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House of Representatives and the Chairman of the
Committee on Finance of the Senate, shall convene an
advisory panel which shall include parents, foster
parents, relative caregivers, former foster children,
State and local public officials responsible for admin-
istering child welfare programs, private persons in-
volved in the delivery of child welfare services, rep-
resentatives of tribal governments and tribal courts,
judges, and academic experts.
(2) DUTIES.—The advisory panel convened pur-
suant to paragraph (1) shall review the report pre-
pared pursuant to subsection (a), and, not later than
July 1, 1998, submit to the Secretary comments on
the report.
SEC. 304. CLARIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE POPULATION FOR
INDEPENDENT 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.
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SEC. 305. REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION OF FAMILY
PRESERVATION 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. 630(d)) 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
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(B) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘and
1998’’ and inserting ‘‘1998, 1999, 2000, and
2001’’.
(b) EXPANSION FOR TIME-LIMITED FAMILY REUNIFI-
CATION SERVICES AND ADOPTION PROMOTION AND SUP-
PORT SERVICES.—
(1) ADDITIONS TO STATE PLAN; MINIMUM SPEND-
ING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 432 of the Social Secu-
rity 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 ‘‘, community-based family
support services, time-limited family reuni-
fication services, and adoption promotion
and support services,’’; and
(ii) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking
‘‘and community-based family support serv-
ices’’ and inserting ‘‘, community-based
family support services, time-limited family
reunification services, and adoption pro-
motion and support services’’; and
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘and
family support’’ and inserting ‘‘, family support,
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family reunification, and adoption promotion
and support’’.
(2) DEFINITIONS OF TIME-LIMITED FAMILY RE-
UNIFICATION
SERVICES
AND
ADOPTION
PROMOTION
AND SUPPORT SERVICES.—Section 431(a) of the So-
cial 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 par-
ents or primary caregiver of such a child, in
order to facilitate the reunification of the child
safely and appropriately within a timely fash-
ion, but only during the 1-year period that be-
gins on the date that the child is removed from
the child’s home.
‘‘(B) 
SERVICES
AND
ACTIVITIES
DE-
SCRIBED.—The services and activities described
in this subparagraph are the following:
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‘‘(i) Individual, group, and family
counseling.
‘‘(ii) Inpatient, residential, or out-
patient substance abuse treatment services.
‘‘(iii) Mental health services.
‘‘(iv) Assistance to address domestic vi-
olence.
‘‘(v) Services designed to provide tem-
porary 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 SERV-
ICES.—The term ‘adoption promotion and support
services’ means services and activities designed to en-
courage more adoptions out of the foster care system,
when adoptions promote the best interests of children,
and shall include the following:
‘‘(A) Models to encourage adoptions of spe-
cial needs children, including through the provi-
sion of medical assistance.
‘‘(B) The development of best practice
guidelines for expediting termination of parental
rights.
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‘‘(C) Models to encourage the use of concur-
rent planning.
‘‘(D) The development of specialized units
and expertise in moving children toward adop-
tion as a part of a permanency plan.
‘‘(E) The development of risk assessment
tools to facilitate early identification of the chil-
dren who will be at risk of harm if returned
home.
‘‘(F) Models to encourage the fast tracking
of children who have not attained 1 year of age
into adoptive and preadoptive placements.
‘‘(G) Development of programs that place
children in preadoptive families without waiting
for termination of parental rights.
‘‘(H) Development of programs to recruit
adoptive parents.
‘‘(I) Such other services or activities that
are designed to promote and support adoption as
the Secretary may approve.’’.
(3) ADDITIONAL CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(A) PURPOSES.—Section 430(a) of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629(a)) is amended
by striking ‘‘and community-based family sup-
port services’’ and inserting ‘‘, community-based
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family support services, time-limited family re-
unification services, and adoption promotion
and support services’’.
(B) 
EVALUATIONS.—Subparagraphs 
(B)
and (C) of section 435(a)(2) of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 629d(a)(2)) are each amend-
ed by striking ‘‘and family support’’ each place
it appears and inserting ‘‘, family support, fam-
ily reunification, and adoption promotion and
support’’.
(C) PROGRAM TITLE.—The heading of sub-
part 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 Adoptive, 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 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
629b) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (7)(B), by striking ‘‘and’’
at the end;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (8) as
paragraph (9); and
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(C) by inserting after paragraph (7), the
following:
‘‘(8) contains assurances that in administering
and conducting service programs under the plan, the
safety of the children to be served shall be of para-
mount concern; and’’.
(2) DEFINITIONS OF FAMILY PRESERVATION AND
FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES.—Section 431(a) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)) is amend-
ed—
(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 RE-
QUIREMENT.—
(1) DEFINITION OF NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—Sec-
tion 431(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
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629a(a)), as amended by subsection (b)(2), is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(9) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—The term ‘non-Fed-
eral 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 enact-
ment of section 13711 of the Omnibus Budget Rec-
onciliation 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 203(a)(2), is amended—
(1) in paragraph (21), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (22), by striking the period
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(23) provides for health insurance coverage for
any child who has been determined to be a child with
special needs, for whom there is in effect an adoption
assistance agreement (other than an agreement under
this part) between the State and an adoptive parent
or parents, and who the State has determined cannot
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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;
‘‘(C) in the event that the State provides
such coverage through a State medical assistance
program other than the program under title
XIX, and the State exceeds its funding for serv-
ices under such other program, any such child
shall be deemed to be receiving aid or assistance
under the State plan under this part for pur-
poses of section 1902(a)(10)(A)(i)(I); and
‘‘(D) in determining cost-sharing require-
ments, the State shall take into consideration the
circumstances of the adopting parent or parents
and the needs of the child being adopted.’’.
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SEC. 307. CONTINUATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR ADOPTION
ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS ON BEHALF OF CHIL-
DREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WHOSE INITIAL
ADOPTION HAS BEEN DISRUPTED.
(a) 
CONTINUATION
OF
ELIGIBILITY.—Section
473(a)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 673(a)(2))
is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Any child
who has been determined to meet the requirements of sub-
paragraph (C), and who has previously been determined eli-
gible for adoption assistance payments under paragraph
(1)(B)(ii), who has again become available for adoption be-
cause a court has set aside the child’s previous adoption
or the child’s adoptive parents have died, and who fails to
meet the requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B) but
would meet such requirements if the child were treated as
if the child were in the same financial and other cir-
cumstances the child was in the last time the child was de-
termined eligible for adoption assistance payments and the
previous adoption were treated as having never occurred,
shall be treated as meeting the requirements of this para-
graph for purposes of paragraph (1)(B)(ii).’’.
(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a) shall only apply to children who become avail-
able for adoption because a court has set aside the child’s
previous adoption, or the child’s adoptive parents have died,
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and whose subsequent adoption occurs on or after October
1, 1997.
SEC. 308. STATE STANDARDS TO ENSURE QUALITY SERV-
ICES FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE.
Section 471(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
671(a)), as amended by section 306, is amended—
(1) in paragraph (22), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (23), by striking the period
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(24) provides that, not later than January 1,
1999, the State shall develop and implement stand-
ards to ensure that children in foster care placements
in public or private agencies are provided quality
services that protect the safety and health of the chil-
dren.’’.
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS
SEC. 401. PRESERVATION OF REASONABLE PARENTING.
Nothing in this Act is intended to disrupt the family
unnecessarily or to intrude inappropriately into family life,
to prohibit the use of reasonable methods of parental dis-
cipline, or to prescribe a particular method of parenting.
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SEC. 402. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
Any information required to be reported under this Act
shall be supplied to the Secretary of Health and Human
Services through data meeting the requirements of the Adop-
tion and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System estab-
lished pursuant to section 479 of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 679), to the extent such data is available under
that system. The Secretary shall make such modifications
to regulations issued under section 479 of such Act with
respect to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Re-
porting System as may be necessary to allow States to ob-
tain data that meets the requirements of such system in
order to satisfy the reporting requirements of this Act.
SEC. 403. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING STANDBY
GUARDIANSHIP.
It is the sense of Congress that the States should have
in effect laws and procedures that permit any parent who
is chronically ill or near death, without surrendering pa-
rental rights, to designate a standby guardian for the par-
ent’s minor children, whose authority would take effect
upon—
(1) the death of the parent;
(2) the mental incapacity of the parent; or
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(3) the physical debilitation and consent of the
parent.
Attest:
Secretary.
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