[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1091 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.1091

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
           the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen


                                 An Act


 
To establish a Federal Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising 
                             Grandchildren.

    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 ``Supporting Grandparents Raising 
Grandchildren Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) More than 2,500,000 grandparents in the United States are 
    the primary caretaker of their grandchildren, and experts report 
    that such numbers are increasing as the opioid epidemic expands.
        (2) Between 2009 and 2016, the incidence of parental alcohol or 
    other drug use as a contributing factor for children's out-of-home 
    placement rose from 25.4 to 37.4 percent.
        (3) When children cannot remain safely with their parents, 
    placement with relatives is preferred over placement in foster care 
    with nonrelatives because placement with relatives provides 
    stability for children and helps them maintain family connections.
        (4) The number of foster children placed with a grandparent or 
    other relative increased from 24 percent in 2006 to 32 percent in 
    2016, according to data from the Department of Health and Human 
    Services.
        (5) Grandparents' lives are enhanced by caring for their 
    grandchildren; the overwhelming majority of grandparents report 
    experiencing significant benefits in serving as their 
    grandchildren's primary caregivers.
        (6) Providing full-time care to their grandchildren may 
    decrease grandparents' ability to address their own physical and 
    mental health needs and personal well-being.
        (7) Grandparents would benefit from better coordination and 
    dissemination of information and resources available to support 
    them in their caregiving responsibilities.
SEC. 3. ADVISORY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN.
    (a) Establishment.--There is established an Advisory Council to 
Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.
    (b) Membership.--
        (1) In general.--The Advisory Council shall be composed of the 
    following members, or their designee:
            (A) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.
            (B) The Secretary of Education.
            (C) The Administrator of the Administration for Community 
        Living.
            (D) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention.
            (E) The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
        Use.
            (F) The Assistant Secretary for the Administration for 
        Children and Families.
            (G) A grandparent raising a grandchild.
            (H) An older relative caregiver of children.
            (I) As appropriate, the head of other Federal departments, 
        or agencies, identified by the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services as having responsibilities, or administering programs, 
        relating to current issues affecting grandparents or other 
        older relatives raising children.
        (2) Lead agency.--The Department of Health and Human Services 
    shall be the lead agency for the Advisory Council.
    (c) Duties.--
        (1) In general.--
            (A) Information.--The Advisory Council shall identify, 
        promote, coordinate, and disseminate to the public information, 
        resources, and the best practices available to help 
        grandparents and other older relatives--
                (i) meet the health, educational, nutritional, and 
            other needs of the children in their care; and
                (ii) maintain their own physical and mental health and 
            emotional well-being.
            (B) Opioids.--In carrying out the duties described in 
        subparagraph (A), the Advisory Council shall consider the needs 
        of those affected by the opioid crisis.
            (C) Native americans.--In carrying out the duties described 
        in subparagraph (A), the Advisory Council shall consider the 
        needs of members of Native American tribes.
        (2) Report.--
            (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Advisory Council shall submit a 
        report to--
                (i) the appropriate committees;
                (ii) the State agencies that are responsible for 
            carrying out family caregiver programs; and
                (iii) the public online in an accessible format.
            (B) Report format.--The report shall include--
                (i) best practices, resources, and other useful 
            information for grandparents and other older relatives 
            raising children identified under paragraph (1)(A) 
            including, if applicable, any information related to the 
            needs of children who have been impacted by the opioid 
            epidemic;
                (ii) an identification of any gaps in items under 
            clause (i); and
                (iii) where applicable, identification of any 
            additional Federal legislative authority necessary to 
            implement the activities described in clause (i) and (ii).
        (3) Follow-up report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on 
    which the report required under paragraph (2)(A) is submitted, the 
    Advisory Council shall submit a follow-up report that includes the 
    information identified in paragraph (2)(B) to--
            (A) the appropriate committees;
            (B) the State agencies that are responsible for carrying 
        out family caregiver programs; and
            (C) the public online in an accessible format.
        (4) Public input.--
            (A) In general.--The Advisory Council shall establish a 
        process for public input to inform the development of, and 
        provide updates to, the best practices, resources, and other 
        information described in paragraph (1) that shall include--
                (i) outreach to States, local entities, and 
            organizations that provide information to, or support for, 
            grandparents or other older relatives raising children; and
                (ii) outreach to grandparents and other older relatives 
            with experience raising children.
            (B) Nature of outreach.--Such outreach shall ask 
        individuals to provide input on--
                (i) information, resources, and best practices 
            available, including identification of any gaps and unmet 
            needs; and
                (ii) recommendations that would help grandparents and 
            other older relatives better meet the health, educational, 
            nutritional, and other needs of the children in their care, 
            as well as maintain their own physical and mental health 
            and emotional well-being.
    (d) FACA.--The Advisory Council shall be exempt from the 
requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
    (e) Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this Act.
    (f) Sunset.--The Advisory Council shall terminate on the date that 
is 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
    In this Act:
        (1) Advisory council.--In this Act, the term ``Advisory 
    Council'' means the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents 
    Raising Grandchildren that is established under section 3.
        (2) Appropriate committees.--In this Act, the term 
    ``appropriate committees'' means the following:
            (A) The Special Committee on Aging of the Senate.
            (B) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
        of the Senate.
            (C) The Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
        House of Representatives.
            (D) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.