I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3490 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to eligible 
entities to develop and implement statewide or tribal post-adoption and 
post-legal guardianship mental health service programs for all children 
who are adopted or placed in legal guardianship, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2017 
Mr. LANGEVIN (for himself, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. BASS, Mrs. 
LAWRENCE, and Mr. MARINO) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants 
to eligible entities to develop and implement statewide 
or tribal post-adoption and post-legal guardianship men-
tal health service programs for all children who are 
adopted or placed in legal guardianship, 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 ‘‘Supporting Adopted 
Children and Families Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM FOR POST-ADOPTION 
AND POST-LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP MENTAL 
HEALTH SERVICES. 
Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–3 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 520N. POST-ADOPTION AND POST-LEGAL GUARDIAN-
SHIP MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Assistant Secretary, shall award grants or cooperative 
agreements to eligible entities to— 
‘‘(1) develop and implement statewide or tribal 
post-adoption and post-legal guardianship mental 
health service programs for all children who are 
adopted or placed in legal guardianship; 
‘‘(2) support public organization and private 
nonprofit organizations actively involved in statewide 
or tribal post-adoption and post-legal guardianship 
mental health service programs; 
‘‘(3) collect and analyze data on State-spon-
sored statewide or tribal post-adoption and post-legal 
guardianship mental health service programs that 
can be used to monitor the effectiveness of such 
services and for research, technical assistance, and 
policy development; 
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‘‘(4) develop and provide educational and train-
ing opportunities concerning the mental health needs 
of children who are adopted or placed in legal guard-
ianship, and their families, for use by teachers, so-
cial workers, and other community mental health 
service providers; 
‘‘(5) develop and provide materials for potential 
adoptive parents and legal guardians, both for chil-
dren who already reside in the United States at the 
time of the adoption or placement in legal guardian-
ship and for those who at such time reside in other 
countries, describing the possible need for post-adop-
tion and post-legal guardianship mental health serv-
ices and available resources; 
‘‘(6) develop and provide respite care services 
for adoptive and legal guardian families; and 
‘‘(7) support research on, and development of, 
best practices for post-adoption and post-legal 
guardianship mental health services. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term 
‘eligible entity’ means— 
‘‘(A) a State; 
‘‘(B) a public organization or private non-
profit organization designated by a State to de-
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velop or direct the State-sponsored statewide 
post-adoption and post-legal guardianship men-
tal health service program under a grant under 
this section; and 
‘‘(C) a Federally recognized Indian tribe or 
tribal organization (as defined in the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.)) or an urban In-
dian organization (as defined in the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601 
et seq.)) that is actively involved in the develop-
ment and continuation of a post-adoption and 
post-legal guardianship mental health service 
program. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—In carrying out this section, 
the Secretary shall ensure that each State is award-
ed only 1 grant or cooperative agreement under this 
section. For purposes of the preceding sentence, a 
State shall be considered to have been awarded a 
grant or cooperative agreement if the eligible entity 
involved is the State or an entity designated by the 
State under paragraph (1)(B). Nothing in this para-
graph shall be construed to apply to entities de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(C). 
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‘‘(c) PREFERENCE.—In providing assistance under a 
grant or cooperative agreement under this section, the 
Secretary shall give preference to eligible entities that have 
demonstrated success in increasing the level of adoption 
and legal guardianship competency among mental health 
providers, adoption and legal guardianship lawyers, social 
workers, case workers, adoptive parents, and legal guard-
ians. 
‘‘(d) REQUIREMENT FOR DIRECT SERVICES.—Not 
less than 85 percent of funds received under a grant or 
cooperative agreement under this section shall be used to 
provide direct services, of which not less than 5 percent 
shall be used for activities authorized under subsection 
(a)(3). 
‘‘(e) COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall collaborate with relevant 
Federal agencies and adoption and legal guardian-
ship-related working groups to promote interaction 
between domestic foster care agencies and private 
adoption agencies in other countries. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall consult with— 
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‘‘(A) State and social service agencies en-
gaged in the placement of children for adoption, 
domestically or from other countries; 
‘‘(B) local and national organizations that 
serve foster and adopted youth and youth 
placed in legal guardianship; 
‘‘(C) health and education specialists who 
focus on adoption, legal guardianship, and fos-
ter care medicine; 
‘‘(D) youth who have been in foster care, 
adopted, or in legal guardianship, domestically 
or from other countries; 
‘‘(E) families and friends of youth who 
have been in foster care, adopted, or in legal 
guardianship, domestically or from other coun-
tries; and 
‘‘(F) qualified professionals who possess 
the specialized knowledge, skills, experience, 
and relevant attributes needed to serve children 
who are adopted or placed in legal guardianship 
and their families. 
‘‘(3) POLICY DEVELOPMENT.—In carrying out 
this section, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) coordinate and collaborate on policy 
development with the Administration for Chil-
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dren and Families and other relevant Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services agencies 
and adoption and legal guardianship-related 
working groups; and 
‘‘(B) consult on policy development at the 
Federal level with those in the private sector 
engaged in the recruitment of foster and adop-
tive parents and legal guardians, the placement 
of children in foster care, for adoption, and in 
legal guardianship, and the provision of post- 
adoption and post-legal guardianship services. 
‘‘(f) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) EVALUATIONS BY ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
Not later than 18 months after receipt of a grant or 
cooperative agreement under this section, an eligible 
entity shall submit to the Secretary the results of an 
evaluation to be conducted by the entity concerning 
the effectiveness of the activities carried out under 
the grant or agreement. 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report concerning the results of— 
‘‘(A) the evaluations conducted under 
paragraph (1); and 
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‘‘(B) an evaluation conducted by the Sec-
retary to analyze the effectiveness and efficacy 
of the activities conducted with grants, collabo-
rations, and consultations under this section. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ADOPTION
AND
LEGAL
GUARDIANSHIP 
COMPETENCY.—The term ‘adoption and legal guard-
ianship competency’ means an understanding of— 
‘‘(A) the nature of adoption and legal 
guardianship as a form of family formation and 
the different types of adoption and legal guard-
ianship; 
‘‘(B) relevant emotional and physical 
issues involved in the adoption and legal guard-
ianship process, including issues relating to sep-
aration, loss, attachment, abuse, trauma, and 
neglect; 
‘‘(C) common developmental challenges as-
sociated with adoption and legal guardianship; 
‘‘(D) the characteristics and skills that 
allow for successful adoptive and legal guardian 
families; 
‘‘(E) proper sensitivity with respect to the 
different geographic, ethnic, or cultural back-
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grounds of children who are adopted or placed 
in legal guardianship and their families; and 
‘‘(F) the necessary skills for effectively ad-
vocating on behalf of birth and adoptive and 
legal guardian families. 
‘‘(2) POST-ADOPTION AND POST-LEGAL GUARD-
IANSHIP
MENTAL
HEALTH
SERVICES.—The term 
‘post-adoption and post-legal guardianship mental 
health services’ includes— 
‘‘(A) adoption and legal guardianship com-
petent mental health direct services, including 
training, educational support, counseling, and 
other services for adoptive and legal guardian 
parents and families that address caregiver in-
terests and concerns regarding child behavioral 
issues that are common among children who are 
adopted, placed in legal guardianship, or placed 
in foster care, including, as appropriate— 
‘‘(i) caring for a child who is adopted 
or placed in legal guardianship and has 
emotional, behavioral, or developmental 
health needs; and 
‘‘(ii) providing for the emotional needs 
of a child who is adopted or placed in legal 
guardianship, including issues relating to 
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attachment, identity, abandonment, cul-
tural differences, grief, and loss; 
‘‘(B) peer-to-peer mentoring and support 
groups that permit a newly adoptive parent or 
legal guardian to communicate and learn from 
more experienced adoptive parents and legal 
guardians; 
‘‘(C) the provision of informational re-
sources and available services for adoptive par-
ents and legal guardians; 
‘‘(D) direct services, including counseling, 
peer-to-peer mentoring and support groups, and 
other services for children who are adopted or 
placed in legal guardianship that address com-
mon behavioral and adjustment issues, includ-
ing, as appropriate— 
‘‘(i) support services for a child who is 
adopted or placed in legal guardianship 
with emotional, behavioral, or develop-
mental health needs; 
‘‘(ii) support services that address the 
emotional needs of a child who is adopted 
or placed in legal guardianship, including 
issues relating to attachment, identity, 
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abandonment, cultural differences, grief, 
and loss; and 
‘‘(iii) treatment services that are spe-
cialized for children who are adopted or 
placed in legal guardianship, including psy-
chiatric residential services, outpatient 
mental health services, social skills train-
ing, intensive in-home supervision services, 
recreational therapy, suicide prevention, 
and substance abuse treatment; 
‘‘(E) peer-to-peer mentoring and support 
groups that allow children who are adopted or 
placed in legal guardianship to communicate 
and socialize with other such children; and 
‘‘(F) crisis intervention and family preser-
vation services. 
‘‘(h) FUNDING
FOR POST-ADOPTION
AND POST- 
LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.— 
From amounts appropriated to carry out titles III, V, or 
XIX of the Public Health Service Act for each fiscal year, 
$10,000,000 shall be used by the Secretary in each such 
fiscal year to fund services and programs authorized under 
this section.’’. 
Æ 
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