Foster Children Opportunity Act

Bill: 113-hr-2036
Sponsor: Rep. O'Rourke, Beto [D-TX-16]
Introduced: 2013-05-16 in the House
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Adoption and foster care
Child safety and welfare
Government information and archives
Immigration status and procedures
Lawyers and legal services
Poverty and welfare assistance
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2013-05-16
text: 
Foster Children Opportunity Act - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require state plans for foster care and adoption assistance to have procedures to assist alien children in the child welfare system achieve special immigrant juvenile status and lawful permanent resident status before exiting foster care.
 
Requires case plans to include documentation of the steps the state child welfare agency is taking in assisting children obtain lawful immigrant status before exiting foster care.
 
Requires a permanency hearing to determine whether a petition for special immigrant juvenile status or lawful permanent resident status has been filed on behalf of an alien foster child and, if it has not been filed, whether it is in the child's best interest to have such a petition filed or to have immigration counsel appointed.
 
Authorizes the use of court improvement program grant funds to educate and train child welfare and court staff to assist alien children in achieving special immigrant juvenile status, lawful permanent resident status, and other forms of relief under immigration law. 
 
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), on the request of a child welfare agency, to provide technical assistance in carrying out this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to and contract with qualified non-profit or other community-based service providers to perform the assistance.
 
Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make an exception to the five-year limited eligibility of qualified aliens for federal means-tested public benefits for individuals who have obtained special immigrant juvenile status. 
 
Makes a similar exception for such individuals with respect to the limited eligibility of qualified aliens for certain Federal programs.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-06-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Nutrition.
action_date: 2013-06-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
action_date: 2013-05-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2013-05-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2013-05-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H2666)
action_date: 2013-05-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2013-05-16
text: Introduced in House