I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5524 
To amend the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to authorize appropriations, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 4, 2008 
Mr. YARMUTH (for himself, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HINOJOSA, 
Mr. COHEN, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. CHANDLER, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. 
HOLT, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. BORDALLO, and Mr. DAVIS of Illinois) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to 
authorize appropriations, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Reconnecting Home-
less Youth Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Section 302 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5701) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), and 
(5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respectively, and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) services to such young people should be de-
veloped and provided using a positive youth develop-
ment approach that ensures the young person a 
sense of— 
‘‘(A) safety and structure; 
‘‘(B) belonging and membership; 
‘‘(C) self-worth and social contribution; 
‘‘(D) independence and control over one’s 
life; and 
‘‘(E) closeness in interpersonal relation-
ships.’’. 
SEC. 3. BASIC CENTER PROGRAM. 
(a) SERVICES PROVIDED.—Section 311(a) of the 
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5711(a)) 
is amended— 
(1) by amending paragraph (2)(B)(i) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(i) safe and appropriate shelter pro-
vided not to exceed 15 days, or not to ex-
ceed 21 days if the center is located in a 
State or locality with a child or youth-serv-
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ing-facility licensure law or regulation that 
permits a length of stay in excess of 15 
days; and’’, and 
(2) in subsection (b)(2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘$100,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$150,000’’, 
(B) by striking ‘‘$45,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$70,000’’, and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Whenever the Secretary determines than any part of the 
amount allotted under paragraph (1) with respect to a 
State will not be obligated before the end of the fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall reallot such part with respect to the 
remaining States for obligation for such fiscal year.’’. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 312(b) of the Runaway 
and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5712(b)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (11) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end, 
(2) in paragraph (12) by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(13) shall develop an adequate emergency pre-
paredness and management plan.’’. 
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(c) DEFINITION.—Section 387(3)(A) of the Runaway 
and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732a(3)(A)) is 
amended— 
(1) in clause (i)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘not more than 21’’ and 
inserting ‘‘less than 22’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘not more than 18’’ and 
inserting ‘‘less than 18’’; and 
(C) by inserting ‘‘unless the center is lo-
cated in a State or locality with a child- or 
youth-serving facility licensure law or regulation 
that permits a higher age’’ before the semi-
colon; and 
(2) in clause (ii) by inserting ‘‘less than 22 
years of age and’’ after ‘‘part B,’’. 
SEC. 4. TRANSITIONAL LIVING GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 322(a) of the Runaway 
and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2(a)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘, except’’ and inserting 
‘‘(except’’, and 
(B) by striking ‘‘period;’’ and inserting the 
following: 
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‘‘period) or, if the program is located in a State or 
locality with a child- or youth-serving facility licen-
sure law or regulation that permits a length of stay 
in excess of such 540-day period, a continuous pe-
riod not to exceed 635 days;’’, 
(2) in paragraph (14) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end, 
(3) in paragraph (15) by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(16) to develop an adequate emergency pre-
paredness and management plan.’’. 
SEC. 5. COORDINATING, TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND OTHER 
ACTIVITIES. 
Part D of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 
U.S.C. 5714–21 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 345. PERIODIC ESTIMATE OF INCIDENCE AND PREVA-
LENCE OF YOUTH HOMELESSNESS. 
‘‘(a) PERIODIC ESTIMATE.—Not later than 2 years 
after the effective date of this section and at 5-year inter-
vals thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare, and submit 
to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 
President pro tempore of the Senate, a written report— 
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‘‘(iii) incomes, public benefits, sup-
portive services, and connections to caring 
adults; and 
‘‘(C) such other information that the Sec-
retary determines, in consultation with States, 
units of local government, and national non-
governmental 
organizations 
concerned 
with 
homelessness, may be useful. 
‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—If the Secretary enters into 
any contract with a non-Federal entity for purposes of car-
rying out subsection (a), such entity shall be a nongovern-
mental organization, or an individual, determined by the 
Secretary to have appropriate expertise in quantitative 
and qualitative social science research.’’. 
SEC. 6. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall submit to the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 
of the Senate, a report based on the best quantitative re-
search method available and containing an estimate of— 
(1) the public service costs, including law en-
forcement, emergent and urgent health services (in-
cluding crisis mental health and substance abuse 
services), child welfare services, juvenile and criminal 
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justice services, and public income benefits costs, at-
tributable to such services being provided to run-
away and homeless individuals who are less than 26 
years of age and not less than 13 years of age, and 
(2) the extent to which the public service cost 
reductions offset the costs of providing family reuni-
fication, emergency shelter, transitional housing, 
permanent housing, and supportive services to such 
individuals. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—If the Secretary carries out 
subsection (a) by contract with an non-Federal entity, 
such entity shall be a nongovernmental organization or an 
individual determined by the Secretary to have appro-
priate expertise in quantitative and qualitative social 
science research. 
SEC. 7. NATIONAL HOMELESS YOUTH AWARENESS CAM-
PAIGN. 
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
5601 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating part F as part G, 
(2) by inserting after part E the following: 
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‘‘PART F—NATIONAL HOMELESS YOUTH 
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN 
‘‘SEC. 361. NATIONAL HOMELESS YOUTH AWARENESS CAM-
PAIGN. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, directly or 
via contract, conduct a national homeless youth awareness 
campaign (referred to in this section as the ‘national 
awareness campaign’) in accordance with this section for 
purposes of— 
‘‘(1) preventing runaway and homeless situa-
tions among youth in the United States; 
‘‘(2) increasing awareness of individuals of all 
ages of the issues facing youth in runaway and 
homeless situations; 
‘‘(3) assisting youth in crisis situations learn 
about resources and services available in their com-
munities to intervene in or resolve the crisis; and 
‘‘(4) encouraging parents and guardians, edu-
cators, health care professionals, social service pro-
fessionals, law enforcement officials, and other inter-
ested adults to assist youth in averting or resolving 
runaway and homeless situations. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts made available to 
carry out this section for the national awareness 
campaign may only be used for the following: 
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‘‘(A) The purchase of media time and 
space, including the strategic planning for, and 
accounting of, such purchases. 
‘‘(B) Creative and talent costs. 
‘‘(C) Advertising production costs. 
‘‘(D) Testing and evaluation of advertising. 
‘‘(E) Evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
national media campaign. 
‘‘(F) The negotiated fees for the winning 
bidder on requests for proposals issued by the 
Secretary to enter into contracts to carry out 
activities authorized by this section. 
‘‘(G) Partnerships with national organiza-
tions concerned with youth homelessness, com-
munity-based youth service organizations, in-
cluding faith-based organizations, and govern-
ment organizations related to the national 
awareness campaign. 
‘‘(H) Outreach activities to stakeholders 
and potential stakeholders in the national 
awareness campaign. 
‘‘(I) Operational and management ex-
penses. 
‘‘(2) SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS.— 
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‘‘(A) TESTING AND EVALUATION OF AD-
VERTISING.—In using amounts for testing and 
evaluation of advertising under paragraph 
(1)(D), the Secretary shall test all advertise-
ments prior to use in the national awareness 
campaign to ensure that the advertisements are 
effective and meet industry-accepted standards. 
‘‘(B) EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS OF 
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.—In using amounts for 
the evaluation of the effectiveness of the na-
tional awareness campaign under paragraph 
(1)(E), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) designate an independent entity 
to evaluate the effectiveness of the national 
awareness campaign; and 
‘‘(ii) ensure that the effectiveness of 
the national awareness campaign is evalu-
ated in a manner that enables consider-
ation of whether the national awareness 
has contributed to reducing runaway and 
homeless situations among youth, linking 
runaway and homeless youth to resources 
and services available in their communities, 
and such other measures of evaluation as 
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the Secretary determinates are appro-
priate. 
‘‘(c) PROHIBITIONS.—None of the amounts made 
available under subsection (b) may be obligated or ex-
pended for any of the following: 
‘‘(1) To supplant pro bono public service time 
donated by national and local broadcasting networks 
for the national awareness campaign. 
‘‘(2) For partisan political purposes, or express 
advocacy in support of or to defeat any clearly iden-
tified candidate, clearly identified ballot initiative, or 
clearly identified legislative or regulatory proposal. 
‘‘(3) To fund advertising that features any 
elected officials, persons seeking elected office, cabi-
net level officials, or other Federal employees em-
ployed pursuant to section 213 of Schedule C of title 
5, Code of Federal Regulations. 
‘‘(4) To fund advertising that does not contain 
a primary message intended to reduce or prevent 
runaway and homeless situations among youth. 
‘‘(5) To fund advertising that solicits contribu-
tions from both public and private sources to sup-
port the national awareness campaign. 
‘‘(d) FINANCIAL
AND
PERFORMANCE
ACCOUNT-
ABILITY.—The Secretary shall cause to be performed— 
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‘‘(5) all contracts entered into with a corpora-
tion, partnership, or individual working on behalf of 
the national awareness campaign.’’, and 
(3) in section 388(a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘part E’’ 
and inserting ‘‘parts E and F’’, and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) PART F.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out part F $3,000,000 for fiscal 
years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.’’. 
SEC. 8. GRANTS FOR RESEARCH EVALUATION, DEM-
ONSTRATION, AND SERVICE PROJECTS. 
Section 343(b) Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5714–23(b)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) PRIORITIES.—The Secretary— 
‘‘(1) shall establish priorities for making grants 
for purposes of carrying out projects under sub-
section (a); and 
‘‘(2) not later than 1 year after the effective 
date of this subsection and at 2-year intervals there-
after, shall provide an opportunity for public com-
ment concerning the priorities proposed under para-
graph (1) and maintain an official record of such 
public comment.’’. 
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SEC. 9. SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM. 
Section 351(b) Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5714–41(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘public 
and’’ after ‘‘priority to’’. 
SEC. 10. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. 
Part G, as so redesignated, of Runaway and Home-
less Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714a et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 390. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF PERFORMANCE STAND-
ARDS.—Not later than 2 years after the effective date of 
this section, the Secretary shall issue rules that specify 
standards of performance for public and nonprofit private 
entities that receive grants under sections 311, 321 and 
351. 
‘‘(b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult 
with representatives of public and nonprofit entities that 
receive grants under this title, statewide and regional non-
profit organizations (and combinations of such organiza-
tions) that receive grants under this title, and national 
nonprofit organizations concerned with youth homeless-
ness in developing the performance standards required by 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The Secretary shall provide 
an opportunity for public comment concerning the estab-
lishment of the performance standards required by sub-
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section (a) before issuing rules to establish such standards 
and shall maintain an official record of such public com-
ment.’’. 
SEC. 11. APPEALS. 
Part G, as so redesignated and as amended by section 
10, of Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
5714a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 391. APPEALS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF APPEAL PROCEDURE.— 
Not later than 2 years after the effective date of this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall establish by rule a timely appeal 
procedure applicable to review the amounts of grants 
made, and the denial of grants requested, under this title. 
‘‘(b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult 
with representatives of public and nonprofit private enti-
ties that receive grants under this title, statewide and re-
gional nonprofit organizations (and combinations of such 
organizations) that receive grants under this title, and na-
tional nonprofit organizations concerned with youth home-
lessness in establishing the appeal procedure required by 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The Secretary shall provide 
an opportunity for public comment concerning the estab-
lishment of the appeal procedure required by subsection 
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(a) before issuing rules to establish such procedure and 
shall maintain an official record of such public comment.’’. 
SEC. 12. DEFINITION. 
Section 387 Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 
U.S.C. 5732a) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), (6), 
and (7) as paragraphs (5), (6), (7), and (8), respec-
tively, and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) RUNAWAY
YOUTH.—The term ‘runaway 
youth’ means an individual who is less than 18 years 
of age and who absents himself or herself from home 
or place of legal residence without the permission of 
parents or legal guardians.’’. 
SEC. 13. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 388(a) Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5751(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘$105,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2004’’ and inserting ‘‘$150,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2009’’, and 
(B) by striking ‘‘2005, 2006, 2007, and 
2008’’ and inserting ‘‘2010, 2011, 2012, and 
2013’’ , and 
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(2) in paragraph (4) by striking ‘‘such sums as 
may be necessary for fiscal years 2004, 2005, 2006, 
2007, and 2008’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013’’. 
Æ 
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