I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8924 
To reauthorize the Court Improvement Program for 5 years, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 
Mrs. MURPHY of Florida (for herself and Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways 
and Means 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Court Improvement Program for 5 years, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Strengthening Courts 
for Kids and Families Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF SUPPORT FOR LEGAL SERVICES 
THAT SUPPORT THE STABILITY AND PERMA-
NENCY OF FAMILY REUNIFICATION. 
Section 431(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
629a(a)) is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (E); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
subparagraph (F) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(G) civil legal services designed to sta-
bilize and support families and to enable chil-
dren to safely remain with, or be reunited with, 
their families.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(10) CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES.—The term ‘civil 
legal services’ includes— 
‘‘(A) legal representation and related legal 
services that address barriers to family preser-
vation or reunification or otherwise work to im-
prove the strength and stability of families, 
such as legal services addressing issues related 
to domestic violence, housing, identity theft, 
wage theft or other employment concerns, un-
fair debt collection, disability rights, and child 
support; and 
‘‘(B) legal representation in proceedings 
mandated under part E but only to the extent 
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that the legal representation is not supported 
under part E.’’. 
SEC. 3. INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR COURT IMPROVEMENT 
PROGRAM. 
Section 436 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
629f) is amended— 
(1) 
in 
subsection 
(a), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$345,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 
2022’’ and inserting ‘‘$375,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2023 through 2027’’; and 
(2) 
in 
subsection 
(b)(2), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$30,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$60,000,000’’. 
SEC. 4. ASSESSMENT OF, AND IMPROVEMENT IN, HAN-
DLING OF PROCEEDINGS RELATING TO FOS-
TER CARE AND ADOPTION. 
Section 438 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
629h) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(F) that determine the appropriateness, 
and best practices for use, of technology to 
allow conduct of remote hearings, including to 
ensure maximum participation of individuals in-
volved in proceedings and to enable courts to 
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