3.0.0 5354 2023-01-11T13:32:58Z 2023-01-11T13:32:58Z House HR 2016-05-26 114 [Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 84 (Thursday, May 26, 2016)]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois:H.R. 5354.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article I of the Constitution and its subsequentamendments and further clarified and interpreted by theSupreme Court of the United States.[Page H3296]]]> hswm00 Ways and Means Committee House Standing hswm03 Work and Welfare Subcommittee Referred to 2016-06-03T20:47:51Z Referred to 2016-05-26T13:01:50Z 2016-06-03 hswm03 Work and Welfare Subcommittee 1 House committee actions Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources. Committee 2016-05-26 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hswm00 Ways and Means Committee 2016-05-26 Introduced in House IntroReferral Intro-H 9 Library of Congress 2016-05-26 Introduced in House IntroReferral 1000 9 Library of Congress D000096 Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] DANNY DAVIS D IL K. 7 N Social Welfare Administrative law and regulatory procedures Adoption and foster care Aging Child safety and welfare Department of Health and Human Services Employment and training programs Family relationships Family services Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Licensing and registrations Poverty and welfare assistance Separation, divorce, custody, support State and local government operations Social Welfare 00 2016-05-26 Introduced in House 2016-07-26T15:06:22Z Improving Supports for Kinship Caregivers Act of 2016

This bill amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require a state receiving a family assistance grant to ensure that the state agency administering the TANF program:

  • employs a primary kinship resource employee trained to give legal custody and guardianship guidance to a relative caregiver of a TANF-receiving minor child; and
  • notifies the relative caregiver of options to participate in the child's care and placement.

The Department of Health and Human Services shall prescribe regulations to improve the reporting of data on the economic well-being and circumstances of families with relative caregivers of minor children.

A state may not reduce or terminate TANF assistance based on the refusal of an individual age 60 or over (senior) to engage in required work.

The five-year limitation on TANF assistance shall not apply to seniors, nor may a state receiving a TANF grant impose any asset test in determining the eligibility of a senior for assistance.

The amount of cash assistance given a family under a state TANF program for a child must equal the amount of cash assistance given for any other child in the family.

SSAct title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) is amended to require the state plan for foster care and adoption assistance to require the administering state agency to employ a primary kinship resource employee to do what such an employee must do under the state TANF plan.

SSAct title IV part B (Child and Family Services) is amended to reauthorize family connection grants through FY2018.

A state with a foster care and adoption assistance plan shall:

  • study its foster family home licensing standards in comparison with the National Association for Regulatory Administration Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards; and
  • review and update them every three years, as well as amounts of foster care maintenance payments and adoption assistance.

SSAct title IV part B is amended to require the state plans for child welfare services to make certain assurances regarding relative caregiver families applying for foster care assistance.

The bill reauthorizes family support services at increased levels through FY2020.

SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) is amended to require a state plan for child and spousal support to describe the process for determining whether an assistance recipient is cooperating in good faith with the state in establishing paternity or in establishing, modifying, or enforcing a support order.

SSA title IV part E is amended regarding state plans for foster care and adoption assistance to apply the requirement that all steps be taken to secure an assignment to the state of any support rights on behalf of all children in foster care, not just those receiving foster care maintenance payments.

]]> Improving Supports for Kinship Caregivers Act of 2016 Display Title Improving Supports for Kinship Caregivers Act of 2016 Official Title as Introduced To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to improve supports for kinship caregivers in child welfare programs and the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families. Introduced in House IH Short Titles as Introduced Improving Supports for Kinship Caregivers Act of 2016 Introduced in House 2016-05-26T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114hr5354ih/xml/BILLS-114hr5354ih.xml 2016-06-03 Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources. text/xml EN 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. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.