I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2667 
To amend part B of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide grants 
to States to establish or expand quality programs providing home visita-
tion for families with young children and families expecting children. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 2, 2009 
Mr. MCDERMOTT (for himself, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, and Mr. PLATTS) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways 
and Means 
A BILL 
To amend part B of title IV of the Social Security Act 
to provide grants to States to establish or expand quality 
programs providing home visitation for families with 
young children and families expecting children. 
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 ‘‘Early Support for 
Families Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATES FOR QUALITY HOME VISITA-
TION PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES WITH YOUNG 
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES EXPECTING CHIL-
DREN. 
Part B of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 621–629i) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘Subpart 3—Support for Quality Home Visitation 
Programs 
‘‘SEC. 440. HOME VISITATION PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES 
WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND FAMILIES EX-
PECTING CHILDREN. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to im-
prove the well-being and development of children by ena-
bling the establishment and expansion of quality programs 
providing voluntary home visitation for families with 
young children and families expecting children. 
‘‘(b) GRANT APPLICATION.—A State that desires to 
receive a grant under this section shall submit to the Sec-
retary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary 
may require, an application for the grant that includes the 
following: 
‘‘(1) DESCRIPTION OF HOME VISITATION PRO-
GRAMS.—A description of the high quality programs 
of home visitation for families with young children 
and families expecting children that will be sup-
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ported by a grant made to the State under this sec-
tion, the outcomes the programs are intended to 
achieve, and the evidence supporting the effective-
ness of the programs. 
‘‘(2) RESULTS OF NEEDS ASSESSMENT.—The 
results of a statewide needs assessment that de-
scribes— 
‘‘(A) the number, quality, and capacity of 
home visitation programs for families with 
young children and families expecting children 
in the State; 
‘‘(B) the number and types of eligible fam-
ilies who are receiving services under the pro-
grams; 
‘‘(C) the sources and amount of funding 
provided to the programs; 
‘‘(D) the gaps in early childhood home visi-
tation in the State, including identification of 
communities that are in high need of the serv-
ices; and 
‘‘(E) training and technical assistance ac-
tivities designed to achieve or support the goals 
of the programs. 
‘‘(3) ASSURANCES.—Assurances from the State 
that— 
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‘‘(A) in supporting home visitation pro-
grams using funds provided under this section, 
the State shall identify and prioritize serving 
communities that are in high need of such serv-
ices, especially communities with a high propor-
tion of low-income families or a high incidence 
of child maltreatment; 
‘‘(B) the State will reserve 5 percent of the 
grant funds for training and technical assist-
ance to the home visitation programs using 
such funds; 
‘‘(C) in supporting home visitation pro-
grams using funds provided under this section, 
the State will promote coordination and collabo-
ration with other child and family services, 
health services, income supports, and other re-
lated assistance; 
‘‘(D) home visitation programs supported 
using such funds will, when appropriate, pro-
vide referrals to other programs serving chil-
dren and families; and 
‘‘(E) the State will comply with subsection 
(i), and cooperate with any evaluation con-
ducted under subsection (j). 
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‘‘(4) OTHER INFORMATION.—Such other infor-
mation as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(c) ALLOTMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) INDIAN
TRIBES.—From the amount re-
served under subsection (m)(2) for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall allot to each Indian tribe that meets 
the requirement of subsection (d), if applicable, for 
the fiscal year the amount that bears the same ratio 
to the amount so reserved as the number of children 
in the Indian tribe whose families have income that 
does not exceed 200 percent of the poverty line bears 
to the total number of children in such Indian tribes 
whose families have income that does not exceed 200 
percent of the poverty line. 
‘‘(2) STATES
AND
TERRITORIES.—From the 
amount appropriated under subsection (n) for a fis-
cal year that remains after making the reservations 
required by subsection (m), the Secretary shall allot 
to each State that is not an Indian tribe and that 
meets the requirement of subsection (d), if applica-
ble, for the fiscal year the amount that bears the 
same ratio to the remainder of the amount so appro-
priated as the number of children in the State whose 
families have income that does not exceed 200 per-
cent of the poverty line bears to the total number of 
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children in such States whose families have income 
that does not exceed 200 percent of the poverty line. 
‘‘(3) REALLOTMENTS.—The amount of any al-
lotment to a State under a paragraph of this sub-
section for any fiscal year that the State certifies to 
the Secretary will not be expended by the State pur-
suant to this section shall be available for reallot-
ment using the allotment methodology specified in 
that paragraph. Any amount so reallotted to a State 
is deemed part of the allotment of the State under 
this subsection. 
‘‘(d) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—Beginning with 
fiscal year 2011, a State meets the requirement of this 
subsection for a fiscal year if the Secretary finds that the 
aggregate expenditures by the State for quality programs 
of home visitation for families with young children and 
families expecting children for the then preceding fiscal 
year was not less than 100 percent of such aggregate ex-
penditures for the then 2nd preceding fiscal year. 
‘‘(e) PAYMENT OF GRANT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make a 
grant to each State that meets the requirements of 
subsections (b) and (d), if applicable, for a fiscal 
year for which funds are appropriated under sub-
section (n), in an amount equal to the lesser of— 
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‘‘(A) the reimbursable percentage of the el-
igible expenditures of the State for the fiscal 
year; or 
‘‘(B) the amount allotted to the State 
under subsection (c) for the fiscal year. 
‘‘(2) REIMBURSABLE PERCENTAGE DEFINED.— 
In paragraph (1), the term ‘reimbursable percent-
age’ means, with respect to a fiscal year— 
‘‘(A) 85 percent, in the case of fiscal year 
2010; 
‘‘(B) 80 percent, in the case of fiscal year 
2011; or 
‘‘(C) 75 percent, in the case of fiscal year 
2012 and any succeeding fiscal year. 
‘‘(f) ELIGIBLE EXPENDITURES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 
‘eligible expenditures’— 
‘‘(A) means expenditures to provide vol-
untary home visitation for as many families 
with young children and families expecting chil-
dren as practicable, through the implementation 
or expansion of high quality programs that— 
‘‘(i) adhere to clear evidence-based 
models of home visitation that have dem-
onstrated significant positive effects on im-
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portant program-determined child and par-
enting outcomes, such as reducing abuse 
and neglect and improving child health and 
development; 
‘‘(ii) employ well-trained and com-
petent staff, maintain high quality super-
vision, and show strong organizational ca-
pacity to implement such a program; and 
‘‘(iii) establish appropriate linkages 
and referrals to other community resources 
and supports; and 
‘‘(B) includes expenditures for training, 
technical assistance, and evaluations related to 
the programs. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS WITH 
STRONGEST EVIDENCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The expenditures, de-
scribed in paragraph (1), of a State for a fiscal 
year that are attributable to the cost of pro-
grams that do not adhere to a model of home 
visitation with the strongest evidence of effec-
tiveness shall not be considered eligible expendi-
tures for the fiscal year to the extent that the 
total of the expenditures exceeds the applicable 
percentage for the fiscal year of the allotment 
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of the State under subsection (c) for the fiscal 
year. 
‘‘(B) 
APPLICABLE
PERCENTAGE
DE-
FINED.—In subparagraph (A), the term ‘appli-
cable percentage’ means, with respect to a fiscal 
year— 
‘‘(i) 60 percent for fiscal year 2010; 
‘‘(ii) 55 percent for fiscal year 2011; 
‘‘(iii) 50 percent for fiscal year 2012; 
‘‘(iv) 45 percent for fiscal year 2013; 
or 
‘‘(v) 40 percent for fiscal year 2014. 
‘‘(g) NO USE
OF OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS
FOR 
STATE MATCH.—A State to which a grant is made under 
this section may not expend any Federal funds to meet 
the State share of the cost of an eligible expenditure for 
which the State receives a payment under this section. 
‘‘(h) WAIVER AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may waive 
or modify the application of any provision of this 
section, other than subsection (b) or (f), to an In-
dian tribe if the failure to do so would impose an 
undue burden on the Indian tribe. 
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number of the recipients, the demographic charac-
teristics of the recipients, and family retention; 
‘‘(5) the annual cost of implementing the pro-
gram, including the cost per family served under the 
program; 
‘‘(6) the outcomes experienced by recipients of 
services through the program; 
‘‘(7) the training and technical assistance pro-
vided to aid implementation of the program, and 
how the training and technical assistance contrib-
uted to the outcomes achieved through the program; 
and 
‘‘(8) the indicators and methods used to mon-
itor whether the program is being implemented as 
designed. 
‘‘(j) EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, by 
grant or contract, provide for the conduct of an 
independent evaluation of the effectiveness of home 
visitation programs receiving funds provided under 
this section, which shall examine the following: 
‘‘(A) The effect of home visitation pro-
grams on child and parent outcomes, including 
child maltreatment, child health and develop-
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ment, school readiness, and links to community 
services. 
‘‘(B) The effectiveness of home visitation 
programs on different populations, including 
the extent to which the ability of programs to 
improve outcomes varies across programs and 
populations. 
‘‘(2) REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(A) INTERIM
REPORT.—Within 2 years 
after the date of the enactment of this section, 
the Secretary shall submit to the Congress an 
interim report on the evaluation conducted pur-
suant to paragraph (1). 
‘‘(B) FINAL
REPORT.—Within 4 years 
after the date of the enactment of this section, 
the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a 
final report on the evaluation conducted pursu-
ant to paragraph (1). 
‘‘(k) ANNUAL REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS.—The 
Secretary shall submit annually to the Congress a report 
on the activities carried out using funds made available 
under this section, which shall include a description of the 
following: 
‘‘(1) The high need communities targeted by 
States for programs carried out under this section. 
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‘‘(2) The service delivery models used in the 
programs receiving funds provided under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(3) The characteristics of the programs, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) the qualifications and demographic 
characteristics of program staff; and 
‘‘(B) recipient characteristics including the 
number of families served, the demographic 
characteristics of the families served, and fam-
ily retention and duration of services. 
‘‘(4) The outcomes reported by the programs. 
‘‘(5) The research-based instruction, materials, 
and activities being used in the activities funded 
under the grant. 
‘‘(6) The training and technical activities, in-
cluding on-going professional development, provided 
to the programs. 
‘‘(7) The annual costs of implementing the pro-
grams, including the cost per family served under 
the programs. 
‘‘(8) The indicators and methods used by States 
to monitor whether the programs are being been im-
plemented as designed. 
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‘‘(l) RESERVATIONS OF FUNDS.—From the amounts 
appropriated for a fiscal year under subsection (m), the 
Secretary shall reserve— 
‘‘(1) $10,000,000 to pay the cost of the evalua-
tion provided for in subsection (k), and the provision 
to States of training and technical assistance, in-
cluding the dissemination of best practices in early 
childhood home visitation; and 
‘‘(2) after making the reservation required by 
paragraph (1), an amount equal to 3 percent of the 
amount so appropriated, to pay for grants to Indian 
tribes under this section. 
‘‘(m) APPROPRIATIONS.—Out of any money in the 
Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, 
there is appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
section— 
‘‘(1) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
‘‘(2) $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
‘‘(3) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; 
‘‘(4) $550,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; and 
‘‘(5) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 2014. 
‘‘(n) INDIAN TRIBES TREATED AS STATES.—In this 
section, paragraphs (4), (5), and (6) of section 431(a) 
shall apply.’’. 
Æ 
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