[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 103 (Friday, June 20, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5941-S5942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 3173. A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act to allow children in foster care to be placed with their parents in 
residential family treatment centers that provide safe environments for 
treating addiction and promoting healthy parenting; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise before you today to introduce 
the Keeping Families Safe Act of 2008 which seeks to keep families 
together when a parent is in a residential substance abuse treatment 
facility. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of keeping families 
united as a parent undergoes substance abuse treatment. In fact, one 
study found that 60 percent of mothers who participated in the Pregnant 
and Postpartum Women and Their Infants program were completely clean 
and sober six months after their discharge. This same study found that 
88 percent of these children were still with their mothers six months 
after the mother was discharged. However, only 5 percent of all 
substances abuse treatment facilities are able to accommodate children.
  Congress has shown support for comprehensive family based substance 
abuse treatment facilities in the past. In 2006, Congress passed the 
Deficit Reduction Act, which included a $40 million grant program, to 
promote two key goals, substance abuse services for families in the 
child welfare system, and regular caseworker visits.
  The Keeping Families Safe Act is one way to invest in children and 
families. This legislation would allow children, who are in foster 
care, to be with their parent while he or she is receiving treatment at 
residential comprehensive family-based substance abuse treatment 
centers. These facilities provide comprehensive services to both parent 
and child. If this family based approach is not available, these 
children would often be forced to claim Federal funding in the foster 
care system. By using these funds instead to go to the residential 
facility with their parent, the chances for success are much greater.
  Family based substance abuse treatment centers have proven to be an 
effective means of treating substance abuse and reuniting families. 
Many of the parents in treatment are there in hopes of overcoming their 
addiction and reuniting with their children. This bill is designed to 
give them that chance. I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation to help keep families together and provide another funding 
source for these important facilities.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
placed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3173

       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 ``Keeping Families Safe Act of 
     2008''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The 2001 report by the Center for Substance Abuse 
     Treatment (CSAT) of the Pregnant and Postpartum Women and 
     Their Infants Program, which provides comprehensive, family-
     based treatment for substance abusing mothers and their 
     children, found that at 6 months post treatment--
       (A) 60 percent of the mothers remained alcohol and drug-
     free;
       (B) drug-related offenses declined from 28 percent to 7 
     percent; and
       (C) 75 percent of the mothers had physical custody of 1 or 
     more children.
       (2) The 2003 evaluation of the Center for Substance Abuse 
     Treatment (CSAT) of the

[[Page S5942]]

     Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Their Infants Program of 24 
     residential family-based treatment programs 6 months after 
     treatment revealed the following successful outcomes for 
     mothers and their children:
       (A) 60 percent of the mothers in the programs remained 
     completely clean and sober 6 months after discharge.
       (B) 44 percent of the children in the programs were 
     returned to their mothers from foster care.
       (C) 88 percent of the children treated in the programs with 
     their mothers remained stabilized and living with their 
     mothers, 6 months after discharge.
       (3) The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the 
     Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Their Infants Program has 
     found that rates of premature delivery, low birth weight, and 
     infant mortality were improved for women who participated in 
     the program, the costs of treating such women were offset by 
     as much as 3 to 4 times the savings that resulted from 
     reduced costs of crime, foster care, Temporary Assistance to 
     Needy Families (TANF) assistance, and adverse birth outcomes.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORITY FOR STATES TO MAKE FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE 
                   PAYMENTS TO RESIDENTIAL FAMILY TREATMENT 
                   CENTERS.

       (a) In General.--
       (1) In general.--Section 472 of the Social Security Act (42 
     U.S.C. 672) is amended--
       (A) in subsection (b)(2)--
       (i) by inserting ``or a residential family treatment 
     center'' after ``child-care institution''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``or residential family treatment 
     center'' after ``such institution''; and
       (B) in subsection (c)--
       (i) by striking ``and'' before ``(2)''; and
       (ii) by inserting before the period at the end the 
     following: ``; and (3) the term `residential family treatment 
     center' means a State licensed program that enables parents 
     and their children to live in a safe environment for a period 
     of not less than 6 months and provides, on-site or by 
     referral, substance abuse treatment services, children's 
     early intervention services, family counseling, legal 
     services, medical care, mental health services, nursery and 
     preschool, parenting skills training, pediatric care, 
     prenatal care, sexual abuse therapy, relapse prevention, 
     transportation, and job or vocational training or classes 
     leading to a secondary school diploma or a certificate of 
     general equivalence''.
       (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) 
     shall take effect on October 1, 2008, without regard to 
     whether regulations implementing such amendments are 
     promulgated by such date.
       (b) Evaluation and Report.--The Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall, by grant, contract, or interagency 
     agreement, evaluate the foster care maintenance payments made 
     under section 472(b)(2) of the Social Security Act on behalf 
     of a child who is in a residential family treatment center 
     (as amended by subsection (a)(1)(A)) and, not later than 3 
     years after the date of enactment of this Act, shall submit a 
     report to Congress on the results of such evaluation that 
     includes an analysis of the outcomes for the children in 
     foster care on whose behalf such payments are made.

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