I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4911 
To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to allow the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to enhance 
collaboration between State child welfare and juvenile justice systems. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 29, 2019 
Mr. SCHWEIKERT (for himself and Ms. SA´NCHEZ) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to allow the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to award com-
petitive grants to enhance collaboration between State 
child welfare and juvenile justice systems. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Childhood Outcomes 
Need New Efficient Community Teams’’ or the ‘‘CON-
NECT Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO AWARD COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO 
ENHANCE COLLABORATION BETWEEN STATE 
CHILD WELFARE AND JUVENILE JUSTICE 
SYSTEMS. 
Subpart 1 of part B of title IV of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 429A. GRANTS TO STATES TO ENHANCE COLLABORA-
TION BETWEEN STATE CHILD WELFARE AND 
JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEMS. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to au-
thorize the Secretary, in collaboration with the Attorney 
General and the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile 
Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of 
Justice, to make grants to State child welfare and juvenile 
justice agencies to collaborate in the collection of data re-
lating to dual status youth and to develop practices, poli-
cies, and protocols to confront the challenges presented 
and experienced by dual status youth. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY TO AWARD GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
competitive grants jointly to a State child welfare 
agency and a State juvenile justice agency to facili-
tate or enhance collaboration between the child wel-
fare and juvenile justice systems of the State in 
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order to carry out programs to address the needs of 
dual status youth and their families. 
‘‘(2) FUNDING.—Of the amount appropriated 
under section 425 for a fiscal year that exceeds 
$270,000,000, the Secretary shall reserve up to 
$30,000,000 of such excess amount for grants under 
this section. 
‘‘(3) LENGTH OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—A grant shall be 
awarded under this section for a period of not 
less than 2, and not more than 5, fiscal years, 
subject to subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) EXTENSION OF GRANT.—On applica-
tion of the grantee, the Secretary may extend 
for not more than 2 fiscal years the period for 
which a grant is awarded under this section. 
‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—In order for a State to be 
eligible for a grant under this section, it shall submit 
an application, to be approved by the Secretary, that 
includes— 
‘‘(A) a description of the proposed leader-
ship collaboration group (including the member-
ship of such group), and how such group will 
manage and oversee a review and analysis of 
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current practices while working to jointly ad-
dress enhanced practices to improve outcomes 
for dual status youth; 
‘‘(B) a description of how the State pro-
poses to— 
‘‘(i) identify dual status youths; 
‘‘(ii) identify individuals who are at 
risk of becoming dual status youths; 
‘‘(iii) identify common characteristics 
shared by dual status youths in the State; 
and 
‘‘(iv) determine the prevalence of dual 
status youths in the State; 
‘‘(C) a description of current and proposed 
practices and procedures that the State intends 
to use to— 
‘‘(i) screen and assess dual status 
youths for risks and treatment needs; 
‘‘(ii) provide targeted and evidence- 
based services, including educational, be-
havioral health, and pro-social treatment 
interventions for dual status youths and 
their families; and 
‘‘(iii) provide for a lawful process to 
enhance or ensure the abilities of the State 
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and any relevant agencies to share infor-
mation and data about dual status youths 
while maintaining confidentiality and pri-
vacy protections under State and Federal 
law; and 
‘‘(D) a certification that the State has in-
volved local governments, as appropriate, in the 
development, expansion, modification, oper-
ation, or improvement of proposed policy and 
practice reforms to address the needs of dual 
status youths. 
‘‘(2) NO SUPPLANTATION OF OTHER FUNDS.— 
Any amounts paid to a State under a grant under 
this section shall be used to supplement and not 
supplant other State expenditures on dual status 
youths or children involved with either the child wel-
fare or juvenile justice systems. 
‘‘(3) EVALUATION.—Up to 10 percent of the 
amount made available to carry out this section for 
a fiscal year shall be made available to the Secretary 
to evaluate the effectiveness of the projects funded 
under this section, using a methodology that— 
‘‘(A) includes random assignment when-
ever feasible, or other research methods that 
allow for the strongest possible causal infer-
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ences when random assignment is not feasible; 
and 
‘‘(B) generates evidence on the impact of 
specific projects, or groups of projects with 
identical (or similar) practices and procedures. 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—A State child welfare agency 
and a State juvenile justice agency receiving a grant 
under this section shall jointly submit to the Sec-
retary, the Attorney General, and the Administrator 
of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention of the Department of Justice, a report 
on the evaluation of the activities carried out under 
the grant at the end of each fiscal year during the 
period of the grant. Such report shall include— 
‘‘(A) a description of the scope and nature 
of the dual status youth population in the 
State, including the number of dual status 
youth; 
‘‘(B) a description of the evidence-based 
practices and procedures used by the agencies 
to carry out the activities described in clauses 
(i) through (iii) of paragraph (1)(C); and 
‘‘(C) an analysis of the effects of such 
practices and procedures, including information 
regarding— 
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‘‘(i) the collection of data related to 
individual dual status youths; 
‘‘(ii) aggregate data related to the 
dual status youth population, including— 
‘‘(I) characteristics of dual status 
youths in the State; 
‘‘(II) case processing timelines; 
and 
‘‘(III) information related to case 
management, the provision of targeted 
services, and placements within the 
foster care or juvenile justice system; 
and 
‘‘(iii) the extent to which such prac-
tices and procedures have contributed to— 
‘‘(I) improved educational out-
comes for dual status youths; 
‘‘(II) fewer delinquency referrals 
for dual status youths; 
‘‘(III) shorter stays in intensive 
restrictive placements for dual status 
youths; or 
‘‘(IV) such other outcomes for 
dual status youths as the State child 
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welfare agency and State juvenile jus-
tice agency may identify. 
‘‘(d) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The 
Secretary may support State child welfare agencies and 
State juvenile justice agencies by offering a program, de-
veloped in consultation with organizations and agencies 
with subject matter expertise, of training and technical as-
sistance to assist such agencies in developing programs 
and protocols that draw on best practices for serving dual 
status youth in order to facilitate or enhance— 
‘‘(1) collaboration between State child welfare 
agencies and State juvenile justice agencies; and 
‘‘(2) the effectiveness of such agencies with re-
spect to working with Federal agencies and child 
welfare and juvenile justice agencies from other 
States. 
‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this section, and every 3 years thereafter, 
the Secretary, the Attorney General, and the Adminis-
trator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention of the Department of Justice shall jointly sub-
mit to the Committee on Finance and the Committee on 
the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on Ways 
and Means and the Committee on Education and Labor 
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of the House of Representatives, a report on the grants 
provided under this section. 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) DUAL STATUS YOUTH.—The term ‘dual 
status youth’ means a child who has come into con-
tact with both the child welfare and juvenile justice 
systems and occupies various statuses in terms of 
the individual’s relationship to such systems. 
‘‘(2) LEADERSHIP
COLLABORATION
GROUP.— 
The term ‘leadership collaboration group’ means a 
group composed of senior officials from the State 
child welfare agency, the State juvenile justice agen-
cy, and other relevant youth and family-serving pub-
lic agencies and private organizations, including, to 
the extent practicable, representatives from the 
State judiciary branch. 
‘‘(3) STATE JUVENILE JUSTICE AGENCY.—The 
term ‘State juvenile justice agency’ means the agen-
cy of the State or Indian tribe responsible for ad-
ministering grant funds awarded under the Juvenile 
Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (34 
U.S.C. 11101 et seq.). 
‘‘(4) STATE
CHILD
WELFARE
AGENCY.—The 
term ‘State child welfare agency’ means the State 
agency responsible for administering the program 
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under this subpart, or, in the case of a tribal organi-
zation that is receiving payments under section 428, 
the tribal agency responsible for administering such 
program.’’. 
Æ 
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