Strengthening Families Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-657
Sponsor: Sen. Bayh, Evan [D-IN]
Introduced: 2003-03-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Block grants
Career education
Charities
Child abuse
Child support
Child welfare
Church and social problems
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Contraceptives
Counseling
Crime and Law Enforcement
Divorce
Economics and Public Finance
Employment of the disadvantaged
Employment subsidies
Evaluation research (Social action programs)
Family violence
Fathers
Federal aid to Indians
Finance and Financial Sector
Financial planning
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Health
Indian children
Job creation
Job hunting
Labor and Employment
Marriage
Marriage counseling
Minorities
Nonprofit organizations
Parent and child
Personal budgets
Poor children
Preventive medicine
Public service advertising
Religion
Sex education
Sexual abstinence
Sexually transmitted diseases
Social Welfare
Teenage pregnancy
Vocational guidance
Welfare work participation

Summary:
action_date: 2003-03-19
text: Strengthening Families Act of 2003 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary to award grants to eligible States and entities to conduct demonstration programs to promote responsible fatherhood.
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to contract with a nonprofit fatherhood promotion organization to: (1) develop and distribute a media campaign that addresses the issue of responsible fatherhood to States, local governments, public agencies, and private entities; and (2) develop a national clearinghouse to assist States and community efforts to promote and support marriage and responsible fatherhood by disseminating information regarding media campaigns and programs instituted by States using grant funds under this Act.
Directs the Secretary to make grants to States desiring to conduct policy reviews and develop recommendations with the goals of: (1) obtaining and retaining employment, increasing child support payments, and increasing the involvement of low-income, noncustodial parents with their children; and (2) coordinating policies and services for low-income, noncustodial parents among the different systems or programs in which such parents are involved, including the criminal justice system, the State program funded under SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), the State program funded under SSA title IV part D, and job training or employment programs.
Requires the Secretary to make grants to States desiring to conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of: (1) testing innovative policies and to better coordinate policies and services for low-income, noncustodial parents to accomplish such goals; or (2) if the State conducted a policy review with such a grant and desires to implement the recommendations of that review, implementing such recommendations.
Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Labor jointly to award grants to eligible States for the purpose of establishing, in coordination with counties and other local governments, court- supervised employment programs for noncustodial parents who have a history of nonpayment of child support obligations, as determined by a court, and who are determined by the court to be in need of employment services or placement in order to pay such child support obligations.
Amends SSA title IV part A to replace provisions on bonus grants to States to reward a decrease in illegitimacy ratio with provisions on grants to States to States to prevent teen pregnancy.
Directs the Secretary to make a grant to a nationally recognized, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that meets specified contractor requirements to establish and operate a national teen pregnancy prevention resource center.
Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with respect to establishing national goals to prevent teen pregnancy.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-03-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2003-03-19
text: Introduced in Senate