110 HR 4207 IH: Partnership for Children and Families
U.S. House of Representatives
2007-11-15
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.
1.Short title; table of
contents; references
(a)This Act may be cited as the Partnership for Children and Families
Act
.
(b)The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents; references.
Title I—Expanded Eligibility for Adoption Assistance and Foster
Care
Sec. 101. Adoption assistance.
Sec. 102. Foster care maintenance payments.
Title II—Child Welfare Reinvestment Funding
Sec. 201. Child welfare reinvestment funding.
Title III—Effective dates
Sec. 301. Effective dates.
(c)Except
as otherwise expressly provided, wherever in this Act an amendment or repeal is
expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other
provision, the amendment or repeal shall be considered to be made to a section
or other provision of the Social Security Act.
<enum>I</enum><header>Expanded
Eligibility for Adoption Assistance and Foster Care</header>
<section id="H43CACD5843B441768D9235155639312E"><enum>101.</enum><header>Adoption
assistance</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 473(a) (42
U.S.C. 673(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the
following:</text>
<quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H33EBF41B14CF46809CDE051500002FA" style="OLC">
<paragraph id="H98E892611C57421EB8D66DFD8DA7AAB1"><enum>(2)</enum><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="H10BF837167BD470ABE009CD5ADD8C5DF"><enum>(A)</enum><text>For the purposes of
paragraph (1)(B)(ii), a child meets the requirements of this paragraph if the
child—</text>
<clause id="HC428C96153A04B90B7C2D95D60F200DF" indent="up1"><enum>(i)</enum><subclause commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="H6B14647B307048BC85DA9BDCD9110AA"><enum>(I)</enum><text>at the time of the
adoption proceedings were initiated, had been removed from his or her
home—</text>
<item id="H8633D23E344E4B7F9F399B36005F3BDA" indent="up1"><enum>(aa)</enum><text>pursuant to a voluntary placement
agreement with respect to which Federal payments are made under section 474;
or</text>
</item><item id="H59EFE075AF8C476DA9D31EF78BA012E4" indent="up1"><enum>(bb)</enum><text>as a result of a judicial determination
to the effect that continuation therein would be contrary to the welfare of the
child, including such determination made on account of a voluntary
relinquishment;</text>
</item></subclause><subclause id="HD07D80133F75424896FB689C854BF28D" indent="up1"><enum>(II)</enum><text>was residing in a foster family
home or in a child care institution with the child’s minor parent as described
in section 475(4)(B); and</text>
</subclause></clause><clause id="H41EE996F763749369248DF91FFC7EC3" indent="up1"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>has been determined by the State,
pursuant to subsection (c) to be a child with special needs.</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H7C875B4121384D1FBFFF7B2FC350493F" indent="up1"><enum>(B)</enum><text>A child who meets the requirements of
subparagraph (A)(ii), who was determined eligible for adoption assistance
payments under this part with respect to a prior adoption, and who is available
for adoption because the prior adoption has been dissolved and the parental
rights of the parents have been terminated or because the adoptive parents have
died, shall be treated as meeting the requirements of this paragraph for the
purposes of paragraph
(1)(B)(ii).</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</section><section id="HA4F75C0612624E638E263DF68E82CBC"><enum>102.</enum><header>Foster care
maintenance payments</header>
<subsection id="HD058EB94FDD241189E8695539833EC12"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Elimination of
income eligibility requirement</header><text>Section 472(a) (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/672">42 U.S.C. 672(a)</external-xref>)
is amended—</text>
<paragraph id="HA0AA69087D6642070000707811026955"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in paragraph (1),
by striking <quote>if</quote> and all that follows and inserting <quote>if the
removal and foster care placement met, and the placement continues to meet, the
requirements of paragraph (2).</quote>; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id45F44D69985A470BB972AA530568F590"><enum>(2)</enum><text>by striking
paragraphs (3) and (4).</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id0CD878B653464A79BDE68A3144EF3010"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Conforming
amendment</header><text>Section 470 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/670">42 U.S.C. 670</external-xref>) is amended by striking
<quote>who otherwise would have been eligible for assistance under the States
plan approved under part A (as such plan was in effect on June 1,
1995)</quote>.</text>
</subsection></section><enum>II</enum><header>Child Welfare
Reinvestment Funding</header>
<section id="H0394CFF805A748A9A65CBE02243523D9"><enum>201.</enum><header>Child welfare
reinvestment funding</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section
474 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/674">42 U.S.C. 674</external-xref>) is amended by adding at the end the following:</text>
<quoted-block id="H4D09A4B93F624E05AF2F7F85AAE8CFDF" style="OLC">
<subsection id="H95578F7508AB423000433D75A31FFEEC"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Child welfare
reinvestment fund</header>
<paragraph id="H8A264C2D41134755A2B1500500F300F5"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Each State with a
plan approved under this part for a fiscal year may submit to the Secretary an
application to—</text>
<subparagraph id="H7FDF6158883A4F5CB1CA84DA7166AF66"><enum>(A)</enum><text>receive foster
care maintenance payment savings achieved by reducing the total number of days
children in the State experience in foster care during the fiscal year;
and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HAD14DE56407F4D04BFAA0091FE79B5BC"><enum>(B)</enum><text>use the savings
to—</text>
<clause id="H9F29DD42DEC044E39BC47BFD11D100A5"><enum>(i)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">provide to children in the State family
preservation services, family support services, time-limited family
reunification services and adoption promotion and support services, as such
terms are defined in section 431(a); and</text>
</clause><clause id="H5D267EBBADD140EEA9329484C6F0A6EF"><enum>(ii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">train the staff of State and local child
welfare agencies, of child welfare service providers, or of providers of
related services aimed at keeping children in their homes, on effective
practices relating to the provision of any service referred to in this
subparagraph.</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H31DCE3DA6DAA4C899CBE85C6C06B41D"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Contents of
application</header><text>An application submitted by a State pursuant to this
subsection shall contain—</text>
<subparagraph id="H4F73EAFE0BF74DFD95A7DB76B19791CE"><enum>(A)</enum><text>an estimate of the
the total number of placement days the State will experience for the fiscal
year covered by the application, and a detailed description of the methodology
used to make the estimate;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H4B4C285977DF4A63A5EAAE9591F24B44"><enum>(B)</enum><text>a plan
which—</text>
<clause id="HDF3751B08F34414793CFC3E46C5EA5D"><enum>(i)</enum><text>sets forth a
detailed description of how any amount paid to the State under this subsection
would be used as described in paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection;</text>
</clause><clause id="HBCDE0291E30A44E480001F2D00BDA4F2"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>contains the
assurances described in section 422(b)(8);</text>
</clause><clause id="H187628054D03491B9D80CBDF3D8BB0"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>does not impair
the entitlement of any qualified child or family to benefits under the State
plan approved under this part; and</text>
</clause><clause id="H665A09870E614BB3B9A611A73B97A9BC"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>is consistent
with any corrective action plan that the State may be implementing pursuant to
section 1123A; and</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H5FB32CC4F537442EA2A33624727917FD"><enum>(C)</enum><text>such other
information as the Secretary may require.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H2B04931B4B244064A314459C615BEBC4"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Approval of
applications</header><text>Beginning October 1, 2008, the Secretary may approve
an application submitted by a State pursuant to this subsection if—</text>
<subparagraph id="H6516F66B277B44F5B500013BC5B56EE8"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the State and the
Secretary have agreed on the State’s estimate of the total number of placement
days the State will experience for the fiscal year covered by the application;
and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HE5CE3C94CF3140D88F58443F04F38E00"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the approval of
the application would not—</text>
<clause id="H2E233206153C43A8000055500458EB6F"><enum>(i)</enum><text>result in the
State violating any assurances made by the State pursuant to section 422(b)(8);
or</text>
</clause><clause id="H60F93B3A866F42D599BFAA5F10B75B1C"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>result in the
impairment of the entitlement of any qualified child or family to benefits
under the State plan approved under this part.</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HB247480466354ABC9377001CA9B20093"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Payments to
States</header>
<subparagraph id="H0336047ADCB2403BBAAEB04BEF3320DD"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>In addition to any other payment under this part for a
fiscal year for which a State application under this subsection is approved by
the Secretary, the State shall be entitled to receive from the Secretary an
amount equal to the lesser of—</text>
<clause id="H5D40EA8A3BDD4950BDA7BE7E9B8B22D2"><enum>(i)</enum><text>the foster care
maintenance payment savings achieved by the State for the fiscal year;
or</text>
</clause><clause id="H09E0B7FABE0E4DFCADCAD9B73E9DCC"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>the
Federal medical assistance percentage (as defined in section 1905(b)) of the
total of the amounts expended by the State during the fiscal year to carry out
any activity described in the application pursuant to paragraph (2)(B)(i) of
this subsection and with respect to which amounts the State is not otherwise
entitled to receive a payment from the Federal Government.</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H6D892C2780CC43FEB398E9008597358C"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Determination of
savings</header>
<clause id="H9FC0F2A12DEF4492BB5E4369203EC87F"><enum>(i)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>For purposes of subparagraph (A)(i), the foster care
maintenance payment savings achieved by a State for a fiscal year shall be an
amount equal to—</text>
<subclause id="H664994ED9B004DBC985B424500FA9789"><enum>(I)</enum><text>the foster care
maintenance unit cost of the State for the fiscal year; multiplied by</text>
</subclause><subclause id="HBA04E3E4E8234144926055FC55D776F1"><enum>(II)</enum><text>the amount (if
any) by which the number of placement days estimated by the State for the
fiscal year pursuant to paragraph (3)(A) exceeds the number of placement days
experienced by the State during the fiscal year.</text>
</subclause></clause><clause id="HA95677E3027A4071B862DD2973DED188"><enum>(ii)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In
this subsection:</text>
<subclause display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H1FECF4E285D94FEABEF356C9712500FF"><enum>(I)</enum><header>Foster care
maintenance unit cost</header><text>The term <term>foster care maintenance unit
cost</term> means, with respect to a State and a fiscal year—</text>
<item id="HD239895F4173480DA606181F00D8C38E"><enum>(aa)</enum><text>the
total amount payable to the State under subsection (a)(1) for the preceding
fiscal year; divided by</text>
</item><item id="H29C67A31FB2B4C1983648139C259EAB1"><enum>(bb)</enum><text>the
total number of placement days experienced by the State in the preceding fiscal
year.</text>
</item></subclause><subclause id="H882EC9DAAA3D4330BD3722D329EDC8"><enum>(II)</enum><header>Placement
day</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>placement
day</term> means, with respect to a State, a calendar day during all or part of
which a child (whether or not eligible for foster care maintenance payments
under section 472(a)), other than a child who has been determined to be
delinquent and is the subject of an agreement referred to in section 472(a)(2),
has been removed from his home and placed into a family foster home, child care
institution, or the home of a relative of the child (whether or not a foster
care maintenance payment is made on behalf of the child to the family foster
home, child care institution, or relative), and during which the State retains
legal responsibility for the placement and care of the child.</text>
</subclause></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H3747EF0971164C79BFE69CC8AACF96C2"><enum>(C)</enum><header>Timing</header><text>The
Secretary shall make the payment to which a State is entitled under this
subsection for a fiscal year, at the end of the fiscal year.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H497322D9F82046FD9CBFCD1737B9DE88"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Use of
funds</header>
<subparagraph id="HA13330924B364CBF855031D34809F133"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In
general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">A State to which
funds are paid under this subsection may use the funds only in accordance with
the approved application of the State under this subsection.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H3D93A8BC0395406CAA64C0001DE1551D"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Limitation on
use for staff costs</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">A State
may not use any funds paid to the State under this subsection to cover the
salaries or related costs of any staff of any State or local child welfare
agency, except to the extent the staff are directly engaged in carrying out an
activity referred to in paragraph (4)(A)(ii).</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H1BD82CF365B24A5B9DE0585D7B44F298"><enum>(6)</enum><header>Availability of
funds</header><text>Funds paid to a State under paragraph (4) shall remain
available to the State for expenditure through the end of the 5th fiscal year
ending after the date paid.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HAD3EBBD058EB4D459131050090486FDE"><enum>(7)</enum><header>Report</header><text>As
soon as practicable after each fiscal year for which a State has received funds
under this part, the State shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a written
report on the services provided through use of the funds, and the effects of
the provision of the services on the outcomes of children in the
State.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</section><enum>III</enum><header>Effective
dates</header>
<section id="HAD717EB3794F412EA4B9BA07FADBC082"><enum>301.</enum><header>Effective
dates</header>
<subsection id="H39A299313662409F89B0222BED1400D1"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Adoption
assistance</header><text>The amendment made by section 101 shall take effect on
October 1, 2008, and shall apply to adoption assistance agreements executed on
or after that date.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="HE7A77CF99CCD4410BC3771B2C9E0073"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Foster care
maintenance payments</header><text>The amendments made by section 102 shall
take effect on October 1, 2008, and shall apply to children removed from their
home and placed into foster care on or after that date.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="HC7D11A708E324948836655552E003000"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Child welfare
reinvestment funding</header><text>The amendment made by section 201 shall take
effect on October 1, 2008.</text>
</subsection></section>