I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7529 
To require States to consider legal issues affecting youth as part of case 
planning and to provide States with the option to use funds from the 
John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adult-
hood to support access to legal services and counseling. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 12, 2026 
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois (for himself and Mr. LAHOOD) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To require States to consider legal issues affecting youth 
as part of case planning and to provide States with 
the option to use funds from the John H. Chafee Foster 
Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood 
to support access to legal services and counseling. 
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 ‘‘Fresh Starts for Fos-
ter Youth Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. LEGAL CONSULTING AND ACCESS UNDER THE 
JOHN H. CHAFEE FOSTER CARE PROGRAM 
FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO ADULT-
HOOD. 
Section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
677) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(4), by inserting ‘‘legal 
counseling access,’’ after ‘‘education,’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(3), by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(L) A certification by the chief executive 
officer of the State that the relevant case plan-
ning and other processes employed by the State 
take into consideration the effect of certain 
legal issues affecting housing, education, entry 
into employment, and family connections of cur-
rent and former foster youth and the efforts re-
quired to address the issues, including with re-
spect to State court records, legal recognition of 
family relationships, and matters relating to 
custody and permanency.’’. 
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by this 
Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply to pay-
ments under section 477 of the Social Security Act pursu-
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ant to plans approved by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services on or after such date. 
(b) DELAY PERMITTED IF STATE LEGISLATION RE-
QUIRED.—If the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
determines that State legislation (other than legislation 
appropriating funds) is required in order for a State plan 
developed pursuant to section 477 of the Social Security 
Act to meet the additional requirements imposed by the 
amendments made by this Act, the plan shall not be re-
garded as failing to meet any of the additional require-
ments before the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter be-
ginning after the first regular session of the State legisla-
ture that begins after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. For purposes of the preceding sentence, if the State 
has a 2-year legislative session, each year of the session 
is deemed to be a separate regular session of the State 
legislature. 
Æ 
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