mit, find access to a car, and obtain insurance—all 
of which are ultimately required to obtain a driver’s 
license. There are also numerous financial obstacles 
associated with obtaining a driver’s license, including 
DMV fees, increased insurance costs for young driv-
ers, and questions about liability and parental per-
mission that can deter foster parents from teaching 
youth how to drive. These concerns also extend to 
youth who are placed in residential care where they 
are supervised by staff who may not be willing to de-
vote time and expense to helping a young person ob-
tain a driver’s license. 
(4) Purchasing coverage for a foster youth on 
a foster parent’s car insurance plan may be an 
undue burden. Average insurance rates to cover a 
teenager range between $3,600 to $4,000 a year 
(depending on the gender of the youth). Foster par-
ents currently receive, on average, only $17 a day to 
care for a youth who has been placed in their home. 
(5) There is a need to clarify and specify that 
the normalcy provisions enacted under the Pre-
venting Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families 
Act (Public Law 113–183) direct States to imple-
ment the reasonable and prudent parent standard 
for foster parents to empower them to make deci-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
sions regarding the daily activities of children in 
their care. These daily activities include the ability 
to drive a car and obtain a learner’s permit and 
driver’s license—appropriate goals for foster youth 
ages 14 and older (provided the youth is cognitively 
able to pursue this activity). The obtainment of a 
driver’s license is a normal and healthy experience 
for foster youth in relation to their non-foster care 
peers. Active efforts to support this goal should in-
clude identification of appropriate car insurance 
plans to ensure that youth are able to engage in the 
required number of driving hours and have access to 
a vehicle to complete a driving test. 
(6) Some States have recognized the need for 
supporting youth in this process. Currently 12 
States (Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, 
Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New 
York, North Dakota, Texas, and Vermont) and the 
District of Columbia use State and private funds to 
provide financial support to cover driver’s license 
fees and tuition for enrollment in driver’s education 
courses. There are no States that currently cover all 
of the fees associated or concerns around liability. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
SEC. 3. FOSTER PARENT TRAINING RELATED TO PRE-
PARING A CHILD TO DRIVE. 
Section 471(a)(24) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 671(a)(24)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and knowledge and skills’’ and 
inserting ‘‘knowledge and skills’’; and 
(2) by inserting before the semicolon at the end 
the following: ‘‘and, when appropriate to the age or 
other circumstance of the child, knowledge and skills 
related to preparing the child to drive, including as-
suring opportunity for practice driving hours and in-
formation concerning obtaining a driver’s license and 
automotive insurance’’. 
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT TO INCLUDE A PLAN FOR DRIVING 
PREPARATION IN CASE PLAN. 
Section 475(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
675(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (G)(ii), by moving sub-
clause (II) 2 ems to the right; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(H) A plan for assuring that the child, 
when appropriate to the age or other cir-
cumstance of the child, receives assistance, 
knowledge, and skills related to preparing to 
drive, including opportunity for practice driving 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
hours and information concerning obtaining a 
driver’s license and automotive insurance.’’. 
SEC. 5. DRIVING AND TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) PURPOSE.—Section 477(a) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 677(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) to provide driving and transportation as-
sistance to children in foster care and certain former 
foster care recipients who have attained the appro-
priate age to begin receiving such assistance.’’. 
(b) DRIVING AND TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE.— 
Section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) FUNDS FOR DRIVING AND TRANSPORTATION 
ASSISTANCE.—The following conditions shall apply to a 
State driving and transportation assistance program 
under this section: 
‘‘(1) Assistance under the program may be 
available to youths otherwise eligible for services 
under the State program under this section. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
‘‘(2) For purposes of this assistance program, 
youths who, after attaining 16 years of age, are 
adopted from, or enter kinship guardianship from, 
foster care may be considered to be youths otherwise 
eligible for services under the State program under 
this section. 
‘‘(3) The State may allow youths participating 
in the assistance program on the date they attain 21 
years of age to remain eligible until they attain 26 
years of age, as long as they are enrolled in a post-
secondary education or other employment training 
program and are making satisfactory progress to-
ward completion of that program. 
‘‘(4) The assistance provided for an individual 
under this section— 
‘‘(A) may include vehicle insurance costs, 
driver’s education class and testing fees, prac-
tice lessons, practice hours, and driver’s license 
fees; and 
‘‘(B) shall not exceed the lesser of $3,000 
per year or the total cost of the items described 
in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(5) The amount of assistance under this sec-
tion may be disregarded for purposes of determining 
the recipient’s eligibility for, or the amount of, any 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
other Federal or federally supported assistance, ex-
cept that the State agency shall take appropriate 
steps to prevent duplication of benefits under this 
and other Federal or federally supported programs. 
‘‘(6) The program is coordinated with other ap-
propriate programs to support current and former 
youth in their transition to adulthood.’’. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.—Section 477(b)(3) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677(b)(3)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(L) A certification by the chief executive 
officer of the State that the State driving and 
transportation assistance program under this 
section is in compliance with the conditions 
specified in subsection (k), including a state-
ment describing methods the State will use— 
‘‘(i) to ensure that the total amount 
of driving and transportation assistance to 
a youth under this section and under other 
Federal and federally supported programs 
does not exceed the limitation specified in 
subsection (k)(5); and 
‘‘(ii) to avoid duplication of benefits 
under this and any other Federal or feder-
ally assisted benefit program.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
(d) INCREASED AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—Section 477(h) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 677(h)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) an additional $36,000,000, which are au-
thorized to be available for payments to States for 
driving and transportation assistance in accordance 
with subsection (k).’’. 
(e) ALLOTMENTS TO STATES.—Section 477(c) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677(c)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para-
graph (5); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) DRIVING
AND
TRANSPORTATION
ASSIST-
ANCE ALLOTMENT.—From the amount, if any, ap-
propriated pursuant to subsection (h)(3) for a fiscal 
year, the Secretary may allot to each State with an 
application approved under subsection (b) for the 
fiscal year an amount equal to the State foster care 
ratio multiplied by the amount so specified.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
(f) DISCRETIONARY GRANTS.—Section 474 of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 674) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as 
subsections (g) and (h), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(f) DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
FOR DRIVING
AND 
TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE.—From amounts appro-
priated pursuant to section 477(h)(3), the Secretary may 
make a grant to a State with a plan approved under this 
part, for a calendar quarter, in an amount equal to the 
lesser of— 
‘‘(1) 80 percent of the amounts expended by 
the State during the quarter to carry out programs 
for the purposes described in section 477(a)(9); or 
‘‘(2) the amount, if any, allotted to the State 
under section 477(c)(4) for the fiscal year in which 
the quarter occurs, reduced by the total of the 
amounts payable to the State under this subsection 
for such purposes for all prior quarters in the fiscal 
year.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:56 May 25, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H2512.IH
H2512
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS