age receive the education, training, and services 
necessary to obtain employment’’ and inserting 
‘‘who have experienced foster care at age 14 or 
older achieve meaningful, permanent connec-
tions with a caring adult’’; 
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘who are 
likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of 
age prepare for and enter postsecondary train-
ing and education institutions’’ and inserting 
‘‘who have experienced foster care at age 16 or 
older engage in age or developmentally appro-
priate activities, positive youth development, 
and experiential learning that reflects what 
their peers in intact families experience’’; and 
(D) by striking paragraph (4) and redesig-
nating paragraphs (5) through (8) as para-
graphs (4) through (7); 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ‘‘ado-
lescents’’ and inserting ‘‘youth’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (D)— 
(I) by inserting ‘‘including train-
ing on youth development’’ after ‘‘to 
provide training’’; and 
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(II) by striking ‘‘adolescents pre-
paring for independent living’’ and all 
that follows through the period and 
inserting ‘‘youth preparing for a suc-
cessful transition to adulthood and 
making a permanent connection with 
a caring adult’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (H), by striking 
‘‘adolescents’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘youth’’; and 
(iii) in subparagraph (K)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘an adolescent’’ 
and inserting ‘‘a youth’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘the adolescent’’ 
each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘the youth’’; and 
(4) in subsection (f), by striking paragraph (2) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
October 1, 2017, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Finance of 
the Senate a report on the National Youth in Tran-
sition Database and any other databases in which 
States report outcome measures relating to children 
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in foster care and children who have aged out of fos-
ter care or left foster care for kinship guardianship 
or adoption. The report shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) A description of the reasons for entry 
into foster care and of the foster care experi-
ences, such as length of stay, number of place-
ment settings, case goal, and discharge reason 
of 17-year-olds who are surveyed by the Na-
tional Youth in Transition Database and an 
analysis of the comparison of that description 
with the reasons for entry and foster care expe-
riences of children of other ages who exit from 
foster care before attaining age 17. 
‘‘(B) A description of the characteristics of 
the individuals who report poor outcomes at 
ages 19 and 21 to the National Youth in Tran-
sition Database. 
‘‘(C) Benchmarks for determining what 
constitutes a poor outcome for youth who re-
main in or have exited from foster care and 
plans the executive branch will take to incor-
porate these benchmarks in efforts to evaluate 
child welfare agency performance in providing 
services to children transitioning from foster 
care. 
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‘‘(D) An analysis of the association be-
tween types of placement, number of overall 
placements, time spent in foster care, and other 
factors, and outcomes at ages 19 and 21. 
‘‘(E) An analysis of the differences in out-
comes for children in and formerly in foster 
care at age 19 and 21 among States.’’. 
(e) CLARIFYING DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED
TO 
FOSTER
YOUTH
LEAVING
FOSTER
CARE.—Section 
475(5)(I) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 675) is amended by in-
serting after ‘‘REAL ID Act of 2005’’ the following: ‘‘, 
and any official documentation necessary to prove that the 
child was previously in foster care’’. 
TITLE IV—CONTINUING INCEN-
TIVES TO STATES TO PRO-
MOTE ADOPTION AND LEGAL 
GUARDIANSHIP 
SEC. 401. REAUTHORIZING ADOPTION AND LEGAL GUARD-
IANSHIP INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. 
Section 473A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
673b) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(4), by striking ‘‘2013 
through 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2016 through 2020’’; 
(2) in subsection (h)(1)(D), by striking ‘‘2016’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2021’’; and 
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(3) in subsection (h)(2), by striking ‘‘2016’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2021’’. 
TITLE V—TECHNICAL 
CORRECTIONS 
SEC. 501. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO DATA EXCHANGE 
STANDARDS TO IMPROVE PROGRAM COORDI-
NATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 440 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 629m) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 440. DATA EXCHANGE STANDARDS FOR IMPROVED 
INTEROPERABILITY. 
‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary shall, in con-
sultation with an interagency work group established by 
the Office of Management and Budget and considering 
State government perspectives, by rule, designate data ex-
change standards to govern, under this part— 
‘‘(1) necessary categories of information that 
State agencies operating programs under State 
plans approved under this part are required under 
applicable Federal law to electronically exchange 
with another State agency; and 
‘‘(2) Federal reporting and data exchange re-
quired under applicable Federal law. 
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‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The data exchange standards 
required by paragraph (1) shall, to the extent prac-
ticable— 
‘‘(1) incorporate a widely accepted, non-propri-
etary, searchable, computer-readable format, such as 
the eXtensible Markup Language; 
‘‘(2) contain interoperable standards developed 
and maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, 
such as the National Information Exchange Model; 
‘‘(3) incorporate interoperable standards devel-
oped and maintained by Federal entities with au-
thority over contracting and financial assistance; 
‘‘(4) be consistent with and implement applica-
ble accounting principles; 
‘‘(5) be implemented in a manner that is cost- 
effective and improves program efficiency and effec-
tiveness; and 
‘‘(6) be capable of being continually upgraded 
as necessary. 
‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall be construed to require a change to existing 
data exchange standards found to be effective and effi-
cient.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Not later than the date that 
is 24 months after the date of the enactment of this sec-
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tion, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
issue a proposed rule that— 
(1) identifies federally required data exchanges, 
include specification and timing of exchanges to be 
standardized, and address the factors used in deter-
mining whether and when to standardize data ex-
changes; and 
(2) specifies State implementation options and 
describes future milestones. 
SEC. 502. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO STATE REQUIRE-
MENT TO ADDRESS THE DEVELOPMENTAL 
NEEDS OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 
Section 422(b)(18) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 622(b)(18)) is amended by striking ‘‘such chil-
dren’’ and inserting ‘‘all vulnerable children under 5 years 
of age’’. 
TITLE 
VI—ENSURING 
STATES 
REINVEST SAVINGS RESULT-
ING 
FROM 
INCREASE 
IN 
ADOPTION ASSISTANCE 
SEC. 601. DELAY OF ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PHASE-IN. 
Section 473(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 673(e)(1)) is amended— 
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(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘fiscal 
year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘period’’; 
and 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) in the matter preceding the table, by 
striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘period’’; 
and 
(B) in the table— 
(i) by striking ‘‘of fiscal year:’’ and in-
serting ‘‘of:’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘2010’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2010’’; 
(iii) by striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2011’’; 
(iv) by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2012’’; 
(v) by striking ‘‘2013’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2013’’; 
(vi) by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2014’’; 
(vii) by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2015’’; 
(viii) by striking ‘‘2016’’ and inserting 
‘‘October 1, 2015, through March 31, 
2019’’; 
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(ix) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 
‘‘April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2020’’; 
and 
(x) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 
‘‘April 1, 2020,’’. 
SEC. 602. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE REINVEST-
MENT OF SAVINGS RESULTING FROM IN-
CREASE IN ADOPTION ASSISTANCE. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall study the extent to which States are com-
plying with the requirements of section 473(a)(8) of the 
Social Security Act relating to the effects of phasing out 
the AFDC income eligibility requirements for adoption as-
sistance payments under section 473 of the Social Security 
Act, as enacted by section 402 of the Fostering Connec-
tions to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 
(Public Law 110–351; 122 Stat. 3975) and amended by 
section 206 of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and 
Strengthening Families Act (Public Law 113–183; 128 
Stat. 1919). In particular, the Comptroller General shall 
analyze the extent to which States are complying with the 
following requirements under section 473(a)(8)(D) of the 
Social Security Act: 
(1) The requirement to spend an amount equal 
to the amount of the savings (if any) in State ex-
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100 
penditures under part E of title IV of the Social Se-
curity resulting from phasing out the AFDC income 
eligibility requirements for adoption assistance pay-
ments under section 473 of such Act to provide to 
children of families any service that may be provided 
under part B or E of title IV of such Act. 
(2) The requirement that a State shall spend 
not less than 30 percent of the amount of any sav-
ings described in subparagraph (A) on post-adoption 
services, post-guardianship services, and services to 
support and sustain positive permanent outcomes for 
children who otherwise might enter into foster care 
under the responsibility of the State, with at least 2⁄3 
of the spending by the State to comply with the 30 
percent requirement being spent on post-adoption 
and post-guardianship services. 
(b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to the Committee on Finance 
of the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the 
House of Representatives, and the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services a report that contains the results of 
the study required by subsection (a), including rec-
ommendations to ensure compliance with laws referred to 
in subsection (a). 
Æ 
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