IB 

Union Calendar No. 487 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5456 

[Report No. 114–628] 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 13, 2016 

Mr. BUCHANAN (for himself, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mrs. BLACK, Mr. 

REED, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mr. DOLD, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. DANNY

K. DAVIS of Illinois, and Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways 

and Means 

JUNE 21, 2016 

Additional sponsors: Ms. BASS, Mr. REICHERT, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. PAULSEN, 

and Mr. FRANKS of Arizona 

JUNE 21, 2016 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 13, 2016] 

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A BILL 

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. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family First Prevention 

5 Services Act of 2016’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 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. 

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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. 

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 Fed5 eral funds available under parts B and E of title IV of 

6 the Social Security Act to provide enhanced support to chil7 dren and families and prevent foster care placements 

8 through the provision of mental health and substance abuse 

9 prevention and treatment services, in-home parent skill10 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 473, 

10 and, at the option of the State, services or programs 

11 specified in subsection (e)(1) of this section for chil12 dren who are candidates for foster care or who are 

13 pregnant or parenting foster youth and the parents or 

14 kin caregivers of the children, in accordance with the 

15 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 make 

21 a payment to a State for providing the following serv22 ices or programs for a child described in paragraph 

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

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

25 caregiver for the services or programs are directly remstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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1 lated to the safety, permanence, or well-being of the 

2 child or to preventing the child from entering foster 

3 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-month 

9 period that begins on any date described in 

10 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 begins 

14 on any date described in paragraph (3) with re15 spect to the child and that include parenting 

16 skills training, parent education, and individual 

17 and family counseling. 

18 ‘‘(2) CHILD DESCRIBED.—For purposes of para19 graph (1), a child described in this paragraph is the 

20 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 identified 

7 in a prevention plan maintained under para8 graph (4) as a child who is a candidate for foster 

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

10 ‘‘(B) The date on which a child is identified 

11 in a prevention plan maintained under para12 graph (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 (A) 

20 and the requirements in subparagraphs (B) through 

21 (E) are met: 

22 ‘‘(A) PREVENTION PLAN.—The State main23 tains a written prevention plan for the child that 

24 meets the following requirements (as 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 programs 

13 to be provided to or on behalf of the 

14 child to ensure the success of that pre15 vention 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 prevention 

23 plan shall— 

24 ‘‘(I) be included in the child’s case 

25 plan required under section 475(1); 

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1 ‘‘(II) list the services or programs 

2 to be provided to or on behalf of the 

3 youth to ensure that the youth is pre4 pared (in the case of a pregnant foster 

5 youth) or able (in the case of a par6 enting foster youth) to be a parent; 

7 ‘‘(III) describe the foster care pre8 vention strategy for any child born to 

9 the youth; and 

10 ‘‘(IV) comply with such other re11 quirements as the Secretary shall es12 tablish. 

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

14 programs to be provided to or on behalf of a 

15 child are provided under an organizational 

16 structure and treatment framework that involves 

17 understanding, recognizing, and responding to 

18 the effects of all types of trauma and in accord19 ance with recognized principles of a trauma-in20 formed approach and trauma-specific interven21 tions to address trauma’s consequences and fa22 cilitate healing. 

23 ‘‘(C) ONLY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS PRO24 VIDED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROMISING, SUPmstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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1 PORTED, OR WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICES PER2 MITTED.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Only State expend4 itures for services or programs specified in 

5 subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) 

6 that are provided in accordance with prac7 tices that meet the requirements specified in 

8 clause (ii) of this subparagraph and that 

9 meet the requirements specified in clause 

10 (iii), (iv), or (v), respectively, for being a 

11 promising, supported, or well-supported 

12 practice, shall be eligible for a Federal 

13 matching payment under section 

14 474(a)(6)(A). 

15 ‘‘(ii) GENERAL PRACTICE REQUIRE16 MENTS.—The general practice requirements 

17 specified in this clause are the following: 

18 ‘‘(I) The practice has a book, 

19 manual, or other available writings 

20 that specify the components of the 

21 practice protocol and describe how to 

22 administer the practice. 

23 ‘‘(II) There is no empirical basis 

24 suggesting that, compared to its likely 

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1 benefits, the practice constitutes a risk 

2 of harm to those receiving it. 

3 ‘‘(III) If multiple outcome studies 

4 have been conducted, the overall weight 

5 of evidence supports the benefits of the 

6 practice. 

7 ‘‘(IV) Outcome measures are reli8 able and valid, and are administrated 

9 consistently and accurately across all 

10 those receiving the practice. 

11 ‘‘(V) There is no case data sug12 gesting a risk of harm that was prob13 ably caused by the treatment and that 

14 was severe or frequent. 

15 ‘‘(iii) PROMISING PRACTICE.—A prac16 tice shall be considered to be a ‘promising 

17 practice’ if the practice is superior to an 

18 appropriate comparison practice using con19 ventional standards of statistical signifi20 cance (in terms of demonstrated meaningful 

21 improvements in validated measures of im22 portant child and parent outcomes, such as 

23 mental health, substance abuse, and child 

24 safety and well-being), as established by the 

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1 results or outcomes of at least 1 study 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(I) was rated by an independent 

4 systematic review for the quality of the 

5 study design and execution and deter6 mined to be well-designed and well-exe7 cuted; and 

8 ‘‘(II) utilized some form of control 

9 (such as an untreated group, a placebo 

10 group, or a wait list study). 

11 ‘‘(iv) SUPPORTED PRACTICE.—A prac12 tice shall be considered to be a ‘supported 

13 practice’ if— 

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

15 appropriate comparison practice using 

16 conventional standards of statistical 

17 significance (in terms of demonstrated 

18 meaningful improvements in validated 

19 measures of important child and par20 ent outcomes, such as mental health, 

21 substance abuse, and child safety and 

22 well-being), as established by the re23 sults or outcomes of at least 1 study 

24 that— 

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1 ‘‘(aa) was rated by an inde2 pendent systematic review for the 

3 quality of the study design and 

4 execution and determined to be 

5 well-designed and well-executed; 

6 ‘‘(bb) was a rigorous ran7 dom-controlled trial (or, if not 

8 available, a study using a rig9 orous quasi-experimental research 

10 design); and 

11 ‘‘(cc) was carried out in a 

12 usual care or practice setting; and 

13 ‘‘(II) the study described in sub14 clause (I) established that the practice 

15 has a sustained effect (when compared 

16 to a control group) for at least 6 

17 months beyond the end of the treat18 ment. 

19 ‘‘(v) WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICE.—A 

20 practice shall be considered to be a ‘well21 supported practice’ if— 

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

23 appropriate comparison practice using 

24 conventional standards of statistical 

25 significance (in terms of demonstrated 

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1 meaningful improvements in validated 

2 measures of important child and par3 ent outcomes, such as mental health, 

4 substance abuse, and child safety and 

5 well-being), as established by the re6 sults or outcomes of at least 2 studies 

7 that— 

8 ‘‘(aa) were rated by an inde9 pendent systematic review for the 

10 quality of the study design and 

11 execution and determined to be 

12 well-designed and well-executed; 

13 ‘‘(bb) were rigorous random14 controlled trials (or, if not avail15 able, studies using a rigorous 

16 quasi-experimental research de17 sign); and 

18 ‘‘(cc) were carried out in a 

19 usual care or practice setting; and 

20 ‘‘(II) at least 1 of the studies de21 scribed in subclause (I) established that 

22 the practice has a sustained effect 

23 (when compared to a control group) for 

24 at least 1 year beyond the end of treat25 ment. 

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1 ‘‘(D) GUIDANCE ON PRACTICES CRITERIA

2 AND PRE-APPROVED SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Oc4 tober 1, 2018, the Secretary shall issue guid5 ance to States regarding the practices cri6 teria required for services or programs to 

7 satisfy the requirements of subparagraph 

8 (C). The guidance shall include a pre-ap9 proved list of services and programs that 

10 satisfy the requirements. 

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

12 issue updates to the guidance required by 

13 clause (i) as often as the Secretary deter14 mines necessary. 

15 ‘‘(E) OUTCOME ASSESSMENT AND REPORT16 ING.—The State shall collect and report to the 

17 Secretary the following information with respect 

18 to each child for whom, or on whose behalf men19 tal health and substance abuse prevention and 

20 treatment services or in-home parent skill-based 

21 programs are provided during a 12-month pe22 riod beginning on the date the child is deter23 mined by the State to be a child described in 

24 paragraph (2): 

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1 ‘‘(i) The specific services or programs 

2 provided and the total expenditures for each 

3 of the services or programs. 

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

5 programs provided. 

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

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

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

9 the 1-year period, respectively, and whether 

10 the child entered foster care within 2 years 

11 after being determined a candidate for fos12 ter care. 

13 ‘‘(5) STATE PLAN COMPONENT.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State electing to pro15 vide services or programs specified in paragraph 

16 (1) shall submit as part of the State plan re17 quired by subsection (a) a prevention services 

18 and programs plan component that meets the re19 quirements of subparagraph (B). 

20 ‘‘(B) PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO21 GRAMS PLAN COMPONENT.—In order to meet the 

22 requirements of this subparagraph, a prevention 

23 services and programs plan component, with re24 spect to each 5-year period for which the plan 

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1 component is in operation in the State, shall in2 clude the following: 

3 ‘‘(i) How providing services and pro4 grams specified in paragraph (1) is ex5 pected to improve specific outcomes for chil6 dren and families. 

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

8 oversee the safety of children who receive 

9 services and programs specified in para10 graph (1), including through periodic risk 

11 assessments throughout the period in which 

12 the services and programs are provided on 

13 behalf of a child and reexamination of the 

14 prevention plan maintained for the child 

15 under paragraph (4) for the provision of the 

16 services or programs if the State determines 

17 the risk of the child entering foster care re18 mains high despite the provision of the serv19 ices or programs. 

20 ‘‘(iii) With respect to the services and 

21 programs specified in subparagraphs (A) 

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

23 the specific promising, supported, or well24 supported practices the State plans to use to 

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1 provide the services or programs, including 

2 a description of— 

3 ‘‘(I) the services or programs and 

4 whether the practices used are prom5 ising, supported, or well-supported; 

6 ‘‘(II) how the State plans to im7 plement the services or programs, in8 cluding how implementation of the 

9 services or programs will be continu10 ously monitored to ensure fidelity to 

11 the practice model and to determine 

12 outcomes achieved and how informa13 tion learned from the monitoring will 

14 be used to refine and improve prac15 tices; 

16 ‘‘(III) how the State selected the 

17 services or programs; 

18 ‘‘(IV) the target population for the 

19 services or programs; and 

20 ‘‘(V) how each service or program 

21 provided will be evaluated through a 

22 well-designed and rigorous process, 

23 which may consist of an ongoing, 

24 cross-site evaluation approved by the 

25 Secretary. 

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1 ‘‘(iv) A description of the consultation 

2 that the State agencies responsible for ad3 ministering the State plans under this part 

4 and part B engage in with other State 

5 agencies responsible for administering 

6 health programs, including mental health 

7 and substance abuse prevention and treat8 ment services, and with other public and 

9 private agencies with experience in admin10 istering child and family services, including 

11 community-based organizations, in order to 

12 foster a continuum of care for children de13 scribed in paragraph (2) and their parents 

14 or kin caregivers. 

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

16 shall assess children and their parents or 

17 kin caregivers to determine eligibility for 

18 services or programs specified in paragraph 

19 (1). 

20 ‘‘(vi) A description of how the services 

21 or programs specified in paragraph (1) that 

22 are provided for or on behalf of a child and 

23 the parents or kin caregivers of the child 

24 will be coordinated with other child and 

25 family services provided to the child and the 

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1 parents or kin caregivers of the child under 

2 the State plan under part B. 

3 ‘‘(vii) Descriptions of steps the State is 

4 taking to support and enhance a competent, 

5 skilled, and professional child welfare work6 force to deliver trauma-informed and evi7 dence-based services, including— 

8 ‘‘(I) ensuring that staff is quali9 fied to provide services or programs 

10 that are consistent with the promising, 

11 supported, or well-supported practice 

12 models selected; and 

13 ‘‘(II) developing appropriate pre14 vention plans, and conducting the risk 

15 assessments required under clause (iii). 

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

17 will provide training and support for case18 workers in assessing what children and 

19 their families need, connecting to the fami20 lies served, knowing how to access and de21 liver the needed trauma-informed and evi22 dence-based services, and overseeing and 

23 evaluating the continuing appropriateness 

24 of the services. 

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1 ‘‘(ix) A description of how caseload size 

2 and type for prevention caseworkers will be 

3 determined, managed, and overseen. 

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

5 report to the Secretary such information 

6 and data as the Secretary may require with 

7 respect to the provision of services and pro8 grams specified in paragraph (1), including 

9 information and data necessary to deter10 mine the performance measures for the 

11 State under paragraph (6) and compliance 

12 with paragraph (7). 

13 ‘‘(C) REIMBURSEMENT FOR SERVICES

14 UNDER THE PREVENTION PLAN COMPONENT.— 

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

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

17 Federal payment under this part for a 

18 given promising, supported, or well-sup19 ported practice unless (in accordance with 

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

21 a well-designed and rigorous evaluation 

22 strategy for that practice. 

23 ‘‘(ii) WAIVER OF LIMITATION.—The 

24 Secretary may waive the requirement for a 

25 well-designed and rigorous evaluation of 

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1 any well-supported practice if the Secretary 

2 deems the evidence of the effectiveness of the 

3 practice to be compelling and the State 

4 meets the continuous quality improvement 

5 requirements included in subparagraph 

6 (B)(iii)(II) with regard to the practice. 

7 ‘‘(6) PREVENTION SERVICES MEASURES.— 

8 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT; ANNUAL UPDATES.— 

9 Beginning with fiscal year 2021, and annually 

10 thereafter, the Secretary shall establish the fol11 lowing prevention services measures based on in12 formation and data reported by States that elect 

13 to provide services and programs specified in 

14 paragraph (1): 

15 ‘‘(i) PERCENTAGE OF CANDIDATES FOR

16 FOSTER CARE WHO DO NOT ENTER FOSTER

17 CARE.—The percentage of candidates for 

18 foster care for whom, or on whose behalf, the 

19 services or programs are provided who do 

20 not enter foster care, including those placed 

21 with a kin caregiver outside of foster care, 

22 during the 12-month period in which the 

23 services or programs are provided and 

24 through the end of the succeeding 12-month25 period. 

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1 ‘‘(ii) PER-CHILD SPENDING.—The total 

2 amount of expenditures made for mental 

3 health and substance abuse prevention and 

4 treatment services or in-home parent skill5 based programs, respectively, for, or on be6 half of, each child described in paragraph 

7 (2). 

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

9 and annually update the prevention services 

10 measures— 

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

12 of the information reported under each 

13 clause of subparagraph (A) for the 3 then 

14 most recent years; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) taking into account State dif16 ferences in the price levels of consumption 

17 goods and services using the most recent re18 gional price parities published by the Bu19 reau of Economic Analysis of the Depart20 ment of Commerce or such other data as the 

21 Secretary determines appropriate. 

22 ‘‘(C) PUBLICATION OF STATE PREVENTION

23 SERVICES MEASURES.—The Secretary shall an24 nually make available to the public the preven25 tion services measures of each State. 

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1 ‘‘(7) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT FOR STATE FOS2 TER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a State elects to pro4 vide services and programs specified in para5 graph (1) for a fiscal year, the State foster care 

6 prevention expenditures for the fiscal year shall 

7 not be less than the amount of the expenditures 

8 for fiscal year 2014. 

9 ‘‘(B) STATE FOSTER CARE PREVENTION EX10 PENDITURES.—The term ‘State foster care pre11 vention expenditures’ means the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) TANF; IV–B; SSBG.—State ex13 penditures for foster care prevention services 

14 and activities under the State program 

15 funded under part A (including from 

16 amounts made available by the Federal 

17 Government), under the State plan devel18 oped under part B (including any such 

19 amounts), or under the Social Services 

20 Block Grant Programs under subtitle A of 

21 title XX (including any such amounts). 

22 ‘‘(ii) OTHER STATE PROGRAMS.—State 

23 expenditures for foster care prevention serv24 ices and activities under any State program 

25 that is not described in clause (i) (other 

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1 than any State expenditures for foster care 

2 prevention services and activities under the 

3 State program under this part (including 

4 under a waiver of the program)). 

5 ‘‘(C) STATE EXPENDITURES.—The term 

6 ‘State expenditures’ means all State or local 

7 funds that are expended by the State or a local 

8 agency including State or local funds that are 

9 matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern10 ment and State or local funds that are not 

11 matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern12 ment. 

13 ‘‘(D) DETERMINATION OF PREVENTION

14 SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall 

15 require each State that elects to provide services 

16 and programs specified in paragraph (1) to re17 port the expenditures specified in subparagraph 

18 (B) for fiscal year 2014 and for such fiscal years 

19 thereafter as are necessary to determine whether 

20 the State is complying with the maintenance of 

21 effort requirement in subparagraph (A). The Sec22 retary shall specify the specific services and ac23 tivities under each program referred to in sub24 paragraph (B) that are ‘prevention services and 

25 activities’ for purposes of the reports. 

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1 ‘‘(8) PROHIBITION AGAINST USE OF STATE FOS2 TER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES AND FEDERAL

3 IV-E PREVENTION FUNDS FOR MATCHING OR EXPENDI4 TURE REQUIREMENT.—A State that elects to provide 

5 services and programs specified in paragraph (1) 

6 shall not use any State foster care prevention expend7 itures for a fiscal year for the State share of expendi8 tures under section 474(a)(6) for a fiscal year. 

9 ‘‘(9) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Expenditures de10 scribed in section 474(a)(6)(B)— 

11 ‘‘(A) shall not be eligible for payment under 

12 subparagraph (A), (B), or (E) of section 

13 474(a)(3); and 

14 ‘‘(B) shall be eligible for payment under sec15 tion 474(a)(6)(B) without regard to whether the 

16 expenditures are incurred on behalf of a child 

17 who is, or is potentially, eligible for foster care 

18 maintenance payments under this part. 

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

20 or programs under this subsection to or on behalf of 

21 a child described in paragraph (2) shall not be con22 sidered to be receipt of aid or assistance under the 

23 State plan under this part for purposes of eligibility 

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

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1 (b) DEFINITION.—Section 475 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

2 675) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(13) The term ‘child who is a candidate for fos4 ter care’ means, a child who is identified in a preven5 tion plan under section 471(e)(4)(A) as being at im6 minent risk of entering foster care (without regard to 

7 whether the child would be eligible for foster care 

8 maintenance payments under section 472 or is or 

9 would be eligible for adoption assistance or kinship 

10 guardianship assistance payments under section 473) 

11 but who can remain safely in the child’s home or in 

12 a kinship placement as long as services or programs 

13 specified in section 471(e)(1) that are necessary to 

14 prevent the entry of the child into foster care are pro15 vided. The term includes a child whose adoption or 

16 guardianship arrangement is at risk of a disruption 

17 or dissolution that would result in a foster care place18 ment.’’. 

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

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

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

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

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

24 ‘‘(6) subject to section 471(e)— 

25 ‘‘(A) for each quarter— 

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1 ‘‘(i) subject to clause (ii)— 

2 ‘‘(I) beginning after September 

3 30, 2019, and before October 1, 2025, 

4 an amount equal to 50 percent of the 

5 total amount expended during the 

6 quarter for the provision of services or 

7 programs specified in subparagraph 

8 (A) or (B) of section 471(e)(1) that are 

9 provided in accordance with prom10 ising, supported, or well-supported 

11 practices that meet the applicable cri12 teria specified for the practices in sec13 tion 471(e)(4)(C); and 

14 ‘‘(II) beginning after September 

15 30, 2025, an amount equal to the Fed16 eral medical assistance percentage 

17 (which shall be as defined in section 

18 1905(b), in the case of a State other 

19 than the District of Columbia, or 70 

20 percent, in the case of the District of 

21 Columbia) of the total amount ex22 pended during the quarter for the pro23 vision of services or programs specified 

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

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1 ance with promising, supported, or 

2 well-supported practices that meet the 

3 applicable criteria specified for the 

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

5 with respect to the payments made 

6 during the quarter under a cooperative 

7 agreement or contract entered into by 

8 the State and an Indian tribe, tribal 

9 organization, or tribal consortium for 

10 the administration or payment of 

11 funds under this part, an amount 

12 equal to the Federal medical assistance 

13 percentage that would apply under sec14 tion 479B(d) (in this paragraph re15 ferred to as the ‘tribal FMAP’) if the 

16 Indian tribe, tribal organization, or 

17 tribal consortium made the payments 

18 under a program operated under that 

19 section, unless the tribal FMAP is less 

20 than the Federal medical assistance 

21 percentage that applies to the State); 

22 except that 

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

24 total amount payable to a State under 

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

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1 provision of services or programs specified 

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

3 471(e)(1) that are provided in accordance 

4 with well-supported practices; plus 

5 ‘‘(B) for each quarter specified in subpara6 graph (A), an amount equal to the sum of the 

7 following proportions of the total amount ex8 pended during the quarter: 

9 ‘‘(i) 50 percent of so much of the ex10 penditures as are found necessary by the 

11 Secretary for the proper and efficient ad12 ministration of the State plan for the provi13 sion of services or programs specified in sec14 tion 471(e)(1), including expenditures for 

15 activities approved by the Secretary that 

16 promote the development of necessary proc17 esses and procedures to establish and imple18 ment the provision of the services and pro19 grams for individuals who are eligible for 

20 the services and programs and expenditures 

21 attributable to data collection and report22 ing; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) 50 percent of so much of the ex24 penditures with respect to the provision of 

25 services and programs specified in section 

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

2 employed or preparing for employment by 

3 the State agency or by the local agency ad4 ministering the plan in the political sub5 division and of the members of the staff of 

6 State-licensed or State-approved child wel7 fare agencies providing services to children 

8 described in section 471(e)(2) and their par9 ents or kin caregivers, including on how to 

10 determine who are individuals eligible for 

11 the services or programs, how to identify 

12 and provide appropriate services and pro13 grams, and how to oversee and evaluate the 

14 ongoing appropriateness of the services and 

15 programs.’’. 

16 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES, 

17 CLEARINGHOUSE, AND DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUA18 TIONS.—Section 476 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 676) is amend19 ed by adding at the end the following: 

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

21 CLEARINGHOUSE, DATA COLLECTION, AND EVALUATIONS

22 RELATING TO PREVENTION SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRAC24 TICES.—The Secretary shall provide to States and, as 

25 applicable, to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and 

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1 tribal consortia, technical assistance regarding the 

2 provision of services and programs described in sec3 tion 471(e)(1) and shall disseminate best practices 

4 with respect to the provision of the services and pro5 grams, including how to plan and implement a well6 designed and rigorous evaluation of a promising, sup7 ported, or well-supported practice. 

8 ‘‘(2) CLEARINGHOUSE OF PROMISING, SUP9 PORTED, AND WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICES.—The 

10 Secretary shall, directly or through grants, contracts, 

11 or interagency agreements, evaluate research on the 

12 practices specified in clauses (iii), (iv), and (v), re13 spectively, of section 471(e)(4)(C), and programs that 

14 meet the requirements described in section 427(a)(1), 

15 including culturally specific, or location- or popu16 lation-based adaptations of the practices, to identify 

17 and establish a public clearinghouse of the practices 

18 that satisfy each category described by such clauses. 

19 In addition, the clearinghouse shall include informa20 tion on the specific outcomes associated with each 

21 practice, including whether the practice has been 

22 shown to prevent child abuse and neglect and reduce 

23 the likelihood of foster care placement by supporting 

24 birth families and kinship families and improving 

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1 targeted supports for pregnant and parenting youth 

2 and their children. 

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

4 Secretary, directly or through grants, contracts, or 

5 interagency agreements, may collect data and conduct 

6 evaluations with respect to the provision of services 

7 and programs described in section 471(e)(1) for pur8 poses of assessing the extent to which the provision of 

9 the services and programs— 

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

11 placement; 

12 ‘‘(B) increases use of kinship care arrange13 ments; or 

14 ‘‘(C) improves child well-being. 

15 ‘‘(4) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

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

17 submit to the Committee on Finance of the Sen18 ate and the Committee on Ways and Means of 

19 the House of Representatives periodic reports 

20 based on the provision of services and programs 

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

22 carried out under this subsection. 

23 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

24 shall make the reports to Congress submitted 

25 under this paragraph publicly available. 

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

2 Treasury of the United States not otherwise appro3 priated, there is appropriated to the Secretary 

4 $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 and each fiscal year 

5 thereafter to carry out this subsection.’’. 

6 (e) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY INDIAN

7 TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 479B of such Act (42 

9 U.S.C. 679c) is amended— 

10 (A) in subsection (c)(1)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (C)(i)— 

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

13 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

14 (II) in subclause (III), by striking 

15 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

16 and’’; and 

17 (III) by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(IV) at the option of the tribe, 

20 organization, or consortium, services 

21 and programs specified in section 

22 471(e)(1) to children described in sec23 tion 471(e)(2) and their parents or kin 

24 caregivers, in accordance with section 

25 471(e) and subparagraph (E).’’; and 

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1 (ii) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(E) PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO3 GRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS AND

4 KIN CAREGIVERS.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a 

6 tribe, organization, or consortium that 

7 elects to provide services and programs spec8 ified in section 471(e)(1) to children de9 scribed in section 471(e)(2) and their par10 ents or kin caregivers under the plan, the 

11 Secretary shall specify the requirements ap12 plicable to the provision of the services and 

13 programs. The requirements shall, to the 

14 greatest extent practicable, be consistent 

15 with the requirements applicable to States 

16 under section 471(e) and shall permit the 

17 provision of the services and programs in 

18 the form of services and programs that are 

19 adapted to the culture and context of the 

20 tribal communities served. 

21 ‘‘(ii) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.—The 

22 Secretary shall establish specific perform23 ance measures for each tribe, organization, 

24 or consortium that elects to provide services 

25 and programs specified in section 471(e)(1). 

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1 The performance measures shall, to the 

2 greatest extent practicable, be consistent 

3 with the prevention services measures re4 quired for States under section 471(e)(6) 

5 but shall allow for consideration of factors 

6 unique to the provision of the services by 

7 tribes, organizations, or consortia.’’; and 

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

9 (5)’’ and inserting ‘‘(5), and (6)(A)’’. 

10 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading for 

11 subsection (d) of section 479B of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 679c) is amended by striking ‘‘FOR FOSTER CARE

13 MAINTENANCE AND ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PAY14 MENTS’’. 

15 SEC. 112. FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE PAYMENTS FOR 

16 CHILDREN WITH PARENTS IN A LICENSED 

17 RESIDENTIAL FAMILY-BASED TREATMENT FA18 CILITY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE. 

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

20 Act (42 U.S.C. 672) is amended— 

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

22 inserting ‘‘, with a parent residing in a licensed resi23 dential family-based treatment facility, but only to 

24 the extent permitted under subsection (j), or in a’’; 

25 and 

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

2 ‘‘(j) CHILDREN PLACED WITH A PARENT RESIDING IN

3 A LICENSED RESIDENTIAL FAMILY-BASED TREATMENT FA4 CILITY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the pre6 ceding provisions of this section, a child who is eligi7 ble for foster care maintenance payments under this 

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

9 the eligibility were determined without regard to 

10 paragraphs (1)(B) and (3) of subsection (a), shall be 

11 eligible for the payments for a period of not more 

12 than 12 months during which the child is placed with 

13 a parent who is in a licensed residential family-based 

14 treatment facility for substance abuse, but only if— 

15 ‘‘(A) the recommendation for the placement 

16 is specified in the child’s case plan before the 

17 placement; 

18 ‘‘(B) the treatment facility provides, as part 

19 of the treatment for substance abuse, parenting 

20 skills training, parent education, and individual 

21 and family counseling; and 

22 ‘‘(C) the substance abuse treatment, par23 enting skills training, parent education, and in24 dividual and family counseling is provided 

25 under an organizational structure and treatment 

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1 framework that involves understanding, recog2 nizing, and responding to the effects of all types 

3 of trauma and in accordance with recognized 

4 principles of a trauma-informed approach and 

5 trauma-specific interventions to address the con6 sequences of trauma and facilitate healing. 

7 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—With respect to children for 

8 whom foster care maintenance payments are made 

9 under paragraph (1), only the children who satisfy 

10 the requirements of paragraphs (1)(B) and (3) of sub11 section (a) shall be considered to be children with re12 spect to whom foster care maintenance payments are 

13 made under this section for purposes of subsection (h) 

14 or section 473(b)(3)(B).’’. 

15 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 474(a)(1) of 

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

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

18 Federal’’ the 1st place it appears. 

19 SEC. 113. TITLE IV–E PAYMENTS FOR EVIDENCE-BASED KIN20 SHIP NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS. 

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

22 674(a)), as amended by section 111(c), is amended— 

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

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

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

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

2 amounts expended by the State during the quarter as 

3 the Secretary determines are for kinship navigator 

4 programs that meet the requirements described in sec5 tion 427(a)(1) and that the Secretary determines are 

6 operated in accordance with promising, supported, or 

7 well-supported practices that meet the applicable cri8 teria specified for the practices in section 

9 471(e)(4)(C), without regard to whether the expendi10 tures are incurred on behalf of children who are, or 

11 are potentially, eligible for foster care maintenance 

12 payments under this part.’’. 

13 Subtitle B—Enhanced Support 

14 Under Title IV–B 

15 SEC. 121. ELIMINATION OF TIME LIMIT FOR FAMILY REUNI16 FICATION SERVICES WHILE IN FOSTER CARE 

17 AND PERMITTING TIME-LIMITED FAMILY RE18 UNIFICATION SERVICES WHEN A CHILD RE19 TURNS HOME FROM FOSTER CARE. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 431(a)(7) of the Social Se21 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(7)) is amended— 

22 (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

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

24 and 

25 (2) in subparagraph (A)— 

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

2 inserting ‘‘family’’; 

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

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

5 and 

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

7 month period that begins on the date that the 

8 child, pursuant to section 475(5)(F), is consid9 ered to have entered foster care’’ and inserting 

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

11 reunification. In the case of a child who has been 

12 returned home, the services and activities shall 

13 only be provided during the 15-month period 

14 that begins on the date that the child returns 

15 home’’. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

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

19 striking ‘‘time-limited’’. 

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

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

22 by striking ‘‘time-limited’’ each place it appears. 

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1 SEC. 122. REDUCING BUREAUCRACY AND UNNECESSARY 

2 DELAYS WHEN PLACING CHILDREN IN HOMES 

3 ACROSS STATE LINES. 

4 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 471(a)(25) 

5 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(25)) is amend6 ed— 

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

8 and 

9 (2) by inserting ‘‘, which, not later than October 

10 1, 2026, shall include the use of an electronic inter11 state case-processing system’’ before the 1st semicolon. 

12 (b) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC13 TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EXPE14 DITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN FOS15 TER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.—Section 

16 437 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g) is amended by adding 

17 at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(g) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC19 TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EXPE20 DITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN FOS21 TER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.— 

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

23 is to facilitate the development of an electronic inter24 state case-processing system for the exchange of data 

25 and documents to expedite the placements of children 

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1 in foster, guardianship, or adoptive homes across 

2 State lines. 

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

4 that desires a grant under this subsection shall submit 

5 to the Secretary an application containing the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(A) A description of the goals and out8 comes to be achieved during the period for which 

9 grant funds are sought, which goals and out10 comes must result in— 

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

12 child to be provided with a safe and appro13 priate permanent living arrangement across 

14 State lines; 

15 ‘‘(ii) improving administrative proc16 esses and reducing costs in the foster care 

17 system; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) the secure exchange of relevant 

19 case files and other necessary materials in 

20 real time, and timely communications and 

21 placement decisions regarding interstate 

22 placements of children. 

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

24 funded in whole or in part with the grant funds, 

25 including the sequencing of the activities. 

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1 ‘‘(C) A description of the strategies for inte2 grating programs and services for children who 

3 are placed across State lines. 

4 ‘‘(D) Such other information as the Sec5 retary may require. 

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

7 make a grant to a State that complies with para8 graph (2). 

9 ‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—A State to which a grant 

10 is made under this subsection shall use the grant to 

11 support the State in connecting with the electronic 

12 interstate case-processing system described in para13 graph (1). 

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

15 the final year in which grants are awarded under this 

16 subsection, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress, 

17 and make available to the general public by posting 

18 on a website, a report that contains the following in19 formation: 

20 ‘‘(A) How using the electronic interstate 

21 case-processing system developed pursuant to 

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

23 children to be placed across State lines. 

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

25 Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children 

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1 that were processed through the electronic inter2 state case-processing system, and the number of 

3 interstate child placement cases that were proc4 essed outside the electronic interstate case-proc5 essing system, by each State in each year. 

6 ‘‘(C) The progress made by States in imple7 menting the electronic interstate case-processing 

8 system. 

9 ‘‘(D) How using the electronic interstate 

10 case-processing system has affected various 

11 metrics related to child safety and well-being, in12 cluding the time it takes for children to be placed 

13 across State lines. 

14 ‘‘(E) How using the electronic interstate 

15 case-processing system has affected administra16 tive costs and caseworker time spent on placing 

17 children across State lines. 

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

19 consultation with the Secretariat for the Interstate 

20 Compact on the Placement of Children and the States, 

21 shall assess how the electronic interstate case-proc22 essing system developed pursuant to paragraph (4) 

23 could be used to better serve and protect children that 

24 come to the attention of the child welfare system, by— 

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1 ‘‘(A) connecting the system with other data 

2 systems (such as systems operated by State law 

3 enforcement and judicial agencies, systems oper4 ated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 

5 the purposes of the Innocence Lost National Ini6 tiative, and other systems); 

7 ‘‘(B) simplifying and improving reporting 

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

9 471(a) regarding children or youth who have 

10 been identified as being a sex trafficking victim 

11 or children missing from foster care; and 

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

13 quickly comply with background check require14 ments of section 471(a)(20), including checks of 

15 child abuse and neglect registries as required by 

16 section 471(a)(20)(B).’’. 

17 (c) RESERVATION OF FUNDS TO IMPROVE THE INTER18 STATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN.—Section 437(b) of such 

19 Act (42 U.S.C. 629g(b)) is amended by adding at the end 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(4) IMPROVING THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT

22 OF CHILDREN.—The Secretary shall reserve 

23 $5,000,000 of the amount made available for fiscal 

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

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1 amount so reserved shall remain available through 

2 fiscal year 2021.’’. 

3 SEC. 123. ENHANCEMENTS TO GRANTS TO IMPROVE WELL4 BEING OF FAMILIES AFFECTED BY SUB5 STANCE ABUSE. 

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

7 629g(f)) is amended— 

8 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘IN9 CREASE THE WELL-BEING OF, AND TO IMPROVE THE

10 PERMANENCY OUTCOMES FOR, CHILDREN AFFECTED

11 BY’’ and inserting ‘‘IMPLEMENT IV-E PREVENTION

12 SERVICES, AND IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING OF, AND

13 IMPROVE PERMANENCY OUTCOMES FOR, CHILDREN

14 AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY HEROIN, OPIOIDS, AND

15 OTHER’’; 

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

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(2) REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP DEFINED.—In this 

19 subsection, the term ‘regional partnership’ means a 

20 collaborative agreement (which may be established on 

21 an interstate, State, or intrastate basis) entered into 

22 by the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) MANDATORY PARTNERS FOR ALL PART24 NERSHIP GRANTS.— 

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1 ‘‘(i) The State child welfare agency 

2 that is responsible for the administration of 

3 the State plan under this part and part E. 

4 ‘‘(ii) The State agency responsible for 

5 administering the substance abuse preven6 tion and treatment block grant provided 

7 under subpart II of part B of title XIX of 

8 the Public Health Service Act. 

9 ‘‘(B) MANDATORY PARTNERS FOR PARTNER10 SHIP GRANTS PROPOSING TO SERVE CHILDREN

11 IN OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS.—If the partner12 ship proposes to serve children in out-of-home 

13 placements, the Juvenile Court or Administrative 

14 Office of the Court that is most appropriate to 

15 oversee the administration of court programs in 

16 the region to address the population of families 

17 who come to the attention of the court due to 

18 child abuse or neglect. 

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

20 of the partnership, any of the following: 

21 ‘‘(i) An Indian tribe or tribal consor22 tium. 

23 ‘‘(ii) Nonprofit child welfare service 

24 providers. 

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

2 providers. 

3 ‘‘(iv) Community health service pro4 viders, including substance abuse treatment 

5 providers. 

6 ‘‘(v) Community mental health pro7 viders. 

8 ‘‘(vi) Local law enforcement agencies. 

9 ‘‘(vii) School personnel. 

10 ‘‘(viii) Tribal child welfare agencies 

11 (or a consortia of the agencies). 

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

13 personnel, officials, or entities that are re14 lated to the provision of child and family 

15 services under a State plan approved under 

16 this subpart. 

17 ‘‘(D) EXCEPTION FOR REGIONAL PARTNER18 SHIPS WHERE THE LEAD APPLICANT IS AN IN19 DIAN TRIBE OR TRIBAL CONSORTIA.—If an In20 dian tribe or tribal consortium enters into a re21 gional partnership for purposes of this sub22 section, the Indian tribe or tribal consortium— 

23 ‘‘(i) may (but is not required to) in24 clude the State child welfare agency as a 

25 partner in the collaborative agreement; 

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1 ‘‘(ii) may not enter into a collaborative 

2 agreement only with tribal child welfare 

3 agencies (or a consortium of the agencies); 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(iii) if the condition described in 

6 paragraph (2)(B) applies, may include trib7 al court organizations in lieu of other judi8 cial partners.’’; 

9 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

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

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

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

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

15 ‘‘$250,000 and not more than $1,000,000’’; 

16 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

17 (i) in the subparagraph heading, by 

18 inserting ‘‘; PLANNING’’ after ‘‘APPROVAL’’; 

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

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

21 and 

22 (iii) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(iii) SUFFICIENT PLANNING.—A grant 

25 awarded under this subsection shall be dismstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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1 bursed in 2 phases: a planning phase (not 

2 to exceed 2 years); and an implementation 

3 phase. The total disbursement to a grantee 

4 for the planning phase may not exceed 

5 $250,000, and may not exceed the total an6 ticipated funding for the implementation 

7 phase.’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(D) LIMITATION ON PAYMENT FOR A FIS10 CAL YEAR.—No payment shall be made under 

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

12 the Secretary determines that the eligible part13 nership has made sufficient progress in meeting 

14 the goals of the grant and that the members of 

15 the eligible partnership are coordinating to a 

16 reasonable degree with the other members of the 

17 eligible partnership.’’; 

18 (4) in paragraph (4)— 

19 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

20 (i) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, par21 ents, and families’’ after ‘‘children’’; 

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

23 and permanence for such children; and’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘safe, permanent caregiving 

25 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) the 

7 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 grant 

23 period, including through the use of prevention 

24 services and programs under section 471(e) and 

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1 fare and substance abuse prevention and treat2 ment 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 success19 ful collaboration among child welfare, substance 

20 abuse disorder treatment and mental health 

21 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, par9 enting capacity, and family well-being. In 

10 developing the core indicators, to the extent 

11 possible, indicators shall be made consistent 

12 with the outcome measures described in sec13 tion 471(e)(6)’’; 

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 of 

18 regional partnership grants under this sub19 section, 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 later 

2 than September 30 of each fiscal year in 

3 which a recipient of a grant under this sub4 section is paid funds under the grant, and 

5 every 6 months thereafter, the grant recipi6 ent shall submit to the Secretary a report 

7 on the services provided and activities car8 ried out during the reporting period, 

9 progress made in achieving the goals of the 

10 program, the number of children, adults, 

11 and families receiving services, and such 

12 additional information as the Secretary de13 termines is necessary. The report due not 

14 later than September 30 of the last such fis15 cal year shall include, at a minimum, data 

16 on each of the performance indicators in17 cluded in the evaluation of the regional 

18 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 LICENS6 ING STANDARDS.—Not later than October 1, 2017, the Sec7 retary of Health and Human Services shall identify rep8 utable model licensing standards with respect to the licens9 ing of foster family homes (as defined in section 472(c)(1) 

10 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, 2018, 

19 the State shall submit to the Secretary information 

20 addressing— 

21 ‘‘(A) whether the State licensing standards 

22 are in accord with model standards identified by 

23 the Secretary, and if not, the reason for the spe24 cific deviation and a description as to why hav25 ing a standard that is reasonably in accord with 

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1 the corresponding national model standards is 

2 not appropriate for the State; 

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

4 standards established in 471(a)(10)(A) for rel5 ative foster family homes (pursuant to waiver 

6 authority provided by 471(a)(10)(D)), a descrip7 tion of which standards the State most com8 monly waives, and if the State has not elected to 

9 waive the standards, the reason for not waiving 

10 these standards; 

11 ‘‘(C) if the State has elected to waive stand12 ards specified in subparagraph (B), how case13 workers are trained to use the waiver authority 

14 and whether the State has developed a process or 

15 provided tools to assist caseworkers in waiving 

16 nonsafety standards per the authority provided 

17 in 471(a)(10)(D) to quickly place children with 

18 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 prevent 

7 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 to 

11 be reported by the State agency referred to in 

12 paragraph (1), including gathering relevant in13 formation on the deaths from the relevant orga14 nizations in the State including entities such as 

15 State vital statistics department, child death re16 view teams, law enforcement agencies, offices of 

17 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 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 1st sentence of section 470 of such 

9 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 in 

14 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 amendments 

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

22 (2) EXCEPTIONS.—The amendments made by 

23 sections 131 and 133 shall take effect on the date of 

24 enactment of this Act. 

25 (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 require9 ments of such part solely on the basis of the failure 

10 of the plan to meet such additional requirements be11 fore the first day of the first calendar quarter begin12 ning after the close of the first regular session of the 

13 State legislature that begins after the date of enact14 ment of this Act. For purposes of the previous sen15 tence, in the case of a State that has a 2-year legisla16 tive session, each year of the session shall be deemed 

17 to be a separate regular session of the State legisla18 ture. 

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 tribe, 

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1 organization, or tribal consortium has a plan under 

2 section 479B of the Social Security Act or a coopera3 tive agreement or contract entered into with a State), 

4 the Secretary shall provide the tribe, organization, or 

5 tribal consortium with such additional time as the 

6 Secretary determines is necessary for the tribe, orga7 nization, or tribal consortium to take the action to 

8 comply with the additional requirements before being 

9 regarded as failing to comply with the requirements. 

10 TITLE II—ENSURING THE NE11 CESSITY OF A PLACEMENT 

12 THAT IS NOT IN A FOSTER 

13 FAMILY HOME 

14 SEC. 201. LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA15 TION FOR PLACEMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN 

16 FOSTER FAMILY HOMES. 

17 (a) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA18 TION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 472 of the Social Se20 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 672), as amended by section 

21 112, is amended— 

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

23 but only to the extent permitted under subsection 

24 (k)’’ after ‘‘institution’’; and 

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

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1 ‘‘(k) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA2 TION.— 

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

4 week for which foster care maintenance payments are 

5 made under this section on behalf of a child placed 

6 in a child-care institution, no Federal payment shall 

7 be made to the State under section 474(a)(1) for 

8 amounts expended for foster care maintenance pay9 ments on behalf of the child unless— 

10 ‘‘(A) the child is placed in a child-care in11 stitution that is a setting specified in paragraph 

12 (2) (or is placed in a licensed residential family13 based treatment facility consistent with sub14 section (j)); and 

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

16 qualified residential treatment program (as de17 fined in paragraph (4)), the requirements speci18 fied in paragraph (3) and section 475A(c) are 

19 met. 

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

21 The settings for placement specified in this paragraph 

22 are the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) A qualified residential treatment pro24 gram (as defined in paragraph (4)). 

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1 ‘‘(B) A setting specializing in providing 

2 prenatal, post-partum, or parenting supports for 

3 youth. 

4 ‘‘(C) In the case of a child who has attained 

5 18 years of age, a supervised setting in which the 

6 child is living independently. 

7 ‘‘(3) ASSESSMENT TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE8 NESS OF PLACEMENT IN A QUALIFIED RESIDENTIAL

9 TREATMENT PROGRAM.— 

10 ‘‘(A) DEADLINE FOR ASSESSMENT.—In the 

11 case of a child who is placed in a qualified resi12 dential treatment program, if the assessment re13 quired under section 475A(c)(1) is not completed 

14 within 30 days after the placement is made, no 

15 Federal payment shall be made to the State 

16 under section 474(a)(1) for any amounts ex17 pended for foster care maintenance payments on 

18 behalf of the child during the placement. 

19 ‘‘(B) DEADLINE FOR TRANSITION OUT OF

20 PLACEMENT.—If the assessment required under 

21 section 475A(c)(1) determines that the placement 

22 of a child in a qualified residential treatment 

23 program is not appropriate, a court disapproves 

24 such a placement under section 475A(c)(2), or a 

25 child who has been in an approved placement in 

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1 a qualified residential treatment program is 

2 going to return home or be placed with a fit and 

3 willing relative, a legal guardian, or an adoptive 

4 parent, or in a foster family home, Federal pay5 ments shall be made to the State under section 

6 474(a)(1) for amounts expended for foster care 

7 maintenance payments on behalf of the child 

8 while the child remains in the qualified residen9 tial treatment program only during the period 

10 necessary for the child to transition home or to 

11 such a placement. In no event shall a State re12 ceive Federal payments under section 474(a)(1) 

13 for amounts expended for foster care mainte14 nance payments on behalf of a child who re15 mains placed in a qualified residential treat16 ment program after the end of the 30-day period 

17 that begins on the date a determination is made 

18 that the placement is no longer the recommended 

19 or approved placement for the child. 

20 ‘‘(4) QUALIFIED RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PRO21 GRAM.—For purposes of this part, the term ‘qualified 

22 residential treatment program’ means a program 

23 that— 

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

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1 cluding clinical needs as appropriate, of children 

2 with serious emotional or behavioral disorders or 

3 disturbances and, with respect to a child, is able 

4 to implement the treatment identified for the 

5 child by the assessment of the child required 

6 under section 475A(c); 

7 ‘‘(B) has registered or licensed nursing staff 

8 and other licensed clinical staff who— 

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

10 their practice as defined by State law; 

11 ‘‘(ii) are on-site during business hours; 

12 and 

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

14 7 days a week; 

15 ‘‘(C) to extent appropriate, and in accord16 ance with the child’s best interests, facilitates 

17 participation of family members in the child’s 

18 treatment program; 

19 ‘‘(D) facilitates outreach to the family mem20 bers of the child, including siblings, documents 

21 how the outreach is made (including contact in22 formation), and maintains contact information 

23 for any known biological family and fictive kin 

24 of the child; 

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1 ‘‘(E) documents how family members are 

2 integrated into the treatment process for the 

3 child, including post-discharge, and how sibling 

4 connections are maintained; 

5 ‘‘(F) provides discharge planning and fam6 ily-based aftercare support for at least 6 months 

7 post-discharge; and 

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

9 471(a)(10) and is accredited by any of the fol10 lowing independent, not-for-profit organizations: 

11 ‘‘(i) The Commission on Accreditation 

12 of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). 

13 ‘‘(ii) The Joint Commission on Accred14 itation of Healthcare Organizations 

15 (JCAHO). 

16 ‘‘(iii) The Council on Accreditation 

17 (COA). 

18 ‘‘(iv) Any other independent, not-for19 profit accrediting organization approved by 

20 the Secretary.’’. 

21 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

22 474(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

23 674(a)(1)), as amended by section 112(b), is amended 

24 by striking ‘‘section 472(j)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub25 sections (j) and (k) of section 472’’. 

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1 (b) DEFINITION OF FOSTER FAMILY HOME, CHILD2 CARE INSTITUTION.—Section 472(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 672(c)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 

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

5 ‘‘(1) FOSTER FAMILY HOME.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘foster family 

7 home’ means the home of an individual or fam8 ily— 

9 ‘‘(i) that is licensed or approved by the 

10 State in which it is situated as a foster 

11 family home that meets the standards estab12 lished for the licensing or approval; and 

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

14 has been placed in the care of an indi15 vidual, who resides with the child and who 

16 has been licensed or approved by the State 

17 to be a foster parent— 

18 ‘‘(I) that the State deems capable 

19 of adhering to the reasonable and pru20 dent parent standard; 

21 ‘‘(II) that provides 24-hour sub22 stitute care for children placed away 

23 from their parents or other caretakers; 

24 and 

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1 ‘‘(III) that provides the care for 

2 not more than 6 children in foster care. 

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

4 foster children that may be cared for in a home 

5 under subparagraph (A) may exceed the numer6 ical limitation in subparagraph (A)(ii)(III), at 

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

8 reasons: 

9 ‘‘(i) To allow a parenting youth in fos10 ter care to remain with the child of the par11 enting youth. 

12 ‘‘(ii) To allow siblings to remain to13 gether. 

14 ‘‘(iii) To allow a child with an estab15 lished meaningful relationship with the 

16 family to remain with the family. 

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

18 training or skills to provide care to a child 

19 who has a severe disability. 

20 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Subpara21 graph (A) shall not be construed as prohibiting 

22 a foster parent from renting the home in which 

23 the parent cares for a foster child placed in the 

24 parent’s care. 

25 ‘‘(2) CHILD-CARE INSTITUTION.— 

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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘child-care in2 stitution’ means a private child-care institution, 

3 or a public child-care institution which accom4 modates no more than 25 children, which is li5 censed by the State in which it is situated or has 

6 been approved by the agency of the State respon7 sible for licensing or approval of institutions of 

8 this type as meeting the standards established for 

9 the licensing. 

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

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

12 term shall include a supervised setting in which 

13 the individual is living independently, in ac14 cordance with such conditions as the Secretary 

15 shall establish in regulations. 

16 ‘‘(C) EXCLUSIONS.—The term shall not in17 clude detention facilities, forestry camps, train18 ing schools, or any other facility operated pri19 marily for the detention of children who are de20 termined to be delinquent.’’. 

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

22 OTHER LEGAL PERSONNEL IN CHILD WELFARE CASES.— 

23 Section 438(b)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(b)(1)) is 

24 amended in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) by in25 serting ‘‘shall provide for the training of judges, attorneys, 

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1 and other legal personnel in child welfare cases on Federal 

2 child welfare policies and payment limitations with respect 

3 to children in foster care who are placed in settings that 

4 are not a foster family home,’’ after ‘‘with respect to the 

5 child,’’. 

6 (d) ASSURANCE OF NONIMPACT ON JUVENILE JUSTICE

7 SYSTEM.— 

8 (1) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 471(a) 

9 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)), as amended by section 

10 131, is further amended by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(37) includes a certification that, in response to 

13 the limitation imposed under section 472(k) with re14 spect to foster care maintenance payments made on 

15 behalf of any child who is placed in a setting that is 

16 not a foster family home, the State will not enact or 

17 advance policies or practices that would result in a 

18 significant increase in the population of youth in the 

19 State’s juvenile justice system.’’. 

20 (2) GAO STUDY AND REPORT.—The Comptroller 

21 General of the United States shall evaluate the im22 pact, if any, on State juvenile justice systems of the 

23 limitation imposed under section 472(k) of the Social 

24 Security Act (as added by section 201(a)(1)) on foster 

25 care maintenance payments made on behalf of any 

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1 child who is placed in a setting that is not a foster 

2 family home, in accordance with the amendments 

3 made by subsections (a) and (b) of this section. In 

4 particular, the Comptroller General shall evaluate the 

5 extent to which children in foster care who also are 

6 subject to the juvenile justice system of the State are 

7 placed in a facility under the jurisdiction of the juve8 nile justice system and whether the lack of available 

9 congregate care placements under the jurisdiction of 

10 the child welfare systems is a contributing factor to 

11 that result. Not later than December 31, 2023, the 

12 Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report 

13 on the results of the evaluation. 

14 SEC. 202. ASSESSMENT AND DOCUMENTATION OF THE 

15 NEED FOR PLACEMENT IN A QUALIFIED RESI16 DENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM. 

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

18 675a) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

20 DETERMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR PLACEMENT IN A

21 QUALIFIED RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM.—In the 

22 case of any child who is placed in a qualified residential 

23 treatment program (as defined in section 472(k)(4)), the fol24 lowing requirements shall apply for purposes of approving 

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1 the case plan for the child and the case system review proce2 dure for the child: 

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

4 placement in such a setting, a qualified individual 

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

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

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

8 validated, functional assessment tool approved by 

9 the Secretary; 

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

11 child can be met with family members or 

12 through placement in a foster family home or, if 

13 not, which setting from among the settings speci14 fied in section 472(k)(2) would provide the most 

15 effective and appropriate level of care for the 

16 child in the least restrictive environment and be 

17 consistent with the short- and long-term goals for 

18 the child, as specified in the permanency plan 

19 for the child; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) develop a list of child-specific short21 and long-term mental and behavioral health 

22 goals. 

23 ‘‘(B)(i) The State shall assemble a family and 

24 permanency team for the child in accordance with the 

25 requirements of clauses (ii) and (iii). The qualified 

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1 individual conducting the assessment required under 

2 subparagraph (A) shall work in conjunction with the 

3 family of, and permanency team for, the child while 

4 conducting and making the assessment. 

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

6 consist of all appropriate biological family members, 

7 relative, and fictive kin of the child, as well as, as ap8 propriate, professionals who are a resource to the 

9 family of the child, such as teachers, medical or men10 tal health providers who have treated the child, or 

11 clergy. In the case of a child who has attained age 14, 

12 the family and permanency team shall include the 

13 members of the permanency planning team for the 

14 child that are selected by the child in accordance with 

15 section 475(5)(C)(iv). 

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

17 case plan— 

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

19 the State to identify and include all such indi20 viduals on the family of, and permanency team 

21 for, the child; 

22 ‘‘(II) all contact information for members of 

23 the family and permanency team, as well as con24 tact information for other family members and 

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1 fictive kin who are not part of the family and 

2 permanency team; 

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

4 and permanency team, including meetings relat5 ing to the assessment required under subpara6 graph (A), are held at a time and place conven7 ient for family; 

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

9 demonstrating that the parent from whom the 

10 child was removed provided input on the mem11 bers of the family and permanency team; 

12 ‘‘(V) evidence that the assessment required 

13 under subparagraph (A) is determined in con14 junction with the family and permanency team; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(VI) the placement preferences of the fam17 ily and permanency team relative to the assess18 ment and, if the placement preferences of the 

19 family and permanency team and child are not 

20 the placement setting recommended by the quali21 fied individual conducting the assessment under 

22 subparagraph (A), the reasons why the pref23 erences of the team and of the child were not rec24 ommended. 

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1 ‘‘(C) In the case of a child who the qualified in2 dividual conducting the assessment under subpara3 graph (A) determines should not be placed in a foster 

4 family home, the qualified individual shall specify in 

5 writing the reasons why the needs of the child cannot 

6 be met by the family of the child or in a foster family 

7 home. A shortage or lack of foster family homes shall 

8 not be an acceptable reason for determining that a 

9 needs of the child cannot be met in a foster family 

10 home. The qualified individual also shall specify in 

11 writing why the recommended placement in a quali12 fied residential treatment program is the setting that 

13 will provide the child with the most effective and ap14 propriate level of care in the least restrictive environ15 ment and how that placement is consistent with the 

16 short- and long-term goals for the child, as specified 

17 in the permanency plan for the child. 

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

19 the term ‘qualified individual’ means a trained pro20 fessional or licensed clinician who is not an employee 

21 of the State agency and who is not connected to, or 

22 affiliated with, any placement setting in which chil23 dren are placed by the State. 

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

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

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1 submission by the State, in accordance with criteria 

2 established by the Secretary, that certifies that the 

3 trained professionals or licensed clinicians with re4 sponsibility for performing the assessments described 

5 in subparagraph (A) shall maintain objectivity with 

6 respect to determining the most effective and appro7 priate placement for a child. 

8 ‘‘(2) Within 60 days of the start of each place9 ment in a qualified residential treatment program, a 

10 family or juvenile court or another court (including 

11 a tribal court) of competent jurisdiction, or an ad12 ministrative body appointed or approved by the 

13 court, independently, shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) consider the assessment, determination, 

15 and documentation made by the qualified indi16 vidual conducting the assessment under para17 graph (1); 

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

19 child can be met through placement in a foster 

20 family home or, if not, whether placement of the 

21 child in a qualified residential treatment pro22 gram provides the most effective and appropriate 

23 level of care for the child in the least restrictive 

24 environment and whether that placement is con25 sistent with the short- and long-term goals for 

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1 the child, as specified in the permanency plan 

2 for the child; and 

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

4 ‘‘(3) The written documentation made under 

5 paragraph (1)(C) and documentation of the deter6 mination and approval or disapproval of the place7 ment in a qualified residential treatment program by 

8 a court or administrative body under paragraph (2) 

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

10 for the child. 

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

12 qualified residential treatment program, the State 

13 agency shall submit evidence at each status review 

14 and each permanency hearing held with respect to the 

15 child— 

16 ‘‘(A) demonstrating that ongoing assessment 

17 of the strengths and needs of the child continues 

18 to support the determination that the needs of 

19 the child cannot be met through placement in a 

20 foster family home, that the placement in a 

21 qualified residential treatment program provides 

22 the most effective and appropriate level of care 

23 for the child in the least restrictive environment, 

24 and that the placement is consistent with the 

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1 short- and long-term goals for the child, as speci2 fied in the permanency plan for the child; 

3 ‘‘(B) documenting the specific treatment or 

4 service needs that will be met for the child in the 

5 placement and the length of time the child is ex6 pected to need the treatment or services; and 

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

8 State agency to prepare the child to return home 

9 or to be placed with a fit and willing relative, 

10 a legal guardian, or an adoptive parent, or in 

11 a foster family home. 

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

13 a qualified residential treatment program for more 

14 than 12 consecutive months or 18 nonconsecutive 

15 months (or, in the case of a child who has not at16 tained age 13, for more than 6 consecutive or non17 consecutive months), the State agency shall submit to 

18 the Secretary— 

19 ‘‘(A) the most recent versions of the evidence 

20 and documentation specified in paragraph (4); 

21 and 

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

23 State agency for the continued placement of the 

24 child in that setting.’’. 

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1 SEC. 203. PROTOCOLS TO PREVENT INAPPROPRIATE DIAG2 NOSES. 

3 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 

4 422(b)(15)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 622(b)(15)(A)) is amended— 

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

7 semicolon; 

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

9 and 

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

11 ‘‘(vii) the procedures and protocols the 

12 State has established to ensure that children 

13 in foster care placements are not inappro14 priately diagnosed with mental illness, 

15 other emotional or behavioral disorders, 

16 medically fragile conditions, or develop17 mental disabilities, and placed in settings 

18 that are not foster family homes as a result 

19 of the inappropriate diagnoses; and’’. 

20 (b) EVALUATION.—Section 476 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 676), as amended by section 111(d), is further amended by 

22 adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(e) EVALUATION OF STATE PROCEDURES AND PRO24 TOCOLS TO PREVENT INAPPROPRIATE DIAGNOSES OF MEN25 TAL ILLNESS OR OTHER CONDITIONS.—The Secretary shall 

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1 lished by States in accordance with the requirements of sec2 tion 422(b)(15)(A)(vii). The evaluation shall analyze the ex3 tent to which States comply with and enforce the procedures 

4 and protocols and the effectiveness of various State proce5 dures and protocols and shall identify best practices. Not 

6 later than January 1, 2019, the Secretary shall submit a 

7 report on the results of the evaluation to Congress.’’. 

8 SEC. 204. ADDITIONAL DATA AND REPORTS REGARDING 

9 CHILDREN PLACED IN A SETTING THAT IS 

10 NOT A FOSTER FAMILY HOME. 

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

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

13 through (vi) and inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(i) with respect to each such place15 ment— 

16 ‘‘(I) the type of the placement set17 ting, including whether the placement 

18 is shelter care, a group home and if so, 

19 the range of the child population in the 

20 home, a residential treatment facility, 

21 a hospital or institution providing 

22 medical, rehabilitative, or psychiatric 

23 care, a setting specializing in pro24 viding prenatal, post-partum or par25 enting supports, or some other kind of 

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1 child-care institution and if so, what 

2 kind; 

3 ‘‘(II) the number of children in 

4 the placement setting and the age, race, 

5 ethnicity, and gender of each of the 

6 children; 

7 ‘‘(III) for each child in the place8 ment setting, the length of the place9 ment of the child in the setting, wheth10 er the placement of the child in the set11 ting is the first placement of the child 

12 and if not, the number and type of 

13 previous placements of the child, and 

14 whether the child has special needs or 

15 another diagnosed mental or physical 

16 illness or condition; and 

17 ‘‘(IV) the extent of any specialized 

18 education, treatment, counseling, or 

19 other services provided in the setting; 

20 and 

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

22 of children in the placements who have a 

23 permanency plan of another planned per24 manent living arrangement; and’’. 

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

2 (a) EFFECTIVE DATES.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) and 

4 subsections (b) and (c), the amendments made by this 

5 title shall take effect on October 1, 2016. 

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

7 plan under part B or E of title IV of the Social Secu8 rity Act which the Secretary of Health and Human 

9 Services determines requires State legislation (other 

10 than legislation appropriating funds) in order for the 

11 plan to meet the additional requirements imposed by 

12 the amendments made by this title, the State plan 

13 shall not be regarded as failing to comply with the re14 quirements of such part solely on the basis of the fail15 ure of the plan to meet the additional requirements 

16 before the first day of the first calendar quarter begin17 ning after the close of the first regular session of the 

18 State legislature that begins after the date of enact19 ment of this Act. For purposes of the previous sen20 tence, in the case of a State that has a 2-year legisla21 tive session, each year of the session shall be deemed 

22 to be a separate regular session of the State legisla23 ture. 

24 (b) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA25 TION FOR PLACEMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN FOSTER FAMILY

26 HOMES AND RELATED PROVISIONS.—The amendments 

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1 made by sections 201(a), 201(b), 201(d), and 202 shall take 

2 effect on October 1, 2019. 

3 (c) APPLICATION TO STATES WITH WAIVERS.—In the 

4 case of a State that, on the date of enactment of this Act, 

5 has in effect a waiver approved under section 1130 of the 

6 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a-9), the amendments 

7 made by this title shall not apply with respect to the State 

8 before the expiration (determined without regard to any ex9 tensions) of the waiver to the extent the amendments are 

10 inconsistent with the terms of the waiver. 

11 TITLE III—CONTINUING SUP12 PORT FOR CHILD AND FAMILY 

13 SERVICES 

14 SEC. 301. SUPPORTING AND RETAINING FOSTER FAMILIES 

15 FOR CHILDREN. 

16 (a) SUPPORTING AND RETAINING FOSTER PARENTS AS

17 A FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICE.—Section 431(a)(2)(B) of the 

18 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 631(a)(2)(B)) is amended 

19 by redesignating clauses (iii) through (vi) as clauses (iv) 

20 through (vii), respectively, and inserting after clause (ii) 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(iii) To support and retain foster 

23 families so they can provide quality family24 based settings for children in foster care.’’. 

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

2 436 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629f) is amended by adding 

3 at the end the following: 

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

5 any money in the Treasury of the United States not other6 wise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary 

7 for fiscal year 2018, $8,000,000 for the Secretary to make 

8 competitive grants to States, Indian tribes, or tribal con9 sortia to support the recruitment and retention of high10 quality foster families to increase their capacity to place 

11 more children in family settings, focused on States, Indian 

12 tribes, or tribal consortia with the highest percentage of 

13 children in non-family settings. The amount appropriated 

14 under this subparagraph shall remain available through fis15 cal year 2022.’’. 

16 SEC. 302. EXTENSION OF CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES 

17 PROGRAMS. 

18 (a) EXTENSION OF STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES CHILD

19 WELFARE SERVICES PROGRAM.—Section 425 of the Social 

20 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 625) is amended by striking ‘‘2012 

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

22 (b) EXTENSION OF PROMOTING SAFE AND STABLE

23 FAMILIES PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS.— 

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

25 (42 U.S.C. 629f(a)) is amended by striking all that 

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1 follows ‘‘$345,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of fis2 cal years 2017 through 2021.’’. 

3 (2) DISCRETIONARY GRANTS.—Section 437(a) of 

4 such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g(a)) is amended by striking 

5 ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 

6 2021’’. 

7 (c) EXTENSION OF FUNDING RESERVATIONS FOR

8 MONTHLY CASEWORKER VISITS AND REGIONAL PARTNER9 SHIP GRANTS.—Section 436(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

10 629f(b)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ‘‘2012 

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

13 and 

14 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘2012 through 

15 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 

16 (d) REAUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING FOR STATE

17 COURTS.— 

18 (1) EXTENSION OF PROGRAM.—Section 438(c)(1) 

19 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(c)(1)) is amended by 

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

21 through 2021’’. 

22 (2) EXTENSION OF FEDERAL SHARE.—Section 

23 438(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(d)) is amended by 

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

25 through 2021’’. 

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1 (e) REPEAL OF EXPIRED PROVISIONS.—Section 438(e) 

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

3 SEC. 303. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE JOHN H. CHAFEE FOS4 TER CARE INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM AND 

5 RELATED PROVISIONS. 

6 (a) AUTHORITY TO SERVE FORMER FOSTER YOUTH

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

8 (42 U.S.C. 677) is amended— 

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

10 years of age, in the case of a State with a certifi11 cation under subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii) to provide assist12 ance and services to youths who have aged out of fos13 ter care and have not attained such age, in accord14 ance with such subsection)’’ after ‘‘21 years of age’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)(3)(A)— 

16 (A) by inserting ‘‘(i)’’ before ‘‘A certifi17 cation’’; 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘children who have left fos19 ter care’’ and all that follows through the period 

20 and inserting ‘‘youths who have aged out of fos21 ter care and have not attained 21 years of age.’’; 

22 and 

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

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

25 475(8)(B) to extend eligibility for foster care to 

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1 all children who have not attained 21 years of 

2 age, or if the Secretary determines that the State 

3 agency responsible for administering the State 

4 plans under this part and part B uses State 

5 funds or any other funds not provided under this 

6 part to provide services and assistance for youths 

7 who have aged out of foster care that are com8 parable to the services and assistance the youths 

9 would receive if the State had made such an elec10 tion, the certification required under clause (i) 

11 may provide that the State will provide assist12 ance and services to youths who have aged out 

13 of foster care and have not attained 23 years of 

14 age.’’; and 

15 (3) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘children 

16 who have left foster care’’ and all that follows through 

17 the period and inserting ‘‘youths who have aged out 

18 of foster care and have not attained 21 years of age 

19 (or 23 years of age, in the case of a State with a cer20 tification under subparagraph (A)(i) to provide as21 sistance and services to youths who have aged out of 

22 foster care and have not attained such age, in accord23 ance with subparagraph (A)(ii)).’’. 

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1 (b) AUTHORITY TO REDISTRIBUTE UNSPENT

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

3 amended— 

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

5 expend allocated funds within the time period speci6 fied under section 477(d)(3)’’ after ‘‘provided by the 

7 Secretary’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(5) REDISTRIBUTION OF UNEXPENDED

10 AMOUNTS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—To the 

12 extent that amounts paid to States under this 

13 section in a fiscal year remain unexpended by 

14 the States at the end of the succeeding fiscal 

15 year, the Secretary may make the amounts 

16 available for redistribution in the 2nd succeeding 

17 fiscal year among the States that apply for addi18 tional funds under this section for that 2nd suc19 ceeding fiscal year. 

20 ‘‘(B) REDISTRIBUTION.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

22 redistribute the amounts made available 

23 under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year 

24 among eligible applicant States. In this 

25 subparagraph, the term ‘eligible applicant 

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1 State’ means a State that has applied for 

2 additional funds for the fiscal year under 

3 subparagraph (A) if the Secretary deter4 mines that the State will use the funds for 

5 the purpose for which originally allotted 

6 under this section. 

7 ‘‘(ii) AMOUNT TO BE REDISTRIB8 UTED.—The amount to be redistributed to 

9 each eligible applicant State shall be the 

10 amount so made available multiplied by the 

11 State foster care ratio, (as defined in sub12 section (c)(4), except that, in such sub13 section, ‘all eligible applicant States (as de14 fined in subsection (d)(5)(B)(i))’ shall be 

15 substituted for ‘all States’). 

16 ‘‘(iii) TREATMENT OF REDISTRIBUTED

17 AMOUNT.—Any amount made available to a 

18 State under this paragraph shall be re19 garded as part of the allotment of the State 

20 under this section for the fiscal year in 

21 which the redistribution is made. 

22 ‘‘(C) TRIBES.—For purposes of this para23 graph, the term ‘State’ includes an Indian tribe, 

24 tribal organization, or tribal consortium that re25 ceives an allotment under this section.’’. 

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1 (c) EXPANDING AND CLARIFYING THE USE OF EDU2 CATION AND TRAINING VOUCHERS.— 

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

4 (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(3)) is amended— 

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

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

7 eligible until they attain 26’’; and 

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

9 youth participate in the program for more than 

10 5 years (whether or not consecutive)’’ before the 

11 period. 

12 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

13 477(i)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(1)) is amend14 ed by inserting ‘‘who have attained 14 years of age’’ 

15 before the period. 

16 (d) OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.—Section 477 of such Act 

17 (42 U.S.C. 677), as amended by subsections (a), (b), and 

18 (c), is amended— 

19 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘INDE20 PENDENCE PROGRAM’’ and inserting ‘‘PROGRAM

21 FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO ADULT22 HOOD’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (a)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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1 (i) by striking ‘‘identify children who 

2 are likely to remain in foster care until 18 

3 years of age and to help these children make 

4 the transition to self-sufficiency by pro5 viding services’’ and inserting ‘‘support all 

6 youth who have experienced foster care at 

7 age 14 or older in their transition to adult8 hood through transitional services’’; 

9 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and post-secondary 

10 education’’ after ‘‘high school diploma’’; and 

11 (iii) by striking ‘‘training in daily liv12 ing skills, training in budgeting and finan13 cial management skills’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘training and opportunities to practice 

15 daily living skills (such as financial lit16 eracy training and driving instruction)’’; 

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

18 likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of 

19 age receive the education, training, and services 

20 necessary to obtain employment’’ and inserting 

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

22 older achieve meaningful, permanent connections 

23 with a caring adult’’; 

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

25 likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of 

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1 age prepare for and enter postsecondary training 

2 and education institutions’’ and inserting ‘‘who 

3 have experienced foster care at age 14 or older 

4 engage in age or developmentally appropriate 

5 activities, positive youth development, and expe6 riential learning that reflects what their peers in 

7 intact families experience’’; and 

8 (D) by striking paragraph (4) and redesig9 nating paragraphs (5) through (8) as para10 graphs (4) through (7); 

11 (3) in subsection (b)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ‘‘ado13 lescents’’ and inserting ‘‘youth’’; and 

14 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (i) in subparagraph (D)— 

16 (I) by inserting ‘‘including train17 ing on youth development’’ after ‘‘to 

18 provide training’’; and 

19 (II) by striking ‘‘adolescents pre20 paring for independent living’’ and all 

21 that follows through the period and in22 serting ‘‘youth preparing for a success23 ful transition to adulthood and making 

24 a permanent connection with a caring 

25 adult.’’; 

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

2 ‘‘adolescents’’ each place it appears and in3 serting ‘‘youth’’; and 

4 (iii) in subparagraph (K)— 

5 (I) by striking ‘‘an adolescent’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘a youth’’; and 

7 (II) by striking ‘‘the adolescent’’ 

8 each place it appears and inserting 

9 ‘‘the youth’’; and 

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

11 and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than Oc13 tober 1, 2017, the Secretary shall submit to the Com14 mittee on Ways and Means of the House of Represent15 atives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a 

16 report on the National Youth in Transition Database 

17 and any other databases in which States report out18 come measures relating to children in foster care and 

19 children who have aged out of foster care or left foster 

20 care for kinship guardianship or adoption. The report 

21 shall include the following: 

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

23 into foster care and of the foster care experiences, 

24 such as length of stay, number of placement set25 tings, case goal, and discharge reason of 17-yearmstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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1 olds who are surveyed by the National Youth in 

2 Transition Database and an analysis of the com3 parison of that description with the reasons for 

4 entry and foster care experiences of children of 

5 other ages who exit from foster care before at6 taining age 17. 

7 ‘‘(B) A description of the characteristics of 

8 the individuals who report poor outcomes at ages 

9 19 and 21 to the National Youth in Transition 

10 Database. 

11 ‘‘(C) Benchmarks for determining what con12 stitutes a poor outcome for youth who remain in 

13 or have exited from foster care and plans the Ex14 ecutive branch will take to incorporate these 

15 benchmarks in efforts to evaluate child welfare 

16 agency performance in providing services to chil17 dren transitioning from foster care. 

18 ‘‘(D) An analysis of the association between 

19 types of placement, number of overall place20 ments, time spent in foster care, and other fac21 tors, and outcomes at ages 19 and 21. 

22 ‘‘(E) An analysis of the differences in out23 comes for children in and formerly in foster care 

24 at age 19 and 21 among States.’’. 

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1 (e) CLARIFYING DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED TO FOS2 TER YOUTH LEAVING FOSTER CARE.—Section 475(5)(I) of 

3 such Act (42 U.S.C. 675(5)(I)) is amended by inserting 

4 after ‘‘REAL ID Act of 2005’’ the following: ‘‘, and any 

5 official documentation necessary to prove that the child was 

6 previously in foster care’’. 

7 TITLE IV—CONTINUING INCEN8 TIVES TO STATES TO PRO9 MOTE ADOPTION AND LEGAL 

10 GUARDIANSHIP 

11 SEC. 401. REAUTHORIZING ADOPTION AND LEGAL GUARD12 IANSHIP INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. 

13 Section 473A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 673b) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (b)(4), by striking ‘‘2013 

16 through 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2016 through 2020’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (h)(1)(D), by striking ‘‘2016’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2021’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (h)(2), by striking ‘‘2016’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘2021’’. 

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1 TITLE V—TECHNICAL 

2 CORRECTIONS 

3 SEC. 501. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO DATA EXCHANGE 

4 STANDARDS TO IMPROVE PROGRAM COORDI5 NATION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 440 of the Social Security 

7 Act (42 U.S.C. 629m) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 440. DATA EXCHANGE STANDARDS FOR IMPROVED 

9 INTEROPERABILITY. 

10 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary shall, in consulta11 tion with an interagency work group established by the Of12 fice of Management and Budget and considering State gov13 ernment perspectives, by rule, designate data exchange 

14 standards to govern, under this part— 

15 ‘‘(1) necessary categories of information that 

16 State agencies operating programs under State plans 

17 approved under this part are required under applica18 ble Federal law to electronically exchange with an19 other State agency; and 

20 ‘‘(2) Federal reporting and data exchange re21 quired under applicable Federal law. 

22 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The data exchange standards 

23 required by paragraph (1) shall, to the extent practicable— 

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1 ‘‘(1) incorporate a widely accepted, non-propri2 etary, searchable, computer-readable format, such as 

3 the eXtensible Markup Language; 

4 ‘‘(2) contain interoperable standards developed 

5 and maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, 

6 such as the National Information Exchange Model; 

7 ‘‘(3) incorporate interoperable standards devel8 oped and maintained by Federal entities with author9 ity over contracting and financial assistance; 

10 ‘‘(4) be consistent with and implement applica11 ble accounting principles; 

12 ‘‘(5) be implemented in a manner that is cost13 effective and improves program efficiency and effec14 tiveness; and 

15 ‘‘(6) be capable of being continually upgraded as 

16 necessary. 

17 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub18 section shall be construed to require a change to existing 

19 data exchange standards found to be effective and effi20 cient.’’. 

21 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Not later than the date that 

22 is 24 months after the date of the enactment of this section, 

23 the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue 

24 a proposed rule that— 

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1 (1) identifies federally required data exchanges, 

2 include specification and timing of exchanges to be 

3 standardized, and address the factors used in deter4 mining whether and when to standardize data ex5 changes; and 

6 (2) specifies State implementation options and 

7 describes future milestones. 

8 SEC. 502. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO STATE REQUIRE9 MENT TO ADDRESS THE DEVELOPMENTAL 

10 NEEDS OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 

11 Section 422(b)(18) of the Social Security Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 622(b)(18)) is amended by striking ‘‘such children’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘all vulnerable children under 5 years of 

14 age’’. 

15 TITLE VI—ENSURING STATES 

16 REINVEST SAVINGS RESULT17 ING FROM INCREASE IN 

18 ADOPTION ASSISTANCE 

19 SEC. 601. DELAY OF ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PHASE-IN. 

20 Section 473(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 673(e)(1)) is amended— 

22 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘fiscal 

23 year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘period’’; 

24 and 

25 (2) in subparagraph (B)— 

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1 (A) in the matter preceding the table, by 

2 striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘period’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) in the table— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘of fiscal year:’’ and in6 serting ‘‘of:’’; 

7 (ii) by striking ‘‘2010’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘Fiscal year 2010’’; 

9 (iii) by striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘Fiscal year 2011’’; 

11 (iv) by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘Fiscal year 2012’’; 

13 (v) by striking ‘‘2013’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘Fiscal year 2013’’; 

15 (vi) by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘Fiscal year 2014’’; 

17 (vii) by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘Fiscal year 2015’’; 

19 (viii) by striking ‘‘2016’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘October 1, 2015, through March 31, 2019’’; 

21 (ix) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2020’’; 

23 and 

24 (x) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘April 1, 2020,’’. 

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1 SEC. 602. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE REINVEST2 MENT OF SAVINGS RESULTING FROM IN3 CREASE IN ADOPTION ASSISTANCE. 

4 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

5 States shall study the extent to which States are complying 

6 with the requirements of section 473(a)(8) of the Social Se7 curity Act relating to the effects of phasing out the AFDC 

8 income eligibility requirements for adoption assistance pay9 ments under section 473 of the Social Security Act, as en10 acted by section 402 of the Fostering Connections to Success 

11 and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110– 

12 351; 122 Stat. 3975) and amended by section 206 of the 

13 Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act 

14 (Public Law 113–183; 128 Stat. 1919). In particular, the 

15 Comptroller General shall analyze the extent to which 

16 States are complying with the following requirements under 

17 section 473(a)(8)(D) of the Social Security Act: 

18 (1) The requirement to spend an amount equal 

19 to the amount of the savings (if any) in State expend20 itures under part E of title IV of the Social Security 

21 resulting from phasing out the AFDC income eligi22 bility requirements for adoption assistance payments 

23 under section 473 of such Act to provide to children 

24 of families any service that may be provided under 

25 part B or E of title IV of such Act. 

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1 (2) The requirement that a State shall spend not 

2 less than 30 percent of the amount of any savings de3 scribed in subparagraph (A) on post-adoption serv4 ices, post-guardianship services, and services to sup5 port and sustain positive permanent outcomes for 

6 children who otherwise might enter into foster care 

under the responsibility of the State, with at least 2 7 ⁄3

8 of the spending by the State to comply with the 30 

9 percent requirement being spent on post-adoption and 

10 post-guardianship services. 

11 (b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the United 

12 States shall submit to the Committee on Finance of the Sen13 ate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 

14 Representatives, and the Secretary of Health and Human 

15 Services a report that contains the results of the study re16 quired by subsection (a), including recommendations to en17 sure compliance with laws referred to in subsection (a). 

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Union Calendar No. 487 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5456 

[Report No. 114–628] 

A BILL 

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 

JUNE 21, 2016 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 

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