I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 618 
To require the President to call a White House Conference on Children 
and Youth in 2010. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 21, 2009 
Mr. FATTAH (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, 
Mr. STARK, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. 
PLATTS, Mr. LEWIS
of Georgia, Mr. COOPER, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. 
BORDALLO, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. POLIS of Colo-
rado, Mr. KUCINICH, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. 
WEXLER, and Mr. CARDOZA) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To require the President to call a White House Conference 
on Children and Youth in 2010. 
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 ‘‘White House Con-
ference on Children and Youth in 2010 Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) In 2006 there were over 3,000,000 reports 
of child abuse and neglect. Only 60 percent of the 
children from the substantiated reports received fol-
low-up services, and 20 percent of such children 
were placed in foster care as a result of an investiga-
tion. 
(2) Each year there are nearly 900,000 sub-
stantiated reports of child abuse and neglect. 
(3) Each year approximately 60 percent of such 
substantiated reports are reports of neglect, 30 per-
cent are physical or sexual abuse reports, and more 
than 20 percent are reports that involve other forms 
of abuse. 
(4) Each year child abuse and neglect costs the 
United States an estimated $104 billion. 
(5) Over 500,000 children (including youth) 
were in foster care at the end of fiscal year 2006 
and nearly 800,000 spent at least some time in fos-
ter care during the year. 
(6) While 51,000 children are adopted from the 
foster care system each year, more than 125,000 
children are waiting to be adopted. 
(7) Each year approximately 25,000 youth 
leave the foster care system not because they have 
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found permanent placements, but because they have 
reached the age at which foster care ends. 
(8) The child welfare system includes State and 
local governments, tribal governments, child welfare 
agencies, child welfare caseworkers, private agencies, 
social workers, the courts, volunteer court-appointed 
special advocates, mental health, public health and 
health care professionals, educators, and advocates. 
(9) There is an overrepresentation of certain 
populations, including Native Americans, African- 
Americans and Hispanic populations, in the child 
welfare system. 
(10) Rural communities face special barriers to 
addressing human service needs including a lack of 
providers, the challenge posed by attempting to serve 
a widely dispersed population over a large geo-
graphic area and cultural differences. 
(11) The number of children being raised by 
grandparents and other relatives is increasing and 
exceeds 6,000,000 children. The Government recog-
nized that kinship care is a permanency option 
through the enactment of the Adoption and Safe 
Families Act of 1997. 
(12) The State courts make key decisions in the 
lives of children involved in the child welfare system, 
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including decisions about whether children have been 
victims of child abuse, whether parental rights 
should be terminated, and whether children should 
be reunified with their families, adopted, or placed 
in other settings. 
(13) The child welfare system will never fully 
address its primary mission unless the courts are an 
integral and functioning component of a statewide 
system of care and protection. 
(14) The child welfare system has an important 
role to play in preventing abuse and neglect from oc-
curring in the first place, but is often unable to sup-
port prevention efforts due to funding and regu-
latory constraints. 
(15) Key indicators of child health indicators 
demonstrate declining health of our Nation’s chil-
dren including increased rates of chronic disease 
among children, preventable deaths from childhood 
injury, and the potential for children born in this 
generation to not live as long as their parents. 
(b) POLICY.—It is the policy of Congress that— 
(1) the Government should work jointly with 
the States and their residents to develop rec-
ommendations and plans for action to meet the chal-
lenges and needs of children and families involved 
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with the child welfare system, consistent with this 
Act; 
(2) in developing such recommendations and 
plans, the persons involved should emphasize the 
role of the Government, State and local child welfare 
systems, State and local family court systems, State 
and local health departments, child welfare advo-
cates, child abuse prevention experts, guardians, 
parents and other key participants in such child wel-
fare systems, with a goal of enhancing and pro-
tecting the lives, health and well-being of children 
and families who are involved with such child welfare 
systems; and 
(3) Federal, State, and local programs and poli-
cies should be developed to reduce the number of 
children who are abused and neglected in the first 
place, to reduce the number of children in foster 
care, and to dramatically increase the number of 
children in permanent placements through family re-
unification, kinship placement, and adoption, and in-
crease the overall health and well-being of children. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF THE CONFERENCE. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO CALL THE CONFERENCE.—The 
President shall call a White House Conference on Children 
and Youth in 2010 (referred to in this Act as ‘‘the Con-
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ference’’), to be convened not later than 18 months after 
the selection of the last member of the Policy Committee 
established in section 4, to encourage improvements in 
each State and local child welfare system, and to develop 
recommendations for actions to implement the policy set 
forth in section 2(b). 
(b) PLANNING AND DIRECTION.—The Secretary shall 
plan, convene, and conduct the Conference in cooperation 
with the heads of other appropriate Federal entities, in-
cluding the Attorney General, the Secretary of Education, 
the Department of Agriculture and the Secretary of Hous-
ing and Urban Development. 
(c) PURPOSES OF THE CONFERENCE.—The purposes 
of the Conference are— 
(1) to identify the problems and challenges of 
child abuse and neglect, and the needs of the chil-
dren and families affected by decisions made 
through the child welfare system; 
(2) to strengthen the use of research-based best 
practices that can prevent child abuse and neglect 
with a special focus on younger children; 
(3) to strengthen the use of research-based best 
practices that can improve the health and well-being 
of children, including children with special health 
care needs; 
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(4) to strengthen the use of research-based best 
practices that can increase placement permanency 
for children removed from their homes, including 
practices involving family reunification, kinship 
placement, and adoption; 
(5) to promote the role of State and local fam-
ily courts in each State child welfare system; 
(6) to develop recommendations that will reduce 
the number of children who are in out-of-home care 
and who fail to leave foster care before the age of 
majority; 
(7) to make recommendations that will reduce 
the overrepresentation of certain populations includ-
ing but not limited to Native American, African- 
American, and Hispanic populations in the child wel-
fare system; 
(8) to examine the role of the Government in 
building an equal partnership with State, local, and 
tribal entities in order to assist with, and encourage, 
State, local, and tribal coordination; 
(9) to develop such specific and comprehensive 
recommendations for State-level executive and legis-
lative action as may be appropriate for maintaining 
and improving the health and well-being of children 
in such system; and 
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(10) to review the status of recommendations 
regarding child welfare made by previous White 
House conferences. 
SEC. 4. POLICY COMMITTEE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Policy 
Committee, which shall be comprised of 17 members to 
be selected as follows: 
(1) PRESIDENTIAL
APPOINTEES.—Nine mem-
bers shall be selected by the President and shall con-
sist of— 
(A) 3 members who are officers or employ-
ees of the Federal Government; and 
(B) 6 members, who may be officers or 
employees of the Federal Government, with ex-
perience in the continuum of child health and 
welfare services, from prevention, to interven-
tion, to treatment, including providers and chil-
dren directly affected by the child welfare sys-
tem. 
(2) 
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
AP-
POINTEES.— 
(A) MAJORITY
APPOINTEES.—Two mem-
bers shall be selected by the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, after consultation 
with the chairpersons of the Committee on 
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Education and Labor, and the Committee on 
Ways and Means, of the House of Representa-
tives. 
(B) MINORITY
APPOINTEES.—Two mem-
bers shall be selected by the minority leader of 
the House of Representatives, after consultation 
with the ranking minority members of such 
committees. 
(3) SENATE APPOINTEES.— 
(A) MAJORITY
APPOINTEES.—Two mem-
bers shall be selected by the majority leader of 
the Senate, after consultation with the chair-
persons of the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pensions, and the Com-
mittee on Finance, of the Senate. 
(B) MINORITY
APPOINTEES.—Two mem-
bers shall be selected by the minority leader of 
the Senate, after consultation with the ranking 
minority members of such committees. 
(b) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—Mem-
bers shall be appointed for the life of the Policy Com-
mittee. Any vacancy in the Policy Committee shall not af-
fect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as 
the original appointment. 
(c) VOTING; CHAIRPERSON.— 
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(1) VOTING.—The Policy Committee shall act 
by the vote of a majority of the members present. 
(2) CHAIRPERSON.—The President shall select 
a chairperson from among the members of the Pol-
icy Committee. The chairperson may vote only to 
break a tie vote of the other members of the Policy 
Committee. 
(d) DUTIES OF POLICY COMMITTEE.— 
(1) MEETINGS.—The Policy Committee shall 
hold its first meeting at the call of the Secretary, 
not later than 30 days after the last member is se-
lected. Subsequent meetings of the Policy Committee 
shall be held at the call of the chairperson of the 
Policy Committee. 
(2) GENERAL
DUTIES.—Through meetings, 
hearings, and working sessions, the Policy Com-
mittee shall— 
(A) make recommendations to the Sec-
retary to facilitate the timely convening of the 
Conference; 
(B) submit to the Secretary a proposed 
agenda for the Conference not later than 90 
days after the first meeting of the Policy Com-
mittee; 
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(C) determine the number of delegates to 
be selected in accordance with section 5 and the 
manner by which the delegates are to be se-
lected in accordance with such section; 
(D) select delegates for the Conference; 
and 
(E) establish other advisory committees as 
needed to facilitate Conference participation 
of— 
(i) professionals with direct experience 
providing services to children and families 
in the child welfare system; 
(ii) prevention experts, including pro-
fessionals with direct experience providing 
services to prevent child abuse and neglect; 
(iii) child health experts, including 
health services and public health profes-
sionals working to improve the health of 
children nationwide; and 
(iv) children and families in the child 
welfare system. 
(e) POWERS OF THE POLICY COMMITTEE.— 
(1) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 
The Policy Committee may secure directly from any 
Federal department or agency such information as 
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the Policy Committee considers necessary to carry 
out this Act. Upon request of the chairperson of the 
Policy Committee, the head of such department or 
agency shall furnish such information to the Policy 
Committee. 
(2) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Policy Committee 
may use the United States mails in the same man-
ner and under the same conditions as other depart-
ments and agencies of the Federal Government. 
(f) PERSONNEL.— 
(1) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 
Council shall not receive compensation for the per-
formance of services for the Council, but shall be al-
lowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of 
agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
United States Code, while away from their homes or 
regular places of business in the performance of 
services for the Council. Notwithstanding section 
1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary 
may accept the voluntary and uncompensated serv-
ices of members of the Council. 
(2) DETAIL
OF
GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEES.— 
Any Federal Government employee may be detailed 
to the Council without reimbursement, and such de-
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tail shall be without interruption or loss of civil serv-
ice status or privilege. 
SEC. 5. CONFERENCE DELEGATES. 
To carry out the purposes of the Conference, the Sec-
retary shall convene delegates for the conference, who 
shall be fairly balanced in terms of geography, their points 
of view with respect to child welfare, without regard to 
political affiliation or past partisan activity, who shall in-
clude— 
(1) the directors of child welfare systems of the 
States; 
(2) members of the State and local family court 
systems, representatives of the State bar associa-
tions, and attorneys specializing in family law; 
(3) elected officials of State and local govern-
ments; and 
(4) advocates (including national and State or-
ganizations), guardians, experts in the field of child 
welfare, experts in the field of child abuse preven-
tion, health and mental health professionals, edu-
cators, families and children (including youth) af-
fected by the child welfare system, and the general 
public. 
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SEC. 6. CONFERENCE ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) ADMINISTRATION.—In conducting and planning 
the Conference, the Secretary shall— 
(1) request the cooperation and assistance of 
the heads of such other Federal entities as may be 
appropriate, including the detailing of personnel; 
(2) furnish all reasonable assistance, including 
financial assistance, not less than 18 months before 
the Secretary convenes the Conference, to State 
child welfare systems, State and local family court 
systems, child abuse prevention organizations, State 
and local health departments, child health and well- 
being organizations, and other appropriate organiza-
tions, to enable them to organize and conduct State- 
level child welfare conferences in conjunction with 
and in preparation for participation in the Con-
ference; 
(3) prepare and make available for public com-
ment a proposed agenda, for the Conference, that 
reflects to the greatest extent possible the major 
child welfare issues facing child welfare systems and 
the courts, consistent with the policy set forth in 
section 2(b); 
(4) prepare and make available background ma-
terials that the Secretary determines to be necessary 
for the use of delegates to the Conference; and 
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(5) employ such additional personnel as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act without regard to 
provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing 
appointments in the competitive service, and without 
regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 
53 of such title, relating to classification and Gen-
eral Schedule pay rates. 
(b) DUTIES.—In carrying out the Secretary’s respon-
sibilities and functions under this section, the Secretary 
shall ensure that— 
(1) the conferences held under subsection (a)(2) 
will— 
(A) be conducted so as to ensure broad 
participation of individuals and groups; and 
(B) include conferences on Native Ameri-
cans— 
(i) to identify conditions that ad-
versely affect Native American children in 
the child welfare system and to identify 
Native American families who are at risk 
of entering such system; 
(ii) to propose solutions to ameliorate 
such conditions; and 
(iii) to provide for the exchange of in-
formation relating to the delivery of serv-
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ices to Native American children in the 
child welfare system and to Native Amer-
ican families who are at risk of entering 
such system; 
(2) the proposed agenda for the Conference 
under subsection (a)(3) is— 
(A) published in the Federal Register not 
less than 180 days before the Conference is 
convened; and 
(B) made available for public comment for 
a period of not less than 60 days; 
(3) the final agenda for the Conference, pre-
pared after the Secretary takes into consideration 
comments received under paragraph (2), is published 
in the Federal Register, and transmitted to the chief 
executive officers of the States, not later than 30 
days after the close of the public comment period re-
quired by paragraph (2); 
(4) the personnel employed under subsection 
(a)(5) are fairly balanced in terms of their points of 
view with respect to child welfare and are appointed 
without regard to political affiliation or past par-
tisan activity; 
(5) the recommendations of the Conference are 
not inappropriately influenced by any public official 
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or special interest, but instead are the result of the 
independent and collective judgment of the delegates 
of the Conference; and 
(6) before the Conference is convened— 
(A) current and adequate statistical data 
(including decennial census data) and other in-
formation on the well-being of children in the 
United States; and 
(B) such information as may be necessary 
to evaluate Federal programs and policies relat-
ing to children; 
which the Secretary may obtain by making grants to 
or entering into agreements with, public agencies or 
nonprofit organizations, are readily available in ad-
vance of the Conference to the delegates. 
SEC. 7. REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE. 
(a) PROPOSED REPORT.— 
(1) PREPARATION.—After consultation with the 
Policy Committee, the Secretary shall prepare a pro-
posed report of the Conference containing— 
(A) the results of the Conference, which 
shall include a statement of comprehensive co-
herent national policy on State child welfare 
systems (including the courts involved); 
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(B) recommendations of the Conference for 
the implementation of such policy; 
(C) recommendations to decrease the inci-
dence of child abuse or neglect from occurring; 
and 
(D) recommendations to improve health 
outcomes and measures of well-being for chil-
dren. 
(2) PUBLICATION AND SUBMISSION.—The pro-
posed report shall be published in the Federal Reg-
ister, and submitted to the chief executive officers of 
the States, not later than 60 days after the Con-
ference adjourns. 
(b) RESPONSE TO PROPOSED REPORT.—The Sec-
retary shall solicit recommendations about and other com-
ments on the proposed report, to be submitted not later 
than 180 days after the publication of the report. The Sec-
retary shall request that the chief executive officers of the 
States submit to the Secretary, not later than 180 days 
after receiving the proposed report, their views and find-
ings on the proposed report. 
(c) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 
receiving the comments, and the views and findings of the 
chief executive officers of the States, under subsection (b), 
the Secretary shall— 
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(1) prepare a final report of the Conference, 
which shall include— 
(A) a statement of the policy and rec-
ommendations of the Conference; 
(B) a compilation of the comments, and 
the views and findings of the chief executive of-
ficers of the States; and 
(C)(i) the recommendations of the Sec-
retary for a comprehensive coherent national 
policy on State child welfare systems (including 
the courts involved), after taking into consider-
ation the comments, views, and findings; and 
(ii) the recommendations of the Secretary 
for the administrative and legislative action nec-
essary to implement the recommendations de-
scribed in clause (i); and 
(2) publish the final report in the Federal Reg-
ister and transmit the report to the President and 
to Congress. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS AND REFERENCES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, the 
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Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(b) REFERENCES.—In this Act, a reference to a child 
welfare system of a State includes a reference to a child 
welfare system of a tribal government. 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated $10,000,000 to carry out this Act. 
(b) LIMITATION
ON APPROPRIATIONS.—Authority 
provided in this Act to make expenditures or to enter into 
contracts under which the United States is obligated to 
make outlays shall be effective only to the extent that 
amounts are provided, and only to the extent of the 
amounts provided, in advance in appropriations Acts. 
Æ 
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