF A STATEWIDE PLAN TO PRE2 VENT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT FATALI3 TIES. 

4 Section 422(b)(19) of the Social Security Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 622(b)(19)) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(19) document steps taken to track and pre7 vent child maltreatment deaths by including— 

8 ‘‘(A) a description of the steps the State is 

9 taking to compile complete and accurate infor10 mation on the deaths required by Federal law 

11 to be reported by the State agency referred to 

12 in paragraph (1), including gathering relevant 

13 information on the deaths from the relevant or14 ganizations in the State including entities such 

15 as State vital statistics department, child death 

16 review teams, law enforcement agencies, offices 

17 of medical examiners or coroners; and 

18 ‘‘(B) a description of the steps the state is 

19 taking to develop and implement of a com20 prehensive, statewide plan to prevent the fatali21 ties that involves and engages relevant public 

22 and private agency partners, including those in 

23 public health, law enforcement, and the 

24 courts.’’. 
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1 SEC. 133. MODERNIZING THE TITLE AND PURPOSE OF 

2 TITLE IV–E. 

3 (a) PART HEADING.—The heading for part E of title 

4 IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) is 

5 amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘PART E—FEDERAL PAYMENTS FOR FOSTER 

7 CARE, PREVENTION, AND PERMANENCY’’. 

8 (b) PURPOSE.—The first sentence of section 470 of 

9 such Act (42 U.S.C. 670) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘1995) and’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘1995),’’; 

12 (2) by inserting ‘‘kinship guardianship assist13 ance, and prevention services or programs specified 

14 in section 471(e)(1),’’ after ‘‘needs,’’; and 

15 (3) by striking ‘‘(commencing with the fiscal 

16 year which begins October 1, 1980)’’. 

17 SEC. 134. EFFECTIVE DATES. 

18 (a) EFFECTIVE DATES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para20 graph (2), subject to subsection (b), the amend21 ments made by this title shall take effect on October 

22 1, 2016. 

23 (2) EXCEPTIONS.—The amendments made by 

24 sections 131 and 133 shall take effect on the date 

25 of enactment of this Act. 

26 (b) TRANSITION RULE.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a State plan 

2 under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security 

3 Act which the Secretary of Health and Human Serv4 ices determines requires State legislation (other than 

5 legislation appropriating funds) in order for the plan 

6 to meet the additional requirements imposed by the 

7 amendments made by this title, the State plan shall 

8 not be regarded as failing to comply with the re9 quirements of such part solely on the basis of the 

10 failure of the plan to meet such additional require11 ments before the first day of the first calendar quar12 ter beginning after the close of the first regular ses13 sion of the State legislature that begins after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act. For purposes of the 

15 previous sentence, in the case of a State that has a 

16 2-year legislative session, each year of the session 

17 shall be deemed to be a separate regular session of 

18 the State legislature. 

19 (2) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY

20 INDIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case of an 

21 Indian tribe, tribal organization, or tribal consortium 

22 which the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

23 determines requires time to take action necessary to 

24 comply with the additional requirements imposed by 

25 the amendments made by this title (whether the 
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1 tribe, organization, or tribal consortium has a plan 

2 under section 479B of the Social Security Act or a 

3 cooperative agreement or contract entered into with 

4 a State), the Secretary shall provide the tribe, orga5 nization, or tribal consortium with such additional 

6 time as the Secretary determines is necessary for the 

7 tribe, organization, or tribal consortium to take the 

8 action to comply with the additional requirements 

9 before being regarded as failing to comply with the 

10 requirements. 

11 TITLE II—ENSURING THE NE12 CESSITY OF A PLACEMENT 

13 THAT IS NOT IN A FOSTER 

14 FAMILY HOME 

15 SEC. 201. LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA16 TION FOR PLACEMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN 

17 FOSTER FAMILY HOMES. 

18 (a) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA19 TION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 472 of the Social 

21 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 672), as amended by sec22 tion 112, is amended— 

23 (A) in subsection (a)(2)(C), by inserting ‘‘, 

24 but only to the extent permitted under sub25 section (k)’’ after ‘‘institution’’; and 
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1 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(k) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICI3 PATION.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the third 

5 week for which foster care maintenance payments 

6 are made under this section on behalf of a child 

7 placed in a child-care institution, no Federal pay8 ment shall be made to the State under section 

9 474(a)(1) for amounts expended for foster care 

10 maintenance payments on behalf of the child un11 less— 

12 ‘‘(A) the child is placed in a child-care in13 stitution that is a setting specified in paragraph 

14 (2) (or is placed in a licensed residential family15 based treatment facility consistent with sub16 section (j)); and 

17 ‘‘(B) in the case of a child placed in a 

18 qualified residential treatment program (as de19 fined in paragraph (4)), the requirements speci20 fied in paragraph (3) and section 475A(c) are 

21 met. 

22 ‘‘(2) SPECIFIED SETTINGS FOR PLACEMENT.— 

23 The settings for placement specified in this para24 graph are the following: 
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1 ‘‘(A) A qualified residential treatment pro2 gram (as defined in paragraph (4)). 

3 ‘‘(B) A setting specializing in providing 

4 prenatal, post-partum, or parenting supports 

5 for youth. 

6 ‘‘(C) In the case of a child who has at7 tained 18 years of age, a supervised setting in 

8 which the child is living independently. 

9 ‘‘(3) ASSESSMENT TO DETERMINE APPRO10 PRIATENESS OF PLACEMENT IN A QUALIFIED RESI11 DENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM.— 

12 ‘‘(A) DEADLINE FOR ASSESSMENT.—In 

13 the case of a child who is placed in a qualified 

14 residential treatment program, if the assess15 ment required under section 475A(c)(1) is not 

16 completed within 30 days after the placement is 

17 made, no Federal payment shall be made to the 

18 State under section 474(a)(1) for any amounts 

19 expended for foster care maintenance payments 

20 on behalf of the child during the placement. 

21 ‘‘(B) DEADLINE FOR TRANSITION OUT OF

22 PLACEMENT.—If the assessment required under 

23 section 475A(c)(1) determines that the place24 ment of a child in a qualified residential treat25 ment program is not appropriate, a court dis-
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1 approves such a placement under section 

2 475A(c)(2), or a child who has been in an ap3 proved placement in a qualified residential 

4 treatment program is going to return home or 

5 be placed with a fit and willing relative, a legal 

6 guardian, or an adoptive parent, or in a foster 

7 family home, Federal payments shall be made 

8 to the State under section 474(a)(1) for 

9 amounts expended for foster care maintenance 

10 payments on behalf of the child while the child 

11 remains in the qualified residential treatment 

12 program only during the period necessary for 

13 the child to transition home or to such a place14 ment. In no event shall a State receive Federal 

15 payments under section 474(a)(1) for amounts 

16 expended for foster care maintenance payments 

17 on behalf of a child who remains placed in a 

18 qualified residential treatment program after 

19 the end of the 30-day period that begins on the 

20 date a determination is made that the place21 ment is no longer the recommended or approved 

22 placement for the child. 

23 ‘‘(4) QUALIFIED RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT

24 PROGRAM.—For purposes of this part, the term 
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1 ‘qualified residential treatment program’ means a 

2 program that— 

3 ‘‘(A) has a trauma-informed treatment 

4 model that is designed to address the needs, in5 cluding clinical needs as appropriate, of chil6 dren with serious emotional or behavioral dis7 orders or disturbances and, with respect to a 

8 child, is able to implement the treatment identi9 fied for the child by the assessment of the child 

10 required under section 475A(c); 

11 ‘‘(B) has registered or licensed nursing 

12 staff and other licensed clinical staff who— 

13 ‘‘(i) provide care within the scope of 

14 their practice as defined by State law; 

15 ‘‘(ii) are on-site during business 

16 hours; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) are available 24 hours a day and 

18 7 days a week; 

19 ‘‘(C) to extent appropriate, and in accord20 ance with the child’s best interests, facilitates 

21 participation of family members in the child’s 

22 treatment program; 

23 ‘‘(D) facilitates outreach to the family 

24 members of the child, including siblings, docu25 ments how the outreach is made (including con-
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1 tact information), and maintains contact infor2 mation for any known biological family and fic3 tive kin of the child; 

4 ‘‘(E) documents how family members are 

5 integrated into the treatment process for the 

6 child, including post-discharge, and how sibling 

7 connections are maintained; 

8 ‘‘(F) provides discharge planning and fam9 ily-based aftercare support for at least 6 

10 months post-discharge; and 

11 ‘‘(G) is licensed in accordance with section 

12 471(a)(10) and is accredited by any of the fol13 lowing independent, not-for-profit organizations: 

14 ‘‘(i) The Commission on Accreditation 

15 of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). 

16 ‘‘(ii) The Joint Commission on Ac17 creditation of Healthcare Organizations 

18 (JCAHO). 

19 ‘‘(iii) The Council on Accreditation 

20 (COA). 

21 ‘‘(iv) Any other independent, not-for22 profit accrediting organization approved by 

23 the Secretary.’’. 

24 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

25 474(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
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1 674(a)(1)), as amended by section 112(b), is amend2 ed by striking ‘‘section 472(j)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub3 sections (j) and (k) of section 472’’. 

4 (b) DEFINITION OF FOSTER FAMILY HOME, CHILD5 CARE INSTITUTION.—Section 472(c) of such Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 672(c)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this part: 

8 ‘‘(1) FOSTER FAMILY HOME.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘foster fam10 ily home’ means the home of an individual or 

11 family— 

12 ‘‘(i) that is licensed or approved by 

13 the State in which it is situated as a foster 

14 family home that meets the standards es15 tablished for the licensing or approval; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) in which a child in foster care 

17 has been placed in the care of an indi18 vidual, who resides with the child and who 

19 has been licensed or approved by the State 

20 to be a foster parent— 

21 ‘‘(I) that the State deems capable 

22 of adhering to the reasonable and pru23 dent parent standard; 

24 ‘‘(II) that provides 24-hour sub25 stitute care for children placed away 
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1 from their parents or other care2 takers; and 

3 ‘‘(III) that provides the care for 

4 not more than six children in foster 

5 care. 

6 ‘‘(B) STATE FLEXIBILITY.—The number of 

7 foster children that may be cared for in a home 

8 under subparagraph (A) may exceed the numer9 ical limitation in subparagraph (A)(ii)(III), at 

10 the option of the State, for any of the following 

11 reasons: 

12 ‘‘(i) To allow a parenting youth in fos13 ter care to remain with the child of the 

14 parenting youth. 

15 ‘‘(ii) To allow siblings to remain to16 gether. 

17 ‘‘(iii) To allow a child with an estab18 lished meaningful relationship with the 

19 family to remain with the family. 

20 ‘‘(iv) To allow a family with special 

21 training or skills to provide care to a child 

22 who has a severe disability. 

23 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Subpara24 graph (A) shall not be construed as prohibiting 

25 a foster parent from renting the home in which 
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1 the parent cares for a foster child placed in the 

2 parent’s care. 

3 ‘‘(2) CHILD-CARE INSTITUTION.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘child-care 

5 institution’ means a private child-care institu6 tion, or a public child-care institution which ac7 commodates no more than 25 children, which is 

8 licensed by the State in which it is situated or 

9 has been approved by the agency of the State 

10 responsible for licensing or approval of institu11 tions of this type as meeting the standards es12 tablished for the licensing. 

13 ‘‘(B) SUPERVISED SETTINGS.—In the case 

14 of a child who has attained 18 years of age, the 

15 term shall include a supervised setting in which 

16 the individual is living independently, in accord17 ance with such conditions as the Secretary shall 

18 establish in regulations. 

19 ‘‘(C) EXCLUSIONS.—The term shall not in20 clude detention facilities, forestry camps, train21 ing schools, or any other facility operated pri22 marily for the detention of children who are de23 termined to be delinquent.’’. 

24 (c) TRAINING FOR STATE JUDGES, ATTORNEYS, AND

25 OTHER LEGAL PERSONNEL IN CHILD WELFARE
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1 CASES.—Section 438(b)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

2 629h(b)(1)) is amended in the matter preceding subpara3 graph (A) by inserting ‘‘shall provide for the training of 

4 judges, attorneys, and other legal personnel in child wel5 fare cases on Federal child welfare policies and payment 

6 limitations with respect to children in foster care who are 

7 placed in settings that are not a foster family home,’’ after 

8 ‘‘with respect to the child,’’. 

9 (d) ASSURANCE OF NONIMPACT ON JUVENILE JUS10 TICE SYSTEM.— 

11 (1) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 

12 471(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)), as amended 

13 by section 131, is further amended by adding at the 

14 end the following: 

15 ‘‘(37) includes a certification that, in response 

16 to the limitation imposed under section 472(k) with 

17 respect to foster care maintenance payments made 

18 on behalf of any child who is placed in a setting that 

19 is not a foster family home, the State will not enact 

20 or advance policies or practices that would result in 

21 a significant increase in the population of youth in 

22 the State’s juvenile justice system.’’. 

23 (2) GAO STUDY AND REPORT.—The Comp24 troller General of the United States shall evaluate 

25 the impact, if any, on State juvenile justice systems 
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1 of the limitation imposed under section 472(k) of 

2 the Social Security Act (as added by section 

3 201(a)(1)) on foster care maintenance payments 

4 made on behalf of any child who is placed in a set5 ting that is not a foster family home, in accordance 

6 with the amendments made by subsections (a) and 

7 (b) of this section. In particular, the Comptroller 

8 General shall evaluate the extent to which children 

9 in foster care who also are subject to the juvenile 

10 justice system of the State are placed in a facility 

11 under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system 

12 and whether the lack of available congregate care 

13 placements under the jurisdiction of the child wel14 fare systems is a contributing factor to that result. 

15 Not later than December 31, 2023, the Comptroller 

16 General shall submit to Congress a report on the re17 sults of the evaluation. 

18 SEC. 202. ASSESSMENT AND DOCUMENTATION OF THE 

19 NEED FOR PLACEMENT IN A QUALIFIED RES20 IDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM. 

21 Section 475A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 675a) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(c) ASSESSMENT, DOCUMENTATION, AND JUDICIAL

24 DETERMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR PLACEMENT IN A

25 QUALIFIED RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM.—In 
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1 the case of any child who is placed in a qualified residen2 tial treatment program (as defined in section 472(k)(4)), 

3 the following requirements shall apply for purposes of ap4 proving the case plan for the child and the case system 

5 review procedure for the child: 

6 ‘‘(1)(A) Within 30 days of the start of each 

7 placement in such a setting, a qualified individual 

8 (as defined in subparagraph (D)) shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) assess the strengths and needs of the 

10 child using an age-appropriate, evidence-based, 

11 validated, functional assessment tool approved 

12 by the Secretary; 

13 ‘‘(ii) determine whether the needs of the 

14 child can be met with family members or 

15 through placement in a foster family home or, 

16 if not, which setting from among the settings 

17 specified in section 472(k)(2) would provide the 

18 most effective and appropriate level of care for 

19 the child in the least restrictive environment 

20 and be consistent with the short- and long-term 

21 goals for the child, as specified in the perma22 nency plan for the child; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) develop a list of child-specific short24 and long-term mental and behavioral health 

25 goals. 
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1 ‘‘(B)(i) The State shall assemble a family and 

2 permanency team for the child in accordance with 

3 the requirements of clauses (ii) and (iii). The quali4 fied individual conducting the assessment required 

5 under subparagraph (A) shall work in conjunction 

6 with the family of, and permanency team for, the 

7 child while conducting and making the assessment. 

8 ‘‘(ii) The family and permanency team shall 

9 consist of all appropriate biological family members, 

10 relative, and fictive kin of the child, as well as, as 

11 appropriate, professionals who are a resource to the 

12 family of the child, such as teachers, medical or 

13 mental health providers who have treated the child, 

14 or clergy. In the case of a child who has attained 

15 age 14, the family and permanency team shall in16 clude the members of the permanency planning team 

17 for the child that are selected by the child in accord18 ance with section 475(5)(C)(iv). 

19 ‘‘(iii) The State shall document in the child’s 

20 case plan— 

21 ‘‘(I) the reasonable and good faith effort of 

22 the State to identify and include all such indi23 viduals on the family of, and permanency team 

24 for, the child; 
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1 ‘‘(II) all contact information for members 

2 of the family and permanency team, as well as 

3 contact information for other family members 

4 and fictive kin who are not part of the family 

5 and permanency team; 

6 ‘‘(III) evidence that meetings of the family 

7 and permanency team, including meetings relat8 ing to the assessment required under subpara9 graph (A), are held at a time and place conven10 ient for family; 

11 ‘‘(IV) if reunification is the goal, evidence 

12 demonstrating that the parent from whom the 

13 child was removed provided input on the mem14 bers of the family and permanency team; 

15 ‘‘(V) evidence that the assessment required 

16 under subparagraph (A) is determined in con17 junction with the family and permanency team; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(VI) the placement preferences of the 

20 family and permanency team relative to the as21 sessment and, if the placement preferences of 

22 the family and permanency team and child are 

23 not the placement setting recommended by the 

24 qualified individual conducting the assessment 

25 under subparagraph (A), the reasons why the 
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1 preferences of the team and of the child were 

2 not recommended. 

3 ‘‘(C) In the case of a child who the qualified in4 dividual conducting the assessment under subpara5 graph (A) determines should not be placed in a fos6 ter family home, the qualified individual shall specify 

7 in writing the reasons why the needs of the child 

8 cannot be met by the family of the child or in a fos9 ter family home. A shortage or lack of foster family 

10 homes shall not be an acceptable reason for deter11 mining that a needs of the child cannot be met in 

12 a foster family home. The qualified individual also 

13 shall specify in writing why the recommended place14 ment in a qualified residential treatment program is 

15 the setting that will provide the child with the most 

16 effective and appropriate level of care in the least re17 strictive environment and how that placement is con18 sistent with the short- and long-term goals for the 

19 child, as specified in the permanency plan for the 

20 child. 

21 ‘‘(D)(i) Subject to clause (ii), in this subsection, 

22 the term ‘qualified individual’ means a trained pro23 fessional or licensed clinician who is not an employee 

24 of the State agency and who is not connected to, or 
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1 affiliated with, any placement setting in which chil2 dren are placed by the State. 

3 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary may approve a request of a 

4 State to waive any requirement in clause (i) upon a 

5 submission by the State, in accordance with criteria 

6 established by the Secretary, that certifies that the 

7 trained professionals or licensed clinicians with re8 sponsibility for performing the assessments de9 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall maintain objec10 tivity with respect to determining the most effective 

11 and appropriate placement for a child. 

12 ‘‘(2) Within 60 days of the start of each place13 ment in a qualified residential treatment program, a 

14 family or juvenile court or another court (including 

15 a tribal court) of competent jurisdiction, or an ad16 ministrative body appointed or approved by the 

17 court, independently, shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) consider the assessment, determina19 tion, and documentation made by the qualified 

20 individual conducting the assessment under 

21 paragraph (1); 

22 ‘‘(B) determine whether the needs of the 

23 child can be met through placement in a foster 

24 family home or, if not, whether placement of 

25 the child in a qualified residential treatment 
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1 program provides the most effective and appro2 priate level of care for the child in the least re3 strictive environment and whether that place4 ment is consistent with the short- and long5 term goals for the child, as specified in the per6 manency plan for the child; and 

7 ‘‘(C) approve or disapprove the placement. 

8 ‘‘(3) The written documentation made under 

9 paragraph (1)(C) and documentation of the deter10 mination and approval or disapproval of the place11 ment in a qualified residential treatment program by 

12 a court or administrative body under paragraph (2) 

13 shall be included in and made part of the case plan 

14 for the child. 

15 ‘‘(4) As long as a child remains placed in a 

16 qualified residential treatment program, the State 

17 agency shall submit evidence at each status review 

18 and each permanency hearing held with respect to 

19 the child— 

20 ‘‘(A) demonstrating that ongoing assess21 ment of the strengths and needs of the child 

22 continues to support the determination that the 

23 needs of the child cannot be met through place24 ment in a foster family home, that the place25 ment in a qualified residential treatment pro-
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1 gram provides the most effective and appro2 priate level of care for the child in the least re3 strictive environment, and that the placement is 

4 consistent with the short- and long-term goals 

5 for the child, as specified in the permanency 

6 plan for the child; 

7 ‘‘(B) documenting the specific treatment or 

8 service needs that will be met for the child in 

9 the placement and the length of time the child 

10 is expected to need the treatment or services; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(C) documenting the efforts made by the 

13 State agency to prepare the child to return 

14 home or to be placed with a fit and willing rel15 ative, a legal guardian, or an adoptive parent, 

16 or in a foster family home. 

17 ‘‘(5) In the case of any child who is placed in 

18 a qualified residential treatment program for more 

19 than 12 consecutive months or 18 nonconsecutive 

20 months (or, in the case of a child who has not at21 tained age 13, for more than 6 consecutive or non22 consecutive months), the State agency shall submit 

23 to the Secretary— 
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1 ‘‘(A) the most recent versions of the evi2 dence and documentation specified in paragraph 

3 (4); and 

4 ‘‘(B) the signed approval of the head of 

5 the State agency for the continued placement of 

6 the child in that setting.’’. 

7 SEC. 203. PROTOCOLS TO PREVENT INAPPROPRIATE DIAG8 NOSES. 

9 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 

10 422(b)(15)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

11 622(b)(15)(A)) is amended— 

12 (1) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 

13 semicolon; 

14 (2) by redesignating clause (vii) as clause (viii); 

15 and 

16 (3) by inserting after clause (vi) the following: 

17 ‘‘(vii) the procedures and protocols 

18 the State has established to ensure that 

19 children in foster care placements are not 

20 inappropriately diagnosed with mental ill21 ness, other emotional or behavioral dis22 orders, medically fragile conditions, or de23 velopmental disabilities, and placed in set24 tings that are not foster family homes as 
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1 a result of the inappropriate diagnoses; 

2 and’’. 

3 (b) EVALUATION.—Section 476 of such Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 676), as amended by section 111(d), is further 

5 amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(e) EVALUATION OF STATE PROCEDURES AND PRO7 TOCOLS TO PREVENT INAPPROPRIATE DIAGNOSES OF

8 MENTAL ILLNESS OR OTHER CONDITIONS.—The Sec9 retary shall conduct an evaluation of the procedures and 

10 protocols established by States in accordance with the re11 quirements of section 422(b)(15)(A)(vii). The evaluation 

12 shall analyze the extent to which States comply with and 

13 enforce the procedures and protocols and the effectiveness 

14 of various State procedures and protocols and shall iden15 tify best practices. Not later than January 1, 2019, the 

16 Secretary shall submit a report on the results of the eval17 uation to Congress.’’. 

18 SEC. 204. ADDITIONAL DATA AND REPORTS REGARDING 

19 CHILDREN PLACED IN A SETTING THAT IS 

20 NOT A FOSTER FAMILY HOME. 

21 Section 479A(a)(7)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 679b(a)(7)(A)) is amended by striking clauses (i) 

23 through (vi) and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(i) with respect to each such place25 ment— 
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1 ‘‘(I) the type of the placement 

2 setting, including whether the place3 ment is shelter care, a group home 

4 and if so, the range of the child popu5 lation in the home, a residential treat6 ment facility, a hospital or institution 

7 providing medical, rehabilitative, or 

8 psychiatric care, a setting specializing 

9 in providing prenatal, post-partum or 

10 parenting supports, or some other 

11 kind of child-care institution and if so, 

12 what kind; 

13 ‘‘(II) the number of children in 

14 the placement setting and the age, 

15 race, ethnicity, and gender of each of 

16 the children; 

17 ‘‘(III) for each child in the place18 ment setting, the length of the place19 ment of the child in the setting, 

20 whether the placement of the child in 

21 the setting is the first placement of 

22 the child and if not, the number and 

23 type of previous placements of the 

24 child, and whether the child has spe25 cial needs or another diagnosed men-
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1 tal or physical illness or condition; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(IV) the extent of any special4 ized education, treatment, counseling, 

5 or other services provided in the set6 ting; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) separately, the number and ages 

8 of children in the placements who have a 

9 permanency plan of another planned per10 manent living arrangement; and’’. 

11 SEC. 205. EFFECTIVE DATES; APPLICATION TO WAIVERS. 

12 (a) EFFECTIVE DATES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) 

14 and subsections (b) and (c), the amendments made 

15 by this title shall take effect on October 1, 2016. 

16 (2) TRANSITION RULE.—In the case of a State 

17 plan under part B or E of title IV of the Social Se18 curity Act which the Secretary of Health and 

19 Human Services determines requires State legisla20 tion (other than legislation appropriating funds) in 

21 order for the plan to meet the additional require22 ments imposed by the amendments made by this 

23 title, the State plan shall not be regarded as failing 

24 to comply with the requirements of such part solely 

25 on the basis of the failure of the plan to meet the 
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1 additional requirements before the first day of the 

2 first calendar quarter beginning after the close of 

3 the first regular session of the State legislature that 

4 begins after the date of enactment of this Act. For 

5 purposes of the previous sentence, in the case of a 

6 State that has a 2-year legislative session, each year 

7 of the session shall be deemed to be a separate reg8 ular session of the State legislature. 

9 (b) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICI10 PATION FOR PLACEMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN FOSTER

11 FAMILY HOMES AND RELATED PROVISIONS.—The 

12 amendments made by sections 201(a), 201(b), 201(d), 

13 and 202 shall take effect on October 1, 2019. 

14 (c) APPLICATION TO STATES WITH WAIVERS.—In 

15 the case of a State that, on the date of enactment of this 

16 Act, has in effect a waiver approved under section 1130 

17 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a–9), the 

18 amendments made by this title shall not apply with respect 

19 to the State before the expiration (determined without re20 gard to any extensions) of the waiver to the extent the 

21 amendments are inconsistent with the terms of the waiver. 
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1 TITLE III—CONTINUING SUP2 PORT FOR CHILD AND FAM3 ILY SERVICES 

4 SEC. 301. SUPPORTING AND RETAINING FOSTER FAMILIES 

5 FOR CHILDREN. 

6 (a) SUPPORTING AND RETAINING FOSTER PARENTS

7 AS A FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICE.—Section 431(a)(2)(B) 

8 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 631(a)(2)(B)) is 

9 amended by redesignating clauses (iii) through (vi) as 

10 clauses (iv) through (vii), respectively, and inserting after 

11 clause (ii) the following: 

12 ‘‘(iii) To support and retain foster 

13 families so they can provide quality family14 based settings for children in foster care.’’. 

15 (b) SUPPORT FOR FOSTER FAMILY HOMES.—Section 

16 436 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629f) is amended by adding 

17 at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(c) SUPPORT FOR FOSTER FAMILY HOMES.—Out 

19 of any money in the Treasury of the United States not 

20 otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Sec21 retary for fiscal year 2018, $8,000,000 for the Secretary 

22 to make competitive grants to States, Indian tribes, or 

23 tribal consortia to support the recruitment and retention 

24 of high-quality foster families to increase their capacity 

25 to place more children in family settings, focused on 
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1 States, Indian tribes, or tribal consortia with the highest 

2 percentage of children in non-family settings. The amount 

3 appropriated under this subparagraph shall remain avail4 able through fiscal year 2022.’’. 

5 SEC. 302. EXTENSION OF CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES 

6 PROGRAMS. 

7 (a) EXTENSION OF STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES CHILD

8 WELFARE SERVICES PROGRAM.—Section 425 of the So9 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 625) is amended by striking 

10 ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 

11 2021’’. 

12 (b) EXTENSION OF PROMOTING SAFE AND STABLE

13 FAMILIES PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 436(a) of such Act 

15 (42 U.S.C. 629f(a)) is amended by striking all that 

16 follows ‘‘$345,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of 

17 fiscal years 2017 through 2021.’’. 

18 (2) DISCRETIONARY GRANTS.—Section 437(a) 

19 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g(a)) is amended by 

20 striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 

21 through 2021’’. 

22 (c) EXTENSION OF FUNDING RESERVATIONS FOR

23 MONTHLY CASEWORKER VISITS AND REGIONAL PART24 NERSHIP GRANTS.—Section 436(b) of such Act (42 

25 U.S.C. 629f(b)) is amended— 
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1 (1) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ‘‘2012 

2 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’; 

3 and 

4 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘2012 

5 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 

6 (d) REAUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING FOR STATE

7 COURTS.— 

8 (1) EXTENSION OF PROGRAM.—Section 

9 438(c)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(c)(1)) is 

10 amended by striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and in11 serting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 

12 (2) EXTENSION OF FEDERAL SHARE.—Section 

13 438(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(d)) is amended 

14 by striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 

16 (e) REPEAL OF EXPIRED PROVISIONS.—Section 

17 438(e) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(e)) is repealed. 

18 SEC. 303. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE JOHN H. CHAFEE FOS19 TER CARE INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM AND 

20 RELATED PROVISIONS. 

21 (a) AUTHORITY TO SERVE FORMER FOSTER YOUTH

22 UP TO AGE 23.—Section 477 of the Social Security Act 

23 (42 U.S.C. 677) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a)(5), by inserting ‘‘(or 23 

25 years of age, in the case of a State with a certifi-
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1 cation under subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii) to provide as2 sistance and services to youths who have aged out 

3 of foster care and have not attained such age, in ac4 cordance with such subsection)’’ after ‘‘21 years of 

5 age’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (b)(3)(A)— 

7 (A) by inserting ‘‘(i)’’ before ‘‘A certifi8 cation’’; 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘children who have left fos10 ter care’’ and all that follows through the pe11 riod and inserting ‘‘youths who have aged out 

12 of foster care and have not attained 21 years of 

13 age.’’; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(ii) If the State has elected under section 

16 475(8)(B) to extend eligibility for foster care to 

17 all children who have not attained 21 years of 

18 age, or if the Secretary determines that the 

19 State agency responsible for administering the 

20 State plans under this part and part B uses 

21 State funds or any other funds not provided 

22 under this part to provide services and assist23 ance for youths who have aged out of foster 

24 care that are comparable to the services and as25 sistance the youths would receive if the State 
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1 had made such an election, the certification re2 quired under clause (i) may provide that the 

3 State will provide assistance and services to 

4 youths who have aged out of foster care and 

5 have not attained 23 years of age.’’; and 

6 (3) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘chil7 dren who have left foster care’’ and all that follows 

8 through the period and inserting ‘‘youths who have 

9 aged out of foster care and have not attained 21 

10 years of age (or 23 years of age, in the case of a 

11 State with a certification under subparagraph (A)(i) 

12 to provide assistance and services to youths who 

13 have aged out of foster care and have not attained 

14 such age, in accordance with subparagraph 

15 (A)(ii)).’’. 

16 (b) AUTHORITY TO REDISTRIBUTE UNSPENT

17 FUNDS.—Section 477(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(d)) 

18 is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘or does not 

20 expend allocated funds within the time period speci21 fied under section 477(d)(3)’’ after ‘‘provided by the 

22 Secretary’’; and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(5) REDISTRIBUTION OF UNEXPENDED

25 AMOUNTS.— 
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1 ‘‘(A) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—To the 

2 extent that amounts paid to States under this 

3 section in a fiscal year remain unexpended by 

4 the States at the end of the succeeding fiscal 

5 year, the Secretary may make the amounts 

6 available for redistribution in the second suc7 ceeding fiscal year among the States that apply 

8 for additional funds under this section for that 

9 second succeeding fiscal year. 

10 ‘‘(B) REDISTRIBUTION.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

12 shall redistribute the amounts made avail13 able under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal 

14 year among eligible applicant States. In 

15 this subparagraph, the term ‘eligible appli16 cant State’ means a State that has applied 

17 for additional funds for the fiscal year 

18 under subparagraph (A) if the Secretary 

19 determines that the State will use the 

20 funds for the purpose for which originally 

21 allotted under this section. 

22 ‘‘(ii) AMOUNT TO BE REDISTRIB23 UTED.—The amount to be redistributed to 

24 each eligible applicant State shall be the 

25 amount so made available multiplied by the 
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1 State foster care ratio, (as defined in sub2 section (c)(4), except that, in such sub3 section, ‘all eligible applicant States (as de4 fined in subsection (d)(5)(B)(i))’ shall be 

5 substituted for ‘all States’). 

6 ‘‘(iii) TREATMENT OF REDISTRIBUTED

7 AMOUNT.—Any amount made available to 

8 a State under this paragraph shall be re9 garded as part of the allotment of the 

10 State under this section for the fiscal year 

11 in which the redistribution is made. 

12 ‘‘(C) TRIBES.—For purposes of this para13 graph, the term ‘State’ includes an Indian tribe, 

14 tribal organization, or tribal consortium that re15 ceives an allotment under this section.’’. 

16 (c) EXPANDING AND CLARIFYING THE USE OF EDU17 CATION AND TRAINING VOUCHERS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 477(i)(3) of such 

19 Act (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(3)) is amended— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘on the date’’ and all that 

21 follows through ‘‘23’’ and inserting ‘‘to remain 

22 eligible until they attain 26’’; and 

23 (B) by inserting ‘‘, but in no event may a 

24 youth participate in the program for more than 
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1 5 years (whether or not consecutive)’’ before 

2 the period. 

3 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

4 477(i)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(1)) is 

5 amended by inserting ‘‘who have attained 14 years 

6 of age’’ before the period. 

7 (d) OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.—Section 477 of such 

8 Act (42 U.S.C. 677), as amended by subsections (a), (b), 

9 and (c), is amended— 

10 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘INDE11 PENDENCE PROGRAM’’ and inserting ‘‘PROGRAM

12 FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO ADULT13 HOOD’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (i) by striking ‘‘identify children who 

17 are likely to remain in foster care until 18 

18 years of age and to help these children 

19 make the transition to self-sufficiency by 

20 providing services’’ and inserting ‘‘support 

21 all youth who have experienced foster care 

22 at age 14 or older in their transition to 

23 adulthood through transitional services’’; 
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1 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and post-secondary 

2 education’’ after ‘‘high school diploma’’; 

3 and 

4 (iii) by striking ‘‘training in daily liv5 ing skills, training in budgeting and finan6 cial management skills’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘training and opportunities to practice 

8 daily living skills (such as financial literacy 

9 training and driving instruction)’’; 

10 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘who are 

11 likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of 

12 age receive the education, training, and services 

13 necessary to obtain employment’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘who have experienced foster care at age 14 or 

15 older achieve meaningful, permanent connec16 tions with a caring adult’’; 

17 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘who are 

18 likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of 

19 age prepare for and enter postsecondary train20 ing and education institutions’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘who have experienced foster care at age 14 or 

22 older engage in age or developmentally appro23 priate activities, positive youth development, 

24 and experiential learning that reflects what 

25 their peers in intact families experience’’; and 
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1 (D) by striking paragraph (4) and redesig2 nating paragraphs (5) through (8) as para3 graphs (4) through (7); 

4 (3) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ‘‘ado6 lescents’’ and inserting ‘‘youth’’; and 

7 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (D)— 

9 (I) by inserting ‘‘including train10 ing on youth development’’ after ‘‘to 

11 provide training’’; and 

12 (II) by striking ‘‘adolescents pre13 paring for independent living’’ and all 

14 that follows through the period and 

15 inserting ‘‘youth preparing for a suc16 cessful transition to adulthood and 

17 making a permanent connection with 

18 a caring adult.’’; 

19 (ii) in subparagraph (H), by striking 

20 ‘‘adolescents’’ each place it appears and in21 serting ‘‘youth’’; and 

22 (iii) in subparagraph (K)— 

23 (I) by striking ‘‘an adolescent’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘a youth’’; and 
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1 (II) by striking ‘‘the adolescent’’ 

2 each place it appears and inserting 

3 ‘‘the youth’’; and 

4 (4) in subsection (f), by striking paragraph (2) 

5 and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 

7 October 1, 2017, the Secretary shall submit to the 

8 Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 

9 Representatives and the Committee on Finance of 

10 the Senate a report on the National Youth in Tran11 sition Database and any other databases in which 

12 States report outcome measures relating to children 

13 in foster care and children who have aged out of fos14 ter care or left foster care for kinship guardianship 

15 or adoption. The report shall include the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) A description of the reasons for entry 

17 into foster care and of the foster care experi18 ences, such as length of stay, number of place19 ment settings, case goal, and discharge reason 

20 of 17-year-olds who are surveyed by the Na21 tional Youth in Transition Database and an 

22 analysis of the comparison of that description 

23 with the reasons for entry and foster care expe24 riences of children of other ages who exit from 

25 foster care before attaining age 17. 
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1 ‘‘(B) A description of the characteristics of 

2 the individuals who report poor outcomes at 

3 ages 19 and 21 to the National Youth in Tran4 sition Database. 

5 ‘‘(C) Benchmarks for determining what 

6 constitutes a poor outcome for youth who re7 main in or have exited from foster care and 

8 plans the Executive branch will take to incor9 porate these benchmarks in efforts to evaluate 

10 child welfare agency performance in providing 

11 services to children transitioning from foster 

12 care. 

13 ‘‘(D) An analysis of the association be14 tween types of placement, number of overall 

15 placements, time spent in foster care, and other 

16 factors, and outcomes at ages 19 and 21. 

17 ‘‘(E) An analysis of the differences in out18 comes for children in and formerly in foster 

19 care at age 19 and 21 among States.’’. 

20 (e) CLARIFYING DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED TO

21 FOSTER YOUTH LEAVING FOSTER CARE.—Section 

22 475(5)(I) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 675(5)(I)) is amended 

23 by inserting after ‘‘REAL ID Act of 2005’’ the following: 

24 ‘‘, and any official documentation necessary to prove that 

25 the child was previously in foster care’’. 
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1 TITLE IV—CONTINUING INCEN2 TIVES TO STATES TO PRO3 MOTE ADOPTION AND LEGAL 

4 GUARDIANSHIP 

5 SEC. 401. REAUTHORIZING ADOPTION AND LEGAL GUARD6 IANSHIP INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. 

7 Section 473A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

8 673b) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (b)(4), by striking ‘‘2013 

10 through 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2016 through 2020’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (h)(1)(D), by striking ‘‘2016’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘2021’’; and 

13 (3) in subsection (h)(2), by striking ‘‘2016’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘2021’’. 

15 TITLE V—TECHNICAL 

16 CORRECTIONS 

17 SEC. 501. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO DATA EXCHANGE 

18 STANDARDS TO IMPROVE PROGRAM COORDI19 NATION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 440 of the Social Security 

21 Act (42 U.S.C. 629m) is amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 440. DATA EXCHANGE STANDARDS FOR IMPROVED 

23 INTEROPERABILITY. 

24 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary shall, in con25 sultation with an interagency work group established by 
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1 the Office of Management and Budget and considering 

2 State government perspectives, by rule, designate data ex3 change standards to govern, under this part— 

4 ‘‘(1) necessary categories of information that 

5 State agencies operating programs under State 

6 plans approved under this part are required under 

7 applicable Federal law to electronically exchange 

8 with another State agency; and 

9 ‘‘(2) Federal reporting and data exchange re10 quired under applicable Federal law. 

11 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The data exchange standards 

12 required by paragraph (1) shall, to the extent prac13 ticable— 

14 ‘‘(1) incorporate a widely accepted, non-propri15 etary, searchable, computer-readable format, such as 

16 the eXtensible Markup Language; 

17 ‘‘(2) contain interoperable standards developed 

18 and maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, 

19 such as the National Information Exchange Model; 

20 ‘‘(3) incorporate interoperable standards devel21 oped and maintained by Federal entities with au22 thority over contracting and financial assistance; 

23 ‘‘(4) be consistent with and implement applica24 ble accounting principles; 
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1 ‘‘(5) be implemented in a manner that is cost2 effective and improves program efficiency and effec3 tiveness; and 

4 ‘‘(6) be capable of being continually upgraded 

5 as necessary. 

6 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub7 section shall be construed to require a change to existing 

8 data exchange standards found to be effective and effi9 cient.’’. 

10 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Not later than the date that 

11 is 24 months after the date of the enactment of this sec12 tion, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

13 issue a proposed rule that— 

14 (1) identifies federally required data exchanges, 

15 include specification and timing of exchanges to be 

16 standardized, and address the factors used in deter17 mining whether and when to standardize data ex18 changes; and 

19 (2) specifies State implementation options and 

20 describes future milestones. 

21 SEC. 502. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO STATE REQUIRE22 MENT TO ADDRESS THE DEVELOPMENTAL 

23 NEEDS OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 

24 Section 422(b)(18) of the Social Security Act (42 

25 U.S.C. 622(b)(18)) is amended by striking ‘‘such chil-
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1 dren’’ and inserting ‘‘all vulnerable children under 5 years 

2 of age’’. 

3 TITLE VI—ENSURING STATES 

4 REINVEST SAVINGS RESULT5 ING FROM INCREASE IN 

6 ADOPTION ASSISTANCE 

7 SEC. 601. DELAY OF ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PHASE-IN. 

8 Section 473(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 

9 U.S.C. 673(e)(1)) is amended— 

10 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘fiscal 

11 year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘period’’; 

12 and 

13 (2) in subparagraph (B)— 

14 (A) in the matter preceding the table, by 

15 striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘period’’; 

16 and 

17 (B) in the table— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘of fiscal year:’’ and in19 serting ‘‘of:’’; 

20 (ii) by striking ‘‘2010’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘Fiscal year 2010’’; 

22 (iii) by striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘Fiscal year 2011’’; 

24 (iv) by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘Fiscal year 2012’’; 
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1 (v) by striking ‘‘2013’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘Fiscal year 2013’’; 

3 (vi) by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘Fiscal year 2014’’; 

5 (vii) by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘Fiscal year 2015’’; 

7 (viii) by striking ‘‘2016’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘October 1, 2015, through March 31, 

9 2019’’; 

10 (ix) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2020’’; 

12 and 

13 (x) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘April 1, 2020,’’. 

15 SEC. 602. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE REINVEST16 MENT OF SAVINGS RESULTING FROM IN17 CREASE IN ADOPTION ASSISTANCE. 

18 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

19 States shall study the extent to which States are com20 plying with the requirements of section 473(a)(8) of the 

21 Social Security Act relating to the effects of phasing out 

22 the AFDC income eligibility requirements for adoption as23 sistance payments under section 473 of the Social Security 

24 Act, as enacted by section 402 of the Fostering Connec25 tions to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 
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1 (Public Law 110–351; 122 Stat. 3975) and amended by 

2 section 206 of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and 

3 Strengthening Families Act (Public Law 113–183; 128 

4 Stat. 1919). In particular, the Comptroller General shall 

5 analyze the extent to which States are complying with the 

6 following requirements under section 473(a)(8)(D) of the 

7 Social Security Act: 

8 (1) The requirement to spend an amount equal 

9 to the amount of the savings (if any) in State ex10 penditures under part E of title IV of the Social Se11 curity resulting from phasing out the AFDC income 

12 eligibility requirements for adoption assistance pay13 ments under section 473 of such Act to provide to 

14 children of families any service that may be provided 

15 under part B or E of title IV of such Act. 

16 (2) The requirement that a State shall spend 

17 not less than 30 percent of the amount of any sav18 ings described in subparagraph (A) on post-adoption 

19 services, post-guardianship services, and services to 

20 support and sustain positive permanent outcomes for 

21 children who otherwise might enter into foster care 

under the responsibility of the State, with at least 2 22 ⁄3

23 of the spending by the State to comply with the 30 

24 percent requirement being spent on post-adoption 

25 and post-guardianship services. 
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1 (b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the 

2 United States shall submit to the Committee on Finance 

3 of the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the 

4 House of Representatives, and the Secretary of Health 

5 and Human Services a report that contains the results of 

6 the study required by subsection (a), including rec7 ommendations to ensure compliance with laws referred to 

8 in subsection (a). 

Passed the House of Representatives June 21, 2016. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5456 

AN ACT 

To amend parts B and E of title IV of the Social 

for other purposes. most family-like, and appropriate settings, and foster care are placed in the least restrictive, supported at home, to ensure that children in family services to help keep children safe and Security Act to invest in funding prevention and