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‘‘(h) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—For grants under sub-
section (a), there are authorized to be appropriated
to the Secretary $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years
1999 through 2003.
‘‘(2) 
AVAILABILITY.—Amounts 
appropriated
under paragraph (1) are authorized to remain avail-
able until expended, but not after fiscal year 2003.
‘‘(i) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may, di-
rectly or through grants or contracts, provide tech-
nical assistance to assist States and local commu-
nities to reach their targets for increased numbers of
adoptions and, to the extent that adoption is not
possible, alternative permanent placements, for chil-
dren in foster care.
‘‘(2) DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTER OF THE
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The technical assistance
provided under paragraph (1) may support the goal
of encouraging more adoptions out of the foster care
system, when adoptions promote the best interests of
children, and may include the following:
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‘‘(A) The development of best practice
guidelines for expediting termination of paren-
tal rights.
‘‘(B) Models to encourage the use of con-
current planning.
‘‘(C) The development of specialized units
and expertise in moving children toward adop-
tion as a permanency goal.
‘‘(D) The development of risk assessment
tools to facilitate early identification of the chil-
dren who will be at risk of harm if returned
home.
‘‘(E) Models to encourage the fast tracking
of children who have not attained 1 year of age
into pre-adoptive placements.
‘‘(F) Development of programs that place
children into pre-adoptive families without wait-
ing for termination of parental rights.
‘‘(3) TARGETING
OF
TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
TO THE COURTS.—Not less than 50 percent of any
amount appropriated pursuant to paragraph (4)
shall be used to provide technical assistance to the
courts.
‘‘(4) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF AP-
PROPRIATIONS.—To carry out this subsection, there
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are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
of Health and Human Services not to exceed
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1998 through
2000.’’.
(b) DISCRETIONARY CAP ADJUSTMENT FOR ADOP-
TION INCENTIVE PAYMENTS.—
(1) 
SECTION
251
AMENDMENT.—Section
251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)), as
amended by section 10203(a)(4) of the Balanced
Budget Act of 1997, is amended by adding at the
end the following new subparagraph:
‘‘(G) ADOPTION INCENTIVE PAYMENTS.—
Whenever a bill or joint resolution making ap-
propriations for fiscal year 1999, 2000, 2001,
2002, or 2003 is enacted that specifies an
amount for adoption incentive payments pursu-
ant to this part for the Department of Health
and Human Services—
‘‘(i) the adjustments for new budget
authority shall be the amounts of new
budget authority provided in that measure
for adoption incentive payments, but not to
exceed $20,000,000; and
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‘‘(ii) the adjustment for outlays shall
be the additional outlays flowing from such
amount.’’.
(2) SECTION 314 AMENDMENT.—Section 314(b)
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as amend-
ed by section 10114(a) of the Balanced Budget Act
of 1997, is amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of para-
graph (4);
(B) by striking the period at the end of
paragraph (5) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(6) in the case of an amount for adoption in-
centive payments (as defined in section 251(b)(2)(G)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Con-
trol Act of 1985) for fiscal year 1999, 2000, 2001,
2002, or 2003 for the Department of Health and
Human 
Services, 
an 
amount 
not 
to 
exceed
$20,000,000.’’.
SEC. 202. ADOPTIONS ACROSS STATE AND COUNTY JURIS-
DICTIONS.
(a) STATE PLAN FOR CHILD WELFARE SERVICES
REQUIREMENT.—Section 422(b) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 622(b)) is amended—
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(1) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (11), by striking the period
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(12) contain assurances that the State shall
develop plans for the effective use of cross-jurisdic-
tional resources to facilitate timely adoptive or per-
manent placements for waiting children.’’.
(b) CONDITION
OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 474 of
such Act (42 U.S.C. 674) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
‘‘(e) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a State shall not
be eligible for any payment under this section if the Sec-
retary finds that, after the date of the enactment of this
subsection, the State has—
‘‘(1) denied or delayed the placement of a child
for adoption when an approved family is available
outside of the jurisdiction with responsibility for
handling the case of the child; or
‘‘(2) failed to grant an opportunity for a fair
hearing, as described in section 471(a)(12), to an in-
dividual whose allegation of a violation of paragraph
(1) of this subsection is denied by the State or not
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acted upon by the State with reasonable prompt-
ness.’’.
(c) STUDY OF INTERJURISDICTIONAL ADOPTION IS-
SUES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of
the United States shall—
(A) study and consider how to improve
procedures and policies to facilitate the timely
and permanent adoptions of children across
State and county jurisdictions; and
(B) examine, at a minimum, interjurisdic-
tional adoption issues—
(i) concerning the recruitment of pro-
spective adoptive families from other
States and counties;
(ii) concerning the procedures to
grant reciprocity to prospective adoptive
family home studies from other States and
counties;
(iii) arising from a review of the com-
ity and full faith and credit provided to
adoption decrees and termination of paren-
tal rights orders from other States; and
(iv) concerning the procedures related
to the administration and implementation