[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 653 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  1st Session
                                 S. 653

   To amend part D of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide 
 grants to States to encourage media campaigns to promote responsible 
               fatherhood skills, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 29, 2001

   Mr. Bayh (for himself, Mr. Domenici, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lugar, Mr. 
  Graham, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Carper, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Johnson, Mr. 
    Miller, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Breaux, and Mr. Kohl) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                                Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend part D of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide 
 grants to States to encourage media campaigns to promote responsible 
               fatherhood skills, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Fatherhood Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Nearly 25,000,000 children in the United States, or 36 
        percent of all such children, live apart from their biological 
        father.
            (2) Sixty percent of couples who divorce have at least 1 
        child.
            (3) The number of children living with only a mother 
        increased from just over 5,000,000 in 1960, to 17,000,000 in 
        1999, and between 1981 and 1991 the percentage of children 
        living with only 1 parent increased from 19 percent to 25 
        percent.
            (4) Forty percent of children who live in households 
        without a father have not seen their father in at least 1 year 
        and 50 percent of such children have never visited their 
        father's home.
            (5) The most important factor in a child's upbringing is 
        whether the child is brought up in a loving, healthy, 
        supportive environment.
            (6) Children who live without contact with their biological 
        father are, in comparison to children who have such contact--
                    (A) 5 times more likely to live in poverty;
                    (B) more likely to bring weapons and drugs into the 
                classroom;
                    (C) twice as likely to commit crime;
                    (D) twice as likely to drop out of school;
                    (E) twice as likely to be abused;
                    (F) more likely to commit suicide;
                    (G) more than twice as likely to abuse alcohol or 
                drugs; and
                    (H) more likely to become pregnant as teenagers.
            (7) Violent criminals are overwhelmingly males who grew up 
        without fathers.
            (8) Between 20 and 30 percent of families in poverty are 
        headed by women who have suffered domestic violence during the 
        past year and between 40 and 60 percent of women with children 
        receiving welfare were abused sometime during their life.
            (9) Responsible fatherhood includes active participation in 
        financial support and child care, as well as the formation and 
        maintenance of a positive, healthy, and nonviolent relationship 
        between father and child and a cooperative relationship between 
        parents.
            (10) States should be encouraged to implement programs that 
        provide support for responsible fatherhood, promote marriage, 
        and increase the incidence of marriage, and should not be 
        restricted from implementing such programs.
            (11) Fatherhood programs should promote and provide support 
        services for--
                    (A) loving and healthy relationships between 
                parents and children; and
                    (B) cooperative parenting.
            (12) There is a social need to reconnect children and 
        fathers.
            (13) The promotion of responsible fatherhood and 
        encouragement of married 2-parent families should not--
                    (A) denigrate the standing or parenting efforts of 
                single mothers or other caregivers;
                    (B) lessen the protection of children from abusive 
                parents; or
                    (C) compromise the safety or health of the 
                custodial parent;
        but should increase the chance that children will have two 
        caring parents to help them grow up healthy and secure.
            (14) The promotion of responsible fatherhood must always 
        recognize and promote the values of nonviolence.
            (15) For the future of the United States and the future of 
        our children, Congress, States, and local communities should 
        assist parents to become more actively involved in their 
        children's lives.
            (16) Child support is an important means by which a parent 
        can take financial responsibility for a child and emotional 
        support is an important means by which a parent can take social 
        responsibility for a child.

SEC. 3. BLOCK GRANTS TO STATES TO ENCOURAGE MEDIA CAMPAIGNS.

    (a) In General.--Part D of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 469C. BLOCK GRANTS TO STATES FOR MEDIA CAMPAIGNS PROMOTING 
              RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Broadcast advertisement.--The term `broadcast 
        advertisement' means a communication intended to be aired by a 
        television or radio broadcast station, including a 
        communication intended to be transmitted through a cable 
        channel.
            ``(2) Child at risk.--The term `child at risk' means each 
        young child whose family income does not exceed the poverty 
        line.
            ``(3) Poverty line.--The term `poverty line' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget 
        Reconciliation Act of 1981 (including any revision required by 
        such section) that is applicable to a family of the size 
        involved.
            ``(4) Printed or other advertisement.--The term `printed or 
        other advertisement' includes any communication intended to be 
        distributed through a newspaper, magazine, outdoor advertising 
        facility, mailing, or any other type of general public 
        advertising, but does not include any broadcast advertisement.
            ``(5) State.--The term `State' means each of the 50 States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
            ``(6) Young child.--The term `young child' means an 
        individual under age 5.
    ``(b) State Certifications.--Not later than October 1 of each of 
fiscal year for which a State desires to receive an allotment under 
this section, the chief executive officer of the State shall submit to 
the Secretary a certification that the State will--
            ``(1) use such funds to promote the formation and 
        maintenance of married 2-parent families, strengthen fragile 
        families, and promote responsible fatherhood through media 
        campaigns conducted in accordance with the requirements of 
        subsection (d);
            ``(2) return any unused funds to the Secretary in 
        accordance with the reconciliation process under subsection 
        (e); and
            ``(3) comply with the reporting requirements under 
        subsection (f).
    ``(c) Payments to States.--For each of fiscal years 2002 through 
2006, the Secretary shall pay to each State that submits a 
certification under subsection (b), from any funds appropriated under 
subsection (h), for the fiscal year an amount equal to the amount of 
the allotment determined for the fiscal year under subsection (g).
    ``(d) Establishment of Media Campaigns.--Each State receiving an 
allotment under this section for a fiscal year shall use the allotment 
to conduct media campaigns as follows:
            ``(1) Conduct of media campaigns.--
                    ``(A) Radio and television media campaigns.--
                            ``(i) Production of broadcast 
                        advertisements.--At the option of the State, to 
                        produce broadcast advertisements that promote 
                        the formation and maintenance of married 2-
                        parent families, strengthen fragile families, 
                        and promote responsible fatherhood.
                            ``(ii) Air-time challenge program.--At the 
                        option of the State, to establish an air-time 
                        challenge program under which the State may 
                        spend amounts allotted under this section to 
                        purchase time from a broadcast station to air a 
                        broadcast advertisement produced under 
                        subparagraph (A), but only if the State obtains 
                        an amount of time of the same class and during 
                        a comparable period to air the advertisement 
                        using non-Federal contributions.
                    ``(B) Other media campaigns.--At the option of the 
                state, to conduct a media campaign that consists of the 
                production and distribution of printed or other 
                advertisements that promote the formation and 
                maintenance of married 2-parent families, strengthen 
                fragile families, and promote responsible fatherhood.
            ``(2) Administration of media campaigns.--A State may 
        administer media campaigns funded under this section directly 
        or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements with 
        public agencies, local governments, or private entities, 
        including charitable and religious organizations.
            ``(3) Consultation with domestic violence assistance 
        centers.--In developing broadcast and printed advertisements to 
        be used in the media campaigns conducted under paragraph (1), 
        the State or other entity administering the campaign shall 
        consult with representatives of State and local domestic 
        violence centers.
            ``(4) Non-federal contributions.--In this subsection, the 
        term `non-Federal contributions' includes contributions by the 
        State and by public and private entities. Such contributions 
        may be in cash or in kind. Such term does not include any 
        amounts provided by the Federal Government, or services 
        assisted or subsidized to any significant extent by the Federal 
        Government, or any amount expended by a State before October 1, 
        2002.
    ``(e) Reconciliation Process.--
            ``(1) 3-year availability of amounts allotted.--Each State 
        that receives an allotment under this section shall return to 
        the Secretary any unused portion of the amount allotted to a 
        State under this section for a fiscal year not later than the 
        last day of the second succeeding fiscal year together with any 
        earnings on such unused portion.
            ``(2) Procedure for redistribution of unused allotments.--
        The Secretary shall establish an appropriate procedure for 
        redistributing to States that have expended the entire amount 
        allotted under this section any amount that is--
                    ``(A) returned to the Secretary by States under 
                paragraph (1); or
                    ``(B) not allotted to a State under this section 
                because the State did not submit a certification under 
                subsection (b) by October 1 of a fiscal year.
    ``(f) Reporting Requirements.--
            ``(1) Monitoring and evaluation.--Each State receiving an 
        allotment under this section for a fiscal year shall monitor 
        and evaluate the media campaigns conducted using funds made 
        available under this section in such manner as the Secretary, 
        in consultation with the States, determines appropriate.
            ``(2) Annual reports.--Not less frequently than annually, 
        each State receiving an allotment under this section for a 
        fiscal year shall submit to the Secretary reports on the media 
campaigns conducted under this section at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(g) Amount of Allotments.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), of 
        the amount appropriated for the purpose of making allotments 
        under this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allot 
        to each State that submits a certification under subsection (b) 
        for the fiscal year an amount equal to the sum of--
                    ``(A) the amount that bears the same ratio to 50 
                percent of such funds as the number of young children 
                in the State (as determined by the Secretary based on 
                the most recent March supplement to the Current 
                Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census before 
                the beginning of the calendar year in which such fiscal 
                year begins) as bears to the number of such children in 
                all States; and
                    ``(B) the amount that bears the same ratio to 50 
                percent of such funds as the number of children at risk 
                in the State (as determined by the Secretary based on 
                the most recent March supplement to the Current 
                Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census before 
                the beginning of the calendar year in which such fiscal 
                year begins) bears to the number of such children in 
                all States.
            ``(2) Minimum allotments.--No allotment for a fiscal year 
        under this section shall be less than--
                    ``(A) in the case of a State other than the 
                Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
                Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 
                the Northern Mariana Islands, 1 percent of the amount 
                appropriated for the fiscal year under subsection (h); 
                and
                    ``(B) in the case of the Commonwealth of Puerto 
                Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American 
                Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands, 0.5 percent of such amount.
            ``(3) Pro rata reductions.--The Secretary shall make such 
        pro rata reductions to the allotments determined under 
        paragraph (1) as are necessary to comply with the requirements 
        of paragraph (2).
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006 for 
purposes of making allotments to States under this section.''.
    (b) Evaluation.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        shall conduct an evaluation of the impact of the media 
        campaigns funded under section 469C of the Social Security Act, 
        as added by subsection (a).
            (2) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2004, the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services shall report to Congress 
        the results of the evaluation under paragraph (1).
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 for purposes 
        of conducting the evaluation required under this subsection, to 
        remain available until expended.

SEC. 4. RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD BLOCK GRANT.

    (a) In General.--Part D of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 651 et seq.), as amended by section 3, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

``SEC. 469D. RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD BLOCK GRANT.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Child at risk.--The term `child at risk' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 469C(a)(2).
            ``(2) Poverty line.--The term `poverty line' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 469C(a)(3).
            ``(3) State.--The term `State' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 469C(a)(5).
            ``(4) Young child.--The term `young child' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 469C(a)(6).
    ``(b) State Certifications.--Not later than October 1 of each of 
fiscal year for which a State desires to receive an allotment under 
this section, the chief executive officer of the State shall submit to 
the Secretary a certification that the State will--
            ``(1) comply with the matching requirements under 
        subsection (c)(2);
            ``(2) use such funds--
                    ``(A) to promote responsible fatherhood; and
                    ``(B) to promote or sustain marriage in accordance 
                with subparagraph (A) or (B), respectively, of 
                subsection (d)(2);
            ``(3) return any unused funds to the Secretary in 
        accordance with the reconciliation process under subsection 
        (e); and
            ``(4) comply with the reporting requirements under 
        subsection (f).
    ``(c) Payments to States.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), for each of 
        fiscal years 2002 through 2006, the Secretary shall pay to each 
        State that submits a certification described in subsection (b), 
        from any funds appropriated under subsection (h), for the 
        fiscal year an amount equal to the amount of the allotment 
        determined under subsection (g).
            ``(2) Matching requirement.--The Secretary may not make a 
        payment to a State under paragraph (1) unless the State agrees 
        that, with respect to the costs to be incurred by the State in 
        supporting the programs described in subsection (d), the State 
        will make available non-Federal contributions in an amount 
        equal to 25 percent of the amount of Federal funds paid to the 
        State under such clause.
            ``(3) Non-federal contributions.--In this subsection, the 
        term `non-Federal contributions' includes contributions by the 
        State and by public and private entities. Such contributions 
may be in cash or in kind. Such term does not include any amounts 
provided by the Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized 
to any significant extent by the Federal Government or any amount 
expended by a State before October 1, 2002.
    ``(d) Responsible Fatherhood Programs.--
            ``(1) Support of programs.--A State shall use the 
        allotments received under this section to support programs 
        described in paragraph (2) directly or through a grant, 
        contract, or cooperative agreement with any public agency, 
        local government, or private entity (including any charitable 
        or religious organization) with experience in administering 
        such a program.
            ``(2) Programs described.--Responsible fatherhood programs 
        include programs that--
                    ``(A) promote marriage through such activities as 
                counseling, mentoring, disseminating information about 
                the benefits of marriage and 2-parent involvement for 
                children, enhancing relationship skills, teaching on 
                how to control aggressive behavior, and disseminating 
                information on the causes of domestic violence and 
                child abuse;
                    ``(B) sustain marriages through marriage 
                preparation programs, premarital counseling, marital 
                inventories, skills-based marriage education, financial 
                planning seminars, and divorce education and reduction 
                programs, including mediation and counseling;
                    ``(C) promote responsible parenting through such 
                activities as counseling, mentoring, disseminating 
                information about good parenting practices, skills-
                based parenting education, encouraging child support 
                payments, and other methods; and
                    ``(D) help fathers and their families avoid or 
                leave cash welfare and improve their economic status by 
                providing such activities as work first services, job 
                search, job training, subsidized employment, job 
                retention, job enhancement, and encouraging education, 
                including career-advancing education, dissemination of 
                employment materials, coordination with existing 
                employment services such as Welfare to Work and 
                referrals to local employment training initiatives, and 
                other methods.
            ``(3) Targeted low-income participants.--Not less than 50 
        percent of the participants in each program supported under 
        paragraph (1) shall be--
                    ``(A) parents of a child who is, or within the past 
                24 months has been, a recipient of assistance or 
                services under a State program funded under this part; 
                or
                    ``(B) parents, including an expectant parent or a 
                married parent, whose income (after adjustment for 
                court-ordered child support paid or received) does not 
                exceed 150 percent of the poverty line.
            ``(4) Consultation with domestic violence assistance 
        centers.--Each State or entity administering a program 
        supported under paragraph (1) shall consult with 
        representatives of State and local domestic violence centers.
            ``(5) Supplement not supplant.--Amounts allotted to a State 
        under this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant 
        other Federal, State, or local funds provided to the State 
        under this part or any other provision of law that are used to 
        support programs and activities similar to the responsible 
        fatherhood program described in paragraph (2).
            ``(6) Restrictions on use.--No amount allotted under this 
        section may be used for court proceedings on matters of child 
        visitation or child custody, or for legislative advocacy.
    ``(e) Reconciliation Process.--
            ``(1) 3-year availability of amounts allotted.--Each State 
        that receives an allotment under this section shall return to 
        the Secretary any unused portion of the amount allotted to a 
        State under this section for a fiscal year not later than the 
        last day of the second succeeding fiscal year, together with 
        any earnings on such unused portion.
            ``(2) Procedure for redistribution of unused allotments.--
        The Secretary shall establish an appropriate procedure for 
        redistributing to States that have expended the entire amount 
        allotted under this section any amount that is--
                    ``(A) returned to the Secretary by States under 
                paragraph (1); or
                    ``(B) not allotted to a State under this section 
                because the State did not submit a certification under 
                subsection (b) by October 1 of a fiscal year.
    ``(f) Reporting Requirements.--
            ``(1) Monitoring and evaluation.--Each State receiving an 
        allotment under this section shall monitor and evaluate the 
        programs supported using funds made available under this 
        section in such manner as the Secretary, in consultation with 
        the States, determines appropriate.
            ``(2) Annual reports.--Not less frequently than annually, 
        each State receiving an allotment under this section for a 
        fiscal year shall submit to the Secretary reports on the 
        programs supported under this section at such time, in such 
        manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
        reasonably require.
    ``(g) Amount of Allotments.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), of 
        the amount appropriated for the purpose of making allotments 
        under this section for a fiscal year the Secretary shall allot 
        to each State that submits a certification under subsection (b) 
        for that fiscal year an amount equal to the sum of--
                    ``(A) the amount that bears the same ratio to 50 
                percent of such funds as the number of young children 
                in the State (as determined by the Secretary based on 
                the most recent March supplement to the Current 
                Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census before 
the beginning of the calendar year in which such fiscal year begins) as 
bears to the number of such children in all States; and
                    ``(B) the amount that bears the same ratio to 50 
                percent of such funds as the number of children at risk 
                in the State (as determined by the Secretary based on 
                the most recent March supplement to the Current 
                Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census before 
                the beginning of the calendar year in which such fiscal 
                year begins) bears to the number of such children in 
                all States.
            ``(2) Minimum allotments.--No allotment for a fiscal year 
        under this section shall be less than--
                    ``(A) in the case of a State other than the 
                Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
                Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 
                the Northern Mariana Islands, 1 percent of the amount 
                appropriated for the fiscal year under subsection (h); 
                and
                    ``(B) in the case of the Commonwealth of Puerto 
                Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American 
                Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands, 0.5 percent of such amount.
            ``(3) Pro rata reductions.--The Secretary shall make such 
        pro rata reductions to the allotments determined under 
        paragraph (1) as are necessary to comply with the requirements 
        of paragraph (2).
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006 for 
purposes of making allotments to States under this section.''.
    (b) Evaluation and Report.--
            (1) Evaluation.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services (in this subsection referred to as the 
                ``Secretary''), in consultation with the Secretary of 
                Labor, shall, directly or through a grant, contract, or 
                interagency agreement, conduct an evaluation of the 
                projects funded under section 469D of the Social 
                Security Act (as added by subsection (a)).
                    (B) Outcomes assessment.--The evaluation conducted 
                under subparagraph (A) shall assess, among other 
                outcomes selected by the Secretary, effects of the 
                projects on marriage, parenting, employment, earnings, 
                payment of child support, and incidence of domestic 
                violence and child abuse.
                    (C) Project selection.--In selecting projects for 
                the evaluation, the Secretary should include projects 
                that are most likely to further the purposes of this 
                section.
                    (D) Random assignment.--In conducting the 
                evaluation, random assignment should be used wherever 
                possible.
            (2) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2004, the 
        Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the results of 
        the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1).
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 
        through 2006 to carry out this subsection.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Part D of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 651), as amended by section 4, is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 469E. MEDIA CAMPAIGN NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR RESPONSIBLE 
              FATHERHOOD.

    ``(a) Media Campaign and National Clearinghouse.--
            ``(1) In general.--From any funds appropriated under 
        subsection (c), the Secretary shall contract with a nationally 
        recognized, nonprofit fatherhood promotion organization 
        described in subsection (b) to--
                    ``(A) develop, promote, and distribute to 
                interested States, local governments, public agencies, 
                and private entities a media campaign that encourages 
                the appropriate involvement of both parents in the life 
                of any child of the parents, with a priority for 
                programs that specifically address the issue of 
                responsible fatherhood; and
                    ``(B) develop a national clearinghouse to assist 
                States and communities in efforts to promote and 
                support marriage and responsible fatherhood by 
                collecting, evaluating, and making available (through 
                the Internet and by other means) to other States 
                information regarding the media campaigns established 
                under section 469C.
            ``(2) Coordination with domestic violence programs.--The 
        Secretary shall ensure that the nationally recognized nonprofit 
        fatherhood promotion organization with a contract under 
        paragraph (1) coordinates the media campaign developed under 
        subparagraph (A) of such paragraph and the national 
        clearinghouse developed under subparagraph (B) of such 
        paragraph with a national, State, or local domestic violence 
        program.
    ``(b) Nationally Recognized, Nonprofit Fatherhood Promotion 
Organization Described.--The nationally recognized, nonprofit 
fatherhood promotion organization described in this subsection is such 
an organization that has at least 4 years of experience in--
            ``(1) designing and disseminating a national public 
        education campaign, including the production and successful 
        placement of television, radio, and print public service 
        announcements that promote the importance of responsible 
        fatherhood; and
            ``(2) providing consultation and training to community-
        based organizations interested in implementing fatherhood 
        outreach, support, or skill development programs with an 
        emphasis on promoting married fatherhood as the ideal.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006 to 
carry out this section.''.
                                 <all>