[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 112 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1091-E1092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H.R. 5456

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. VERN BUCHANAN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 2016

  Mr. BUCHANAN. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following extraneous 
materials on H.R. 5456, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 
2016:


                                           Generations United,

                                    Washington, DC, June 13, 2016.

 Generations United's Statement Supporting the Family First Prevention 
                              Services Act

       Generations United commends House and Senate leaders on the 
     proposed bipartisan, bicameral Family First Prevention 
     Services Act. This groundbreaking legislation takes the bold 
     step to redirect federal funding to support evidence-based, 
     upfront prevention services, making them available to the 
     approximately 2.5 million children whose grandparents or 
     other relatives step in to care for them, keeping them out of 
     foster care and with family.
       Children raised by relatives experience increased 
     stability, and greater safety and permanency and better 
     behavioral and mental health outcomes than children living 
     with non-relatives. Yet, grandparents or other relatives 
     often take on the care of children with little or no warning. 
     These relatives face unique challenges finding information 
     about resources, policies and services to help them navigate 
     their new role providing full time care for children.
       Supports offered through the Family First Prevention 
     Services Act such as individual and family therapy, home 
     visiting and kinship navigator programs can offer relatives 
     the support they need to keep children out of foster care and 
     help them thrive.
       The proposed legislation will benefit children in 
     grandfamilies by:
       Providing a partial federal match to states offering 
     evidence-based Kinship Navigator programs.
       Allowing states to use federal funds to support 12 months 
     of prevention services to keep children from needing to enter 
     foster care, including families where a relative is caring 
     for a child.
       Addressing barriers to licensure for relatives through the 
     promotion of model family foster care licensing standards 
     with a focus on ensuring states promote placements with 
     family members.
       Reducing the amount of time foster children wait to be 
     adopted or placed with relatives across state lines by 
     encouraging states to replace their outdated child placement 
     systems with a more efficient electronic system.
       Ensuring more foster children are placed with families by 
     ending federal reimbursement when states inappropriately 
     place children in non-family settings.
       Promoting permanency for children by extending adoption and 
     legal guardianship incentive payments.
       The proposed bill also reauthorizes the Regional 
     Partnership Grant Program, which provides funding to state 
     and local evidence-based services aimed at preventing child 
     abuse and child neglect due to parental substance abuse, and 
     it extends existing child welfare services for five years 
     through the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program.
       This trailblazing child welfare legislation stops short of 
     providing important short-term financial assistance to 
     relatives, as included in previous proposals. Relative 
     caregivers are often retired, living on fixed incomes and 
     unprepared to take on the expense of children who come into 
     their care with no chance to plan in advance. Research shows 
     that caregivers in grandfamilies are experienced and savvy 
     financial managers who forgo their own financial needs and 
     dreams to care for children. They often simply lack the 
     needed resources. Generations United looks forward to working 
     with Members of Congress who are championing federal and 
     state solutions to address these ongoing financial 
     challenges.
                                  ____

                                                    State of Utah,


                                       Office of the Governor,

                                Salt Lake City, UT, June 13, 2016.
     Hon. Orrin Hatch,
     U.S. Senator,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Hatch: I write to express my support for the 
     Family First Prevention Service Act of 2016. It is 
     encouraging when Congress recognizes and reinforces the value 
     of safe, strong, and thriving families. This state-federal 
     partnership for children at risk of abuse or neglect requires 
     our most concerted efforts at delivering real solutions.
       The act reinforces the positive outcomes of Utah's 
     experience with evidence-based prevention. Since receiving a 
     federal demonstration waiver in 2014, we have been able to 
     put into practice the very elements of in-home family support 
     services, featured in the Family First Prevention Service 
     Act.
       You know of my strong belief that states are the 
     laboratories of democracy, and Utah's child welfare work 
     reflects this. Today, we have the experience to know that 
     when children are brought to our child welfare system, their 
     complex circumstances often involve mental health needs, 
     unaddressed substance use disorders, and a lack of positive 
     parenting role models for the parents themselves.
       As Utah has responded with services that address these 
     challenges, we see the positive outcomes of keeping children 
     safe with their families. Every child wants a loving home, 
     and the Family First Prevention Service Act will strengthen 
     states' ability to fulfill that expectation.
       Thank you for your commitment to our families and for your 
     service to our country.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Gary R. Herbert,
     Governor.
                                  ____

                                                     Department of


                                   Children & Family Services,

                                   Baton Rouge, LA, June 14, 2016.
     Re Family First Prevention Service Act 2016

     Hon. Charles W. Boustany, Jr. MD,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Boustany: As Secretary of the Louisiana 
     Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), I would 
     like to express my support for the Family First Prevention 
     Service Act of 2016. This legislation is critical for the 
     families of Louisiana and our most vulnerable population of 
     children at risk of abuse or neglect. Your support for this 
     bill will assist DCFS in safely strengthening families by 
     keeping children out of foster care and reduce the costs of 
     ineffective group home settings. The Family First Prevention 
     Service Act reinforces positive outcomes with evidence-based 
     prevention.

[[Page E1092]]

       DCFS believes every child wants a loving home and the 
     Family First Prevention Service Act will assist DCFS' ability 
     to fulfill that expectation. Thank you for your commitment to 
     Louisiana's families and your service to our country.
           Sincerely,
                                           Marketa Garner Walters,
     Secretary.
                                  ____

                                          National Association for


                                 Children's Behavioral Health,

                                                    June 17, 2016.
     Hon. Kevin Brady,
     Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Sandy Levin,
     Ranking Member, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Levin: On behalf of 
     the National Association for Children's Behavioral Health 
     (NACBH), we would like to take this opportunity to offer our 
     support for the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016. 
     We would like to thank you for your leadership in bringing 
     about much needed reform to the very complex and 
     dysfunctional system of care for some of our nation's most 
     vulnerable children and families. As an organization 
     representing mental health and child welfare providers across 
     the country, we understand the challenges faced by our child 
     welfare systems.
       Specifically, we applaud the Act for enabling federal IV-E 
     and IV-B funds to be used, for the first time, to offer 
     prevention-based services in hopes that fewer at-risk 
     children will be removed from their families and instead 
     offered supportive services in their homes and communities. 
     The Act's focus on providing increased access to mental 
     health services is a tremendous step forward in addressing 
     the underlying issues that often lead families to enter the 
     child welfare system.
       Upon passage of this bill, we look forward to the 
     opportunity to work with Congress and the Administration to 
     address some of the additional complexities of the bill. The 
     ambiguity regarding the payment structures involved in 
     ensuring the necessary treatment services specified in the 
     bill require needed clarity. Our concerns specifically relate 
     to the payment for the required assessments and ensuing 
     mental health and health care services determined to be 
     needed for children and adolescents in qualified residential 
     treatment programs (QRTP).
       We appreciate the time and attention to the issues 
     addressed in this bill. We look forward to working with you 
     for continued improvement and system development.
           Sincerely,
                                                Patricia Johnston,
     Executive Director.

                          ____________________