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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="H0514C9AB47284AF49BFF6ED2B85273AA" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>118 HR 8020 IH: Transparency for Unaccompanied Children Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2024-04-16</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">118th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 8020</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20240416">April 16, 2024</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="E000215">Ms. Eshoo</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HJU00">Committee on the Judiciary</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish data on the Unaccompanied Children Program.</official-title></form><legis-body id="HB7008EC450CA41D8A77C72BFB0432C12" style="OLC"> 
<section id="HF76CC3A25C6D4EE1A6356C92ACBEB723" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Transparency for Unaccompanied Children Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="H94BED6560C01472C96D25265305E1E01"><enum>2.</enum><header>Online publication of data on the Unaccompanied Children Program</header> <subsection id="H5D45855DD8764F8E823793638055ADB1"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and monthly thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall publish, on a publicly accessible webpage of the Department of Health and Human Services, data on the Unaccompanied Children Program.</text> </subsection> 
<subsection id="HA486F096A5B74349B54D9E769E21DC72"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Required data</header><text>The data published pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the following:</text> <paragraph id="H4657CE71D02F49618BA0F8D55CAF3053"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of unaccompanied alien children transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) during the previous month.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H0EE6F33290354819B780D1A69917926A"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of unaccompanied alien children discharged by ORR into the custody of sponsors during the previous month, disaggregated by the number of such children discharged to a sponsor who is—</text> <subparagraph id="H9B85B6757C9F463BB058BB00ADC9C96D"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a parent or legal guardian of the discharged child;</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H73197F6401CE42EA827EF6F737CFF2D4"><enum>(B)</enum><text>a brother, sister, or grandparent of the discharged child, or an aunt, uncle, or first cousin of the discharged child who previously served as the child’s primary caregiver;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HD396F4F4F1344E5785B4DAAE62D01D17"><enum>(C)</enum><text>an aunt, uncle, or first cousin of the discharged child who was not previously the child’s primary caregiver; or</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H06F61B66059C49C4AD152E918AD84351"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a distant relative of the discharged child or not related to the discharged child.</text> </subparagraph> </paragraph> <paragraph id="HCD2E8AA8BA2E4D5398C6EE544BA14A25"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of unaccompanied alien children who were discharged by ORR into the custody of sponsors during the previous month, and who meet the requirements for a mandatory home study under section 235(c)(3)(B) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/8/1232">8 U.S.C. 1232(c)(3)(B)</external-xref>), disaggregated by the number of such children discharged to a sponsor who is—</text> 
<subparagraph id="H8E605B8747714057B818A8EAEFD1D2AE"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a parent or legal guardian of the discharged child; </text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HC857C0506C1E42659E1D1B8DBA608CCB"><enum>(B)</enum><text>a brother, sister, or grandparent of the discharged child, or an aunt, uncle, or first cousin of the discharged child who previously served as the child’s primary caregiver;</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HFCBF171A60734E36A47A3CD9466ED7BF"><enum>(C)</enum><text>an aunt, uncle, or first cousin of the discharged child who was not previously the child’s primary caregiver; or</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HE355D31FEC7547FCA8865D94BE9D9851"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a distant relative of the discharged child or not related to the discharged child.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HC38E8008C40C41B08088605249B449A4"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The average length of time spent in ORR custody by unaccompanied alien children who were discharged from ORR custody during the previous month.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H6283B39F77FF4B7BB98CCD2203D8B1D8"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of home studies conducted by ORR (or by an ORR grantee or contractor) to assess whether potential sponsors are able and willing to care for an unaccompanied alien child, disaggregated by the number of such home studies that are—</text> 
<subparagraph id="H346D2FA2D7AA4654A0C47F809A92827E"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">mandatory under current law or existing ORR policies; or</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HCC441952B999458A9DBA250CCD5822D9"><enum>(B)</enum><text>discretionary under current law and existing ORR policies. </text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H597E3FB8B3734A8198765552AFBB241F"><enum>(6)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of sponsorship applications that were pending with ORR at any point during the previous month, disaggregated by the number of such applications that—</text> <subparagraph id="H58397E07238342838320C5D08F569F2C"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">were approved during the previous month;</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H4559E014DCAB466F852D173534E872B4"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">were denied during the previous month; or</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H7613E73A2E9B461485D33D848EB8D859"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">remained pending as of the end of the previous month.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HD7301EDC83034A7DAB3FDC73038B9A1B"><enum>(7)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of sponsorship applications that were pending with ORR at any point during the previous month and submitted by any individual seeking to become the sponsor of an unaccompanied alien child who meets the requirements for a mandatory home study under section 1232(c)(3)(B) of title 8, United States Code, disaggregated by the number of such applications that—</text> <subparagraph id="HBFCCAD9853E44F09B9703BDC32BCB89F"><enum>(A)</enum><text>were approved during the previous month; </text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H80A52792C9454AF78FDF12C604CB577C"><enum>(B)</enum><text>were denied during the previous month; or </text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HD3C159939E5E407697033E07E4C7178F"><enum>(C)</enum><text>remained pending as of the end of the previous month.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H7CBFB4686DEE41108A917CF338EE306A"><enum>(8)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of calls received by the ORR National Call Center during the previous month reporting instances of trafficking, neglect, or abuse of children discharged into the custody of sponsors by ORR.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HF820E2DC24864BE696F78C33B0C6682A"><enum>(9)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of follow-up calls to discharged children and their sponsors conducted by ORR (or by an ORR grantee or contractor) during the previous month, disaggregated by the number of such calls conducted—</text> 
<subparagraph id="HC4D0C8C1E43E491795860AD9F7AA8BDD"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in accordance with the timeframe required by ORR policy; or </text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H1C5DAFC7A09B42A796B92F6F3CF032CB"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">later than required by ORR policy. </text> </subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H643096EBE32A48AFA28763CC0189F403"><enum>(10)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of unaccompanied alien children discharged from ORR custody who have received post-release services furnished by ORR during the previous month, disaggregated by the number of such children who have received—</text> <subparagraph id="H397A19901BBC4D35BEC375C9FA8126CB"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">one or more virtual check-ins; </text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H52A3ABBE5815402CB556F79C3D095C0E"><enum>(B)</enum><text>case management services; or </text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HEEEEE3390A2349249B088D2477C2D2F1"><enum>(C)</enum><text>intensive in-home services and engagement.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H107B4815727F4442AC0CA3183062DE68"><enum>(11)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of unaccompanied alien children discharged from ORR custody who have received full legal representation furnished by ORR during the previous month. </text></paragraph> </subsection> <subsection id="H41F3598FD8444A7592111E7900E922B0"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Notification of congressional committees</header><text>Upon publishing new monthly data pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall notify the Chair and ranking member of—</text> 
<paragraph id="H04BCDC9554004D74B543B8E93B59A8BC"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HA8EC1ADCAE024AF99E41C282EC131273"><enum>(2)</enum><text>the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate;</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H0A402089190A4738AC755CD808B5D628"><enum>(3)</enum><text>the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives; and</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HE50609CDF0A54AE1B07FF0E6937053E9"><enum>(4)</enum><text>the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.</text></paragraph></subsection> 
<subsection id="H95F4B463801D4869984D67D8738A0045"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section:</text> <paragraph id="H8005BCF7B0534770B29CA666721AF1C2"><enum>(1)</enum><text>The term <term>ORR</term> means the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the Department of Health and Human Services.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H8F46981D7FE74B59814EB7057270440D"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>sponsor</term> means an individual who has been selected by the Department of Health and Human Services to be the custodian of an unaccompanied alien child under section 235(c)(3) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/8/1232">8 U.S.C. 1232(c)(3)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HCBFA915D2B9B4FD99E651FF8A24DF5C9"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>sponsorship application</term> means the application submitted to ORR by an individual seeking to become the custodian of an unaccompanied alien child.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H50E0F17532CB4D78B929FC6D83C3597A"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>unaccompanied alien child</term> has the meaning given to such term in section 462(g)(2) of the Homeland Secretary Act of 2002 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/6/279">6 U.S.C. 279(g)(2)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H369385EBFBD8462FA72888B7F57BA026"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>Unaccompanied Children Program</term> means the program of ORR for the care and custody of unaccompanied alien children under section 235(b) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/8/1232">8 U.S.C. 1232(b)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph></subsection></section> 
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