Title: Reducing Unnecessary Barriers for Relative Foster Parents Act
Policy area: Families

Summary:
Reducing Barriers for Relative Foster Parents Act
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify reputable model standards for the licensing of foster family homes.
Part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act is amended to require state plans for foster care and adoption assistance to require submission to HHS of information addressing:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2866 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2866

 To review and improve licensing standards for placement in a relative 
                          foster family home.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2017

  Mr. Smucker (for himself and Ms. Sewell of Alabama) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To review and improve licensing standards for placement in a relative 
                          foster family home.

    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 ``Reducing Barriers for Relative 
Foster Parents Act''.

SEC. 2. REVIEWING AND IMPROVING LICENSING STANDARDS FOR PLACEMENT IN A 
              RELATIVE FOSTER FAMILY HOME.

    (a) Identification of Reputable Model Licensing Standards.--Not 
later than October 1, 2018, the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall identify reputable model licensing standards with respect to the 
licensing of foster family homes (as defined in section 472(c)(1) of 
the Social Security Act).
    (b) State Plan Requirement.--Section 471(a) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (34)(B), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (35)(B), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(36) provides that, not later than April 1, 2019, the 
        State shall submit to the Secretary information addressing--
                    ``(A) whether the State licensing standards are in 
                accord with model standards identified by the 
                Secretary, and if not, the reason for the specific 
                deviation and a description as to why having a standard 
                that is reasonably in accord with the corresponding 
                national model standards is not appropriate for the 
                State;
                    ``(B) whether the State has elected to waive 
                standards established in 471(a)(10)(A) for relative 
                foster family homes (pursuant to waiver authority 
                provided by 471(a)(10)(D)), a description of which 
                standards the State most commonly waives, and if the 
                State has not elected to waive the standards, the 
                reason for not waiving these standards;
                    ``(C) if the State has elected to waive standards 
                specified in subparagraph (B), how caseworkers are 
                trained to use the waiver authority and whether the 
                State has developed a process or provided tools to 
                assist caseworkers in waiving nonsafety standards per 
                the authority provided in 471(a)(10)(D) to quickly 
                place children with relatives; and
                    ``(D) a description of the steps the State is 
                taking to improve caseworker training or the process, 
                if any; and''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) Effective Date.--Subject to subsection (b), the amendments made 
by this Act shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
    (b) Transition Rule.--
            (1) In general.--In the case of a State plan under part E 
        of title IV of the Social Security Act which the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services determines requires State legislation 
        (other than legislation appropriating funds) in order for the 
        plan to meet the additional requirements imposed by the 
        amendments made by this Act, the State plan shall not be 
        regarded as failing to comply with the requirements of such 
        part solely on the basis of the failure of the plan to meet 
        such additional requirements before the first day of the first 
        calendar quarter beginning after the close of the first regular 
        session of the State legislature that begins after the date of 
        enactment of this Act. For purposes of the previous sentence, 
        in the case of a State that has a 2-year legislative session, 
        each year of the session shall be deemed to be a separate 
        regular session of the State legislature.
            (2) Application to programs operated by indian tribal 
        organizations.--In the case of an Indian tribe, tribal 
        organization, or tribal consortium which the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services determines requires time to take 
        action necessary to comply with the additional requirements 
        imposed by the amendments made by this Act (whether the tribe, 
        organization, or tribal consortium has a plan under section 
        479B of the Social Security Act or a cooperative agreement or 
        contract entered into with a State), the Secretary shall 
        provide the tribe, organization, or tribal consortium with such 
        additional time as the Secretary determines is necessary for 
        the tribe, organization, or tribal consortium to take the 
        action to comply with the additional requirements before being 
        regarded as failing to comply with the requirements.
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