I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4983 
To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require States 
to provide for the placement of a foster child in a cottage home, and 
to make a child so placed eligible for foster care maintenance payments. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2018 
Mr. MEADOWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 
to require States to provide for the placement of a foster 
child in a cottage home, and to make a child so placed 
eligible for foster care maintenance payments. 
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 ‘‘Caring Homes and 
Improved Lives for Dependents (CHILD) Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF FOSTER CHILDREN IN COTTAGE 
HOMES. 
(a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 471(a) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)), as amended 
by the Family First Prevention Services Act, is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(36); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (37) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(38) provides that, with respect to a child who 
has attained 6 years of age and who is removed 
from the child’s home, if a suitable relative or other 
designated caregiver is not available as a placement 
for the child, placing the child in a foster family 
home or a cottage home shall be considered the least 
restrictive setting for the child.’’. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY FOR FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE 
PAYMENTS OF CERTAIN CHILDREN PLACED IN A COT-
TAGE HOME.—Section 472(a)(2)(C) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 672(a)(2)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘home or 
child-care institution’’ and inserting ‘‘home, a child-care 
institution, or (if the child has attained 6 years of age 
and a suitable relative or other designated caregiver is not 
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available as a placement for the child) a cottage home that 
is not a foster family home or child-care institution’’. 
(c) DEFINITION
OF
COTTAGE
HOME.—Section 
472(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 672(c)), as amended by 
the Family First Prevention Services Act, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) COTTAGE
HOME.—The term ‘cottage 
home’ means a residential operation— 
‘‘(A) in which not more than 12 children 
reside; 
‘‘(B) that has and implements a trauma- 
informed treatment plan for its residents; 
‘‘(C) that involves family members of a 
child in the treatment for the child, and main-
tains contact with the family of the child, if 
available and if the involvement is clinically ap-
propriate for the well-being of the child; 
‘‘(D) that is licensed by the State in which 
it is situated or has been approved, by the 
agency of such State responsible for licensing or 
approval of institutions of this type; and 
‘‘(E) that is accredited by the Council on 
Accreditation or another national accrediting 
body.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on the date of the en-
actment of this Act, and shall apply to payments 
under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 
for calendar quarters beginning on or after such 
date. 
(2) DELAY PERMITTED IF STATE LEGISLATION 
REQUIRED.—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 under part E of title IV of 
the Social Security Act to meet the additional re-
quirements imposed by the amendments made by 
this section, the plan shall not be regarded as failing 
to meet any of the additional requirements before 
the first day of the first calendar quarter beginning 
after the first regular session of the State legislature 
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 ses-
sion of the State legislature. 
Æ 
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