Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (H.R. 4980): On July 23, the House of Representatives approved the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act by a voice vote. Some of provisions of most relevance for FCWG include the following: supporting normalcy for children in foster care by implementing a “prudent parenting standard”; eliminating APPLA (Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement) as a case plan goal; and requiring child welfare agencies to provide key documents, including a birth certificate, Social Security card, and bill of rights, to all children aging out of care. For a complete legislative history, along with descriptions of past versions of the bill, click here. The provisions of this bill were agreed to in conference committee with the Senate Finance Committee, so advocates were hopeful that it would pass the Senate before Congressional recess. However, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has put a formal hold on the bill. Once the Senate returns from recess in September, Senator Coburn must either lift his hold or the bill must be scheduled for a vote.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) Reauthorization (S. 2646): On July 23, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (S. 2646) to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, which expires September 30, 2014. It would also extend the Transitional Living Program, which provides longer-term residential services, life skills, education, and employment support to older homeless youth, as well as the Street Outreach Program, which focuses on crisis intervention. It also includes language to combat human trafficking among runaway and homeless youth, as well as a non-discrimination clause to prohibit any grantee from discriminating against a child based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Advocates are currently working to identify one Republican and one Democratic lead sponsor on the House side. You can read the bill language for S. 2646 here.
Foster/Homeless Youth Provisions in HEA Reauthorization: On June 25, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released a legislative proposal to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Called The Higher Education Affordability Act, it contains many provisions to assist homeless and foster youth. The bill attempts to, among other things, remove barriers to financial aid for homeless and foster youth, make college more affordable for homeless and foster youth, build support for the college retention and success of homeless and foster youth, expand access to dual enrollment and early college high school programs to help students earn college credit while they are in high school, and provide data on the higher education outcomes of homeless and foster youth. The House is taking a different approach, and doing a series of small bills to address this issue; the Ed & Workforce Committee has not yet released a financial aid bill. You can read more about the issue and the proposal on the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth’s (NAEHCY) website by clicking here.
Permanent Families for All Children Act (H.R. 4909): On June 19, Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) introduced the Permanent Families for All Children Act (H.R. 4909), which proposes several changes to the funding mechanisms for the Title IV-E Foster Care Program. Among other provisions, the bill: eliminates the use of AFDC eligibility standards to determine Title IV-E eligibility; limits to 3 years (36 months) the amount of time that a state can be reimbursed via Foster Care Maintenance Payments (FCMP) for the cost of keeping a child in foster care; caps at 1 year (12 months) the length of time that a child care institution can receive FCMP on behalf of a child residing at the institution; offers training funds and loan forgiveness for social workers; and if its fiscal reforms generate savings, the bill reinvests those funds into IV-B. The bill text is available here.
Hatch-Bennet Pay-for-Performance Legislation: At the Senate Foster Youth Caucus Roundtable (noted above), Becky Shipp, legislative aide to Senator Hatch (R-UT) on the Senate Finance Committee, announced a new bill that Senator Hatch and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) just introduced to encourage pay-for-performance and public-private partnerships aimed at getting public systems, including the child welfare system, to produce better outcomes. The bill is a companion bill to H.R. 4885, the Social Impact Bond Act, which was introduced earlier this summer by Representatives John Delaney (D-MD) and Todd Young (R-IN). Although the bill text isn’t yet available, a plain English summary of the House bill is available here, and the news release is available here.
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