H. R. 867—15
the State agency has documented to the State court a compel-
ling reason for determining that it would not be in the best
interests of the child to return home, be referred for termination
of parental rights, or be placed for adoption, with a fit and
willing relative, or with a legal guardian) placed in another
planned permanent living arrangement’’.
SEC. 303. KINSHIP CARE.
(a) REPORT.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall—
(A) not later than June 1, 1998, convene the advisory
panel provided for in subsection (b)(1) and prepare and
submit to the advisory panel an initial report on the extent
to which children in foster care are placed in the care
of a relative (in this section referred to as ‘‘kinship care’’);
and
(B) not later than June 1, 1999, submit to the Commit-
tee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a final report
on the matter described in subparagraph (A), which shall—
(i) be based on the comments submitted by the
advisory panel pursuant to subsection (b)(2) and other
information and considerations; and
(ii) include the policy recommendations of the
Secretary with respect to the matter.
(2) 
REQUIRED
CONTENTS.—Each 
report 
required 
by
paragraph (1) shall—
(A) include, to the extent available for each State,
information on—
(i) the policy of the State regarding kinship care;
(ii) the characteristics of the kinship care providers
(including age, income, ethnicity, and race, and the
relationship of the kinship care providers to the chil-
dren);
(iii) the characteristics of the household of such
providers (such as number of other persons in the
household and family composition);
(iv) how much access to the child is afforded to
the parent from whom the child has been removed;
(v) the cost of, and source of funds for, kinship
care (including any subsidies such as medicaid and
cash assistance);
(vi) the permanency plan for the child and the
actions being taken by the State to achieve the plan;
(vii) the services being provided to the parent from
whom the child has been removed; and
(viii) the services being provided to the kinship
care provider; and
(B) specifically note the circumstances or conditions
under which children enter kinship care.
(b) ADVISORY PANEL.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and Human
Services, in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee
on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the
Chairman of the Committee on Finance of the Senate, shall
convene an advisory panel which shall include parents, foster
H. R. 867—16
parents, relative caregivers, former foster children, State and
local public officials responsible for administering child welfare
programs, private persons involved in the delivery of child
welfare services, representatives of tribal governments and
tribal courts, judges, and academic experts.
(2) DUTIES.—The advisory panel convened pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall review the report prepared pursuant to
subsection (a), and, not later than October 1, 1998, submit
to the Secretary comments on the report.
SEC. 304. CLARIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE POPULATION FOR INDEPEND-
ENT LIVING SERVICES.
Section 477(a)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
677(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including children with
respect to whom such payments are no longer being made because
the child has accumulated assets, not to exceed $5,000, which
are otherwise regarded as resources for purposes of determining
eligibility for benefits under this part)’’ before the comma.
SEC. 305. REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION OF FAMILY PRESERVA-
TION AND SUPPORT SERVICES.
(a) REAUTHORIZATION OF FAMILY PRESERVATION AND SUPPORT
SERVICES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 430(b) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 629(b)) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end;
(B) in paragraph (5), by striking the period and
inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(6) for fiscal year 1999, $275,000,000;
‘‘(7) for fiscal year 2000, $295,000,000; and
‘‘(8) for fiscal year 2001, $305,000,000.’’.
(2) CONTINUATION OF RESERVATION OF CERTAIN AMOUNTS.—
Paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 430(d) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 629(d)(1) and (2)) are each amended by striking
‘‘and 1998’’ and inserting ‘‘1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001’’.
(3) CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section 13712 of the
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 670
note) is amended—
(A) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘1998’’ each place
it appears and inserting ‘‘2001’’; and
(B) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘and 1998’’ and
inserting ‘‘1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001’’.
(b) EXPANSION
FOR
TIME-LIMITED
FAMILY
REUNIFICATION
SERVICES AND ADOPTION PROMOTION AND SUPPORT SERVICES.—
(1) ADDITIONS TO STATE PLAN.—Section 432 of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629b) is amended—
(A) in subsection (a)—
(i) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and community-
based family support services’’ and inserting ‘‘, commu-
nity-based family support services, time-limited family
reunification services, and adoption promotion and sup-
port services,’’; and
(ii) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking ‘‘and commu-
nity-based family support services’’ and inserting ‘‘,
community-based family support services, time-limited
family reunification services, and adoption promotion
and support services’’; and
H. R. 867—17
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘and family sup-
port’’ and inserting ‘‘, family support, time-limited family
reunification, and adoption promotion and support’’.
(2) DEFINITIONS
OF
TIME-LIMITED
FAMILY
REUNIFICATION
SERVICES AND ADOPTION PROMOTION AND SUPPORT SERVICES.—
Section 431(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a))
is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(7) TIME-LIMITED FAMILY REUNIFICATION SERVICES.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘time-limited family
reunification services’ means the services and activities
described in subparagraph (B) that are provided to a child
that is removed from the child’s home and placed in a
foster family home or a child care institution and to the
parents or primary caregiver of such a child, in order
to facilitate the reunification of the child safely and
appropriately within a timely fashion, but only during the
15-month period that begins on the date that the child,
pursuant to section 475(5)(F), is considered to have entered
foster care.
‘‘(B) 
SERVICES
AND
ACTIVITIES
DESCRIBED.—The
services and activities described in this subparagraph are
the following:
‘‘(i) Individual, group, and family counseling.
‘‘(ii) Inpatient, residential, or outpatient substance
abuse treatment services.
‘‘(iii) Mental health services.
‘‘(iv) Assistance to address domestic violence.
‘‘(v) Services designed to provide temporary child
care and therapeutic services for families, including
crisis nurseries.
‘‘(vi) Transportation to or from any of the services
and activities described in this subparagraph.
‘‘(8) ADOPTION
PROMOTION
AND
SUPPORT
SERVICES.—The
term ‘adoption promotion and support services’ means services
and activities designed to encourage more adoptions out of
the foster care system, when adoptions promote the best
interests of children, including such activities as pre- and post-
adoptive services and activities designed to expedite the adop-
tion process and support adoptive families.’’.
(3) ADDITIONAL CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(A) PURPOSES.—Section 430(a) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 629(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘and commu-
nity-based family support services’’ and inserting ‘‘, commu-
nity-based family support services, time-limited family
reunification services, and adoption promotion and support
services’’.
(B) PROGRAM TITLE.—The heading of subpart 2 of part
B of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629
et seq.) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘Subpart 2—Promoting Safe and Stable Families’’.
(c) EMPHASIZING THE SAFETY OF THE CHILD.—
(1) REQUIRING ASSURANCES THAT THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN
SHALL BE OF PARAMOUNT CONCERN.—Section 432(a) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629b(a)) is amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph (7);
H. R. 867—18
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(8); and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(9) contains assurances that in administering and conduct-
ing service programs under the plan, the safety of the children
to be served shall be of paramount concern.’’.
(2) DEFINITIONS
OF
FAMILY
PRESERVATION
AND
FAMILY
SUPPORT SERVICES.—Section 431(a) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 629a(a)) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘safe and’’
before ‘‘appropriate’’ each place it appears; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘safely’’ after
‘‘remain’’; and
(B) in paragraph (2)—
(i) by inserting ‘‘safety and’’ before ‘‘well-being ’’;
and
(ii) by striking ‘‘stable’’ and inserting ‘‘safe, stable,’’.
(d) CLARIFICATION
OF MAINTENANCE
OF EFFORT REQUIRE-
MENT.—
(1) DEFINITION OF NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—Section 431(a) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)), as amended by
subsection (b)(2), is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(9) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—The term ‘non-Federal funds’
means State funds, or at the option of a State, State and
local funds.’’.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by paragraph
(1) takes effect as if included in the enactment of section 13711
of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (Public Law
103–33; 107 Stat. 649).
SEC. 306. HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS.
Section 471(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)),
as amended by section 106, is amended—
(1) in paragraph (19), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end;
(2) in paragraph (20), by striking the period and inserting
‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(21) provides for health insurance coverage (including,
at State option, through the program under the State plan
approved under title XIX) for any child who has been deter-
mined to be a child with special needs, for whom there is
in effect an adoption assistance agreement (other than an agree-
ment under this part) between the State and an adoptive parent
or parents, and who the State has determined cannot be placed
with an adoptive parent or parents without medical assistance
because such child has special needs for medical, mental health,
or rehabilitative care, and that with respect to the provision
of such health insurance coverage—
‘‘(A) such coverage may be provided through 1 or more
State medical assistance programs;
‘‘(B) the State, in providing such coverage, shall ensure
that the medical benefits, including mental health benefits,
provided are of the same type and kind as those that
would be provided for children by the State under title
XIX;