SHELTER Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.5882 | Sponsor: Rep. Price, David E. (D-NC)
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Safeguarding Homes by Ensuring Licensing and Transparency with Eligibility Requirements Act of 2021 or the SHELTER Act of 2021
This bill imposes certain requirements on applicants for certain Office of Refugee Resettlement grants to open or fund shelter facilities for unaccompanied alien children.
Specifically an applicant for such a grant must (1) disclose in the application any adverse action (generally an adverse criminal or regulatory action relating to a government contract or the care of children) taken against the applicant in the five-year period before the application, and (2) be licensed under state law to operate the facility in question.
The Department of Health and Human Services must collaborate with state agencies to review state databases for information about adverse actions taken against such applicants.

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the 
     process for awarding grants under section 235 of the William 
Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 
with respect to opening or funding shelter facilities for unaccompanied 
                alien children, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Safeguarding Homes by Ensuring 
Licensing and Transparency with Eligibility Requirements Act of 2021'' 
or the ``SHELTER Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT GRANT PROCESS FOR 
              SHELTER FACILITIES.

    (a) Disclosure and Licensure.--With respect to a grant awarded 
under section 235(i) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims 
Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C. 1232(i)) to open or 
fund a shelter facility for unaccompanied alien children, the 
Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Refugee 
Resettlement, shall require each applicant--
            (1) to disclose in the grant application any adverse action 
        against the applicant in the five-year period preceding the 
        date of application; and
            (2) to be licensed to operate such a facility in the 
        applicable State on the date of application.
    (b) Information Sharing.--In considering an application for a grant 
under section 235(i) of such Act, the Secretary shall collaborate with 
the appropriate agencies of the State in which the applicant intends to 
operate to review the databases of such State for information on any 
adverse actions taken against the applicant.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Adverse action.--The term ``adverse action'' means a 
        prior adverse criminal or regulatory action by a Federal, 
        State, or local government with respect to contracting with a 
        government entity or to the care of a child, including--
                    (A) the suspension or revocation of an operating 
                license; and
                    (B) any pending investigation on the date of 
                application.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.
            (3) Unaccompanied alien child.--The term ``unaccompanied 
        alien child'' has the meaning given the term in section 462(g) 
        of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g)).
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