Detailed Instructions: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Modernizing the Interstate Placement
of Children in Foster Care Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--
(1) when a child in foster care cannot return safely home,
the child deserves to be placed in a setting that is best for
that child, regardless of whether it is in the child's State or
another State;
(2) the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
(ICPC) was established in 1960 to provide a uniform legal
framework for the placement of children across State lines in
foster and adoptive homes;
(3) frequently, children waiting to be placed with an
adoptive family, relative, or foster parent in another State
spend more time waiting for this to occur than children who are
placed with an adoptive, family, relative, or foster parent in
the same State, because of the outdated, administratively
burdensome ICPC process;
(4) no child should have to wait longer to be placed in a
loving home simply because the child must cross a State line;
(5) the National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise
(NEICE) was launched in August 2014 in Indiana, Nevada,
Florida, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and the District of
Columbia, and is expected to be expanded into additional States
to improve the administrative process by which children are
placed with families across State lines;
(6) States using this electronic interstate case-processing
system have reduced administrative costs and the amount of
staff time required to process these cases, and caseworkers can
spend more time helping children instead of copying and mailing
paperwork between States;
(7) since NEICE was launched, placement time has decreased
by 30 percent for interstate foster care placements; and
(8) on average, States using this electronic interstate
case-processing system have been able to reduce from 24
business days to 13 business days the time it takes to identify
a family for a child and prepare the paperwork required to
start the ICPC process.

SEC. 3. STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.

(a) In General.--Section 471(a)(25) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 671(a)(25)) is amended--
(1) by striking ''provide'' and insert ''provides''; and
(2) by inserting '', which, not later than October 1, 2026,
shall include the use of an electronic interstate case-
processing system'' before the 1st semicolon.
(b) Effective Date.--
(1) In general.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall take effect on the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter
beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and shall apply to payments under part E of title IV of the
Social Security Act for calendar quarters beginning on or after
such date.
(2) Delay permitted if state legislation required.--If the
Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that State
legislation (other than legislation appropriating funds) is
required in order for a State plan developed pursuant to part E
of title IV of the Social Security Act to meet the additional
requirement imposed by the amendments made by subsection (a),
the plan shall not be regarded as failing to meet any of the
additional requirements before the 1st day of the 1st calendar
quarter beginning after the first regular session of the State
legislature that begins after the date of the enactment of this
Act. For purposes of the preceding sentence, if the State has a
2-year legislative session, each year of the session is deemed
to be a separate regular session of the State legislature.

SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELECTRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-
PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EXPEDITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF
CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.

Section 437 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 637) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
''(g) Grants for the Development of an Electronic Interstate Case-
processing System to Expedite the Interstate Placement of Children in
Foster Care or Guardianship, or for Adoption.--
''(1) Purpose.--The purpose of this subsection is to
facilitate the development of an electronic interstate case-
processing system for the exchange of data and documents to
expedite the placements of children in foster, guardianship, or
adoptive homes across State lines.
''(2) Application requirements.--A State that desires a
grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an
application containing the following:
''(A) A description of the goals and outcomes to be
achieved during the period for which grant funds are
sought, which goals and outcomes must result in--
''(i) reducing the time it takes for a
child to be provided with a safe and
appropriate permanent living arrangement across
State lines;
''(ii) improving administrative processes
and reducing costs in the foster care system;
and
''(iii) the secure exchange of relevant
case files and other necessary materials in
real time, and timely communications and
placement decisions regarding interstate
placements of children.
''(B) A description of the activities to be funded
in whole or in part with the grant funds, including the
sequencing of the activities.
''(C) A description of the strategies for
integrating programs and services for children who are
placed across State lines.
''(D) Such other information as the Secretary may
require.
''(3) Grant authority.--The Secretary may make a grant to a
State that complies with paragraph (2).
''(4) Use of funds.--A State to which a grant is made under
this subsection shall use the grant to support the State in
connecting with the electronic interstate case-processing
system described in paragraph (1).
''(5) Evaluations.--Not later than 1 year after the final
year in which grants are awarded under this subsection, the
Secretary shall submit to the Congress, and make available to
the general public by posting on a website, a report that
contains the following information:
''(A) How using the electronic interstate case-
processing system developed pursuant to paragraph (4)
has changed the time it takes for children to be placed
across State lines.
''(B) The number of cases subject to the Interstate
Compact on the Placement of Children that were
processed through the electronic interstate case-
processing system, and the number of interstate child
placement cases that were processed outside the
electronic interstate case-processing system, by each
State in each year.
''(C) The progress made by States in implementing
the electronic interstate case-processing system.
''(D) How using the electronic interstate case-
processing system has affected various metrics related
to child safety and well-being, including the time it
takes for children to be placed across State lines.
''(E) How using the electronic interstate case-
processing system has affected administrative costs and
caseworker time spent on placing children across State
lines.
''(6) Data integration.--The Secretary, in consultation
with the Secretariat for the Interstate Compact on the
Placement of Children and the States, shall assess how the
electronic interstate case-processing system developed pursuant
to paragraph (4) could be used to better serve and protect
children that come to the attention of the child welfare
system, by--
''(A) connecting the system with other data systems
(such as systems operated by State law enforcement and
judicial agencies, systems operated by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation for the purposes of the
Innocence Lost National Initiative, and other systems);
''(B) simplifying and improving reporting related
to paragraphs (34) and (35) of section 471(a) regarding
children or youth who have been identified as being a
sex trafficking victim or children missing from foster
care; and
''(C) improving the ability of States to quickly
comply with background check requirements of section
471(a)(20), including checks of child abuse and neglect
registries as required by section 471(a)(20)(B).''.

SEC. 5. CONTINUATION OF DISCRETIONARY FUNDING TO PROMOTE SAFE AND
STABLE FAMILIES.

Section 437(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 637(a)) is
amended by striking ''2016'' and inserting ''2017''.

SEC. 6. RESERVATION OF FUNDS TO IMPROVE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF
CHILDREN.

Section 437(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 637(b)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
''(4) Improving the interstate placement of children.--The
Secretary shall reserve $5,000,000 of the amount made available
for fiscal year 2017 for grants under subsection (g), and the
amount so reserved shall remain available through fiscal year
2021.''.

Passed the House of Representatives March 22, 2016.

Attest:

KAREN L. HAAS,

Clerk.
A:
Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act (Sec. 3) This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the procedures a state must have in effect for the orderly and timely interstate placement of children to include the use of an electronic interstate case-processing system. (Sec. 4) The bill also authorizes grants for development of an electronic interstate case-processing system to expedite the interstate placement of children in foster care, guardianship, or adoptive homes. (Sec. 5) Discretionary funding shall continue through FY2017 to promote safe and stable families. (Sec. 6) The Department of Health and Human Services shall reserve $5 million of the amount made available for such grants for FY2017, which reserved amount shall remain available through FY2021.