I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6657 
To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to encourage the development 
of specialized foster care programs designed specifically for large sibling 
groups, sibling groups with a wide age range, and sibling groups with 
complex needs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2022 
Mr. BACON (for himself, Ms. BASS, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, and Mr. 
MULLIN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to encourage 
the development of specialized foster care programs de-
signed specifically for large sibling groups, sibling groups 
with a wide age range, and sibling groups with complex 
needs. 
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 ‘‘Protecting Sibling Re-
lationships in Foster Care Act of 2022’’. 
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SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE GRANT PILOT PROGRAM TO ENCOUR-
AGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIALIZED 
FOSTER CARE PROGRAMS DESIGNED SPE-
CIFICALLY FOR LARGE SIBLING GROUPS, SIB-
LING GROUPS WITH A WIDE AGE RANGE, AND 
SIBLING GROUPS WITH COMPLEX NEEDS. 
Section 435 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
629e) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) COMPETITIVE GRANT PILOT PROGRAM TO EN-
COURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIALIZED FOSTER 
CARE PROGRAMS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR LARGE 
SIBLING GROUPS, SIBLING GROUPS WITH A WIDE AGE 
RANGE, AND SIBLING GROUPS WITH COMPLEX NEEDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a competitive grant pilot program under which, 
during the 5-year period that begins with the date 
of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
shall make not more than 5 grants to eligible enti-
ties who have applied therefor to encourage the de-
velopment of specialized foster care programs de-
signed specifically for groups of 3 or more siblings, 
sibling groups with a wide age range, and sibling 
groups with, or that include a youth with, complex 
needs. For purposes of the preceding sentence, a 
youth has complex needs if the youth exhibits chal-
lenging or risky behaviors that could cause themself 
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or others serious harm, has mental health needs of 
such severity that the participation of the youth in 
daily life may be impaired either with or without 
services being rendered to help, has a disability (as 
defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act), 
or has an illness that requires continuous monitoring 
or is life-threatening, and complex needs include 
issues that may arise from siblings in foster care 
with a different parent, which could impact the abil-
ity of the siblings to be placed together, or from a 
youth with a history of trauma. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘eligible entity’ means a State child welfare 
agency, a State, tribal, or local agency, a faith- or 
community-based organization, or a nonprofit orga-
nization that has expertise and demonstrated experi-
ence, as well as State supervision, in administering 
a foster care program. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity that de-
sires to receive a grant under this subsection shall 
submit to the Secretary an application that in-
cludes— 
‘‘(A) a description of how funds received 
under the grant will be used to place together 
sibling groups described in paragraph (1); 
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‘‘(B) a description of the specialized foster 
care program involved, and how the program is 
designed for the placement of sibling groups de-
scribed in paragraph (1); 
‘‘(C) data describing the challenges of plac-
ing, and number of, sibling groups described in 
paragraph (1) that are awaiting placements; 
and 
‘‘(D) such other information as the Sec-
retary may reasonably require. 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of a grant 
under this subsection may use the grant funds only 
to develop specialized foster care programs which 
are— 
‘‘(A) designed to identify available place-
ments for, and place together, sibling groups 
described in paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) evidence-based, and proven to sub-
stantially increase joint sibling placements. 
‘‘(5) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—As a condi-
tion of receiving a grant under this subsection, the 
grant recipient shall submit to the Secretary a writ-
ten report on the number of children in the special-
ized foster care program involved, the size of the sib-
ling groups served by the program, the methods 
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used to place children with their siblings under the 
program, and the outcomes of the placements. 
‘‘(6) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may pre-
scribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry 
out this subsection. 
‘‘(7) APPROPRIATION.—In addition to any 
amounts otherwise made available to carry out this 
subpart, out of any money in the Treasury of the 
United States not otherwise appropriated, there are 
appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 to 
carry out the pilot program under this subsection, 
which shall remain available through fiscal year 
2026.’’. 
Æ 
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