[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 20, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4951-H4955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMPROVING SERVICES FOR OLDER YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE ACT
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2847) to make improvements to the John H. Chafee Foster Care
Independence Program and related provisions.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2847
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 ``Improving Services for Older
Youth in Foster Care Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE JOHN H. CHAFEE FOSTER CARE
INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM AND RELATED PROVISIONS.
(a) Authority To Serve Former Foster Youth up to Age 23.--
Section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(5), by inserting ``(or 23 years of
age, in the case of a State with a certification under
subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii) to provide assistance and services
to youths who have aged out of foster care and have not
attained such age, in accordance with such subsection)''
after ``21 years of age'';
(2) in subsection (b)(3)(A)--
(A) by inserting ``(i)'' before ``A certification'';
(B) by striking ``children who have left foster care'' and
all that follows through the period and inserting ``youths
who have aged out of foster care and have not attained 21
years of age.''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) If the State has elected under section 475(8)(B) to
extend eligibility for foster care to all children who have
not attained 21 years of age, or if the Secretary determines
that the State agency responsible for administering the State
plans under this part and part B uses State funds or any
other funds not provided under this part to provide services
and assistance for youths who have aged out of foster care
that are comparable to the services and assistance the youths
would receive if the State had made such an election, the
certification required under clause (i) may provide that the
State will provide assistance and services to youths who have
aged out of foster care and have not attained 23 years of
age.''; and
(3) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking ``children who
have left foster care'' and all that follows through the
period and inserting ``youths who have aged out of foster
care and have not attained 21 years of age (or 23 years of
age, in the case of a State with a certification under
subparagraph (A)(i) to provide assistance and services to
youths who have aged out of foster care and have not attained
such age, in accordance with subparagraph (A)(ii)).''.
(b) Authority To Redistribute Unspent Funds.--Section
477(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(d)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``or does not expend
allocated funds within the time period specified under
section 477(d)(3)'' after ``provided by the Secretary''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Redistribution of unexpended amounts.--
``(A) Availability of amounts.--To the extent that amounts
paid to States under this section in a fiscal year remain
unexpended by the States at the end of the succeeding fiscal
year, the Secretary may make the amounts available for
redistribution in the second succeeding fiscal year among the
States that apply for additional funds under this section for
that second succeeding fiscal year.
``(B) Redistribution.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall redistribute the
amounts made available under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal
year among eligible applicant States. In this subparagraph,
the term `eligible applicant State' means a State that has
applied for additional funds for the fiscal year under
subparagraph (A) if the Secretary determines that the State
will use the funds for the purpose for which originally
allotted under this section.
``(ii) Amount to be redistributed.--The amount to be
redistributed to each eligible applicant State shall be the
amount so made available multiplied by the State foster care
ratio (as defined in subsection (c)(4), except that, in such
subsection, `all eligible applicant States (as defined in
subsection (d)(5)(B)(i))' shall be substituted for `all
States').
``(iii) Treatment of redistributed amount.--Any amount made
available to a State under this paragraph shall be regarded
as part of the allotment of the State under this section for
the fiscal year in which the redistribution is made.
``(C) Tribes.--For purposes of this paragraph, the term
`State' includes an Indian tribe, tribal organization, or
tribal consortium that receives an allotment under this
section.''.
(c) Expanding and Clarifying the Use of Education and
Training Vouchers.--
(1) In general.--Section 477(i)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C.
677(i)(3)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``on the date'' and all that follows
through ``23'' and inserting ``to remain eligible until they
attain 26''; and
(B) by inserting ``, but in no event may a youth
participate in the program for more than 5 years (whether or
not consecutive)'' before the period.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 477(i)(1) of such Act
(42 U.S.C. 677(i)(1)) is amended by inserting ``who have
attained 14 years of age'' before the period.
(d) Other Improvements.--Section 477 of such Act (42 U.S.C.
677), as amended by subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this
section, is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``INDEPENDENCE
PROGRAM'' and inserting ``PROGRAM FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION
TO ADULTHOOD'';
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``identify children who are likely to
remain in foster care until 18 years of age and to help these
children make the transition to self-sufficiency by providing
services'' and inserting ``support all youth who have
experienced foster care at age 14 or older in their
transition to adulthood through transitional services'';
(ii) by inserting ``and post-secondary education'' after
``high school diploma''; and
(iii) by striking ``training in daily living skills,
training in budgeting and financial management skills'' and
inserting ``training and opportunities to practice daily
living skills (such as financial literacy training and
driving instruction)'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``who are likely to
remain in foster care until 18 years of age receive the
education, training, and services necessary to obtain
employment'' and inserting ``who have experienced foster care
at age 14 or older achieve meaningful, permanent connections
with a caring adult'';
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``who are likely to
remain in foster care until 18 years of age prepare for and
enter postsecondary training and education institutions'' and
inserting ``who have experienced foster care at age 14 or
older engage in age or developmentally appropriate
activities, positive youth development, and experiential
learning that reflects what their peers in intact families
experience''; and
(D) by striking paragraph (4) and redesignating paragraphs
(5) through (8) as paragraphs (4) through (7);
(3) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ``adolescents'' and
inserting ``youth''; and
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in subparagraph (D)--
(I) by inserting ``including training on youth
development'' after ``to provide training''; and
(II) by striking ``adolescents preparing for independent
living'' and all that follows through the period and
inserting ``youth preparing for a successful transition to
adulthood and making a permanent connection with a caring
adult.'';
(ii) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``adolescents'' each
place it appears and inserting ``youth''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (K)--
(I) by striking ``an adolescent'' and inserting ``a
youth''; and
(II) by striking ``the adolescent'' each place it appears
and inserting ``the youth''; and
[[Page H4952]]
(4) in subsection (f), by striking paragraph (2) and
inserting the following:
``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than October 1, 2018,
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance
of the Senate a report on the National Youth in Transition
Database and any other databases in which States report
outcome measures relating to children in foster care and
children who have aged out of foster care or left foster care
for kinship guardianship or adoption. The report shall
include the following:
``(A) A description of the reasons for entry into foster
care and of the foster care experiences, such as length of
stay, number of placement settings, case goal, and discharge
reason of 17-year-olds who are surveyed by the National Youth
in Transition Database and an analysis of the comparison of
that description with the reasons for entry and foster care
experiences of children of other ages who exit from foster
care before attaining age 17.
``(B) A description of the characteristics of the
individuals who report poor outcomes at ages 19 and 21 to the
National Youth in Transition Database.
``(C) Benchmarks for determining what constitutes a poor
outcome for youth who remain in or have exited from foster
care and plans the executive branch will take to incorporate
these benchmarks in efforts to evaluate child welfare agency
performance in providing services to children transitioning
from foster care.
``(D) An analysis of the association between types of
placement, number of overall placements, time spent in foster
care, and other factors, and outcomes at ages 19 and 21.
``(E) An analysis of the differences in outcomes for
children in and formerly in foster care at age 19 and 21
among States.''.
(e) Clarifying Documentation Provided to Foster Youth
Leaving Foster Care.--Section 475(5)(I) of such Act (42
U.S.C. 675(5)(I)) is amended by inserting after ``REAL ID Act
of 2005'' the following: ``, and any official documentation
necessary to prove that the child was previously in foster
care''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Indiana.
General Leave
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 2847.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Indiana?
There was no objection.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support the Improving Services for Older
Youth in Foster Care Act.
In fiscal year 2015, almost 21,000 youth aged out of foster care,
meaning they left foster care without a permanent family connection.
Many of them are often poorly prepared for adulthood and lack some of
the basic skills they need to be successful adults.
Last year, the House passed the Family First Prevention Services Act,
a bill that would improve the lives of children and families by making
sure more children can stay safely at home and not enter foster care in
the first place, helping to make sure fewer children age out of care.
The bill also updated the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence
Program to allow States to assist older former foster youth up to the
age of 23, including providing education and training vouchers, to help
those young people who do age out to have a better future.
Unfortunately, it did not pass the Senate, so it never became law.
I am glad my good friend, Mr. Faso, introduced the Improving Services
for Older Youth in Foster Care Act to highlight the needs of these
older youth, and I know many will benefit from the changes made by his
bill.
Specifically, this bill would support older youth leaving foster care
by allowing existing funds used for financial housing, counseling, and
employment support to support older youth leaving care. It would also
allow HHS to redistribute unspent funds if a State has money remaining
at the end of the fiscal year so more youth can be helped with existing
resources. And through this bill, we will also be able to learn more
about youth leaving foster care and their outcomes, which will help us
develop better policies in the years ahead.
I am grateful for the opportunity we have today to support this bill.
I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 2847, the Improving
Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act, which would help to ensure
that all the congressional resources that would be provided for foster
youth will indeed be utilized and make sure they are used to help them
in the furtherance of their education and becoming independent.
My colleague, Karen Bass, who visited me just a few weeks ago, has
been a leader on this legislation and on foster youth issues for a
number of years, and our committee has worked closely with her to move
it forward today.
I want to note that this is one of five bills the House is
considering today to help at-risk families and children in foster care.
All of these bills passed the House last year as part of the Family
First Prevention Services Act, which also provided significant new
investment in substance abuse, mental health, and parenting skills
services to help kids and families avoid foster care when possible.
We continue to work on a bipartisan basis with our leadership and our
colleagues in the Senate to find a way to move forward on broader
foster care improvements, but today's action provides a good
opportunity to once again highlight the sharp rise of children in
foster care in the United States and, indeed, in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, fueled in part by the opiate crisis.
In Massachusetts, between 2011 and 2015, the number of petitions to
remove children from their homes grew 38 percent. Today, Massachusetts
is home to nearly 10,000 kids in foster care. Over 1,000 of them are
considered at risk of reaching adulthood without being adopted or
safely reunified with their birth families. That is why it is so
important that we do everything we can to help them finish their
education and develop mentoring relationships with supportive adults.
While I am pleased that our committee and the full House are working
together to help these young people, we can't ignore the bigger
picture, which is the President's attempt to overturn the Affordable
Care Act, because it will have real and measurable negative effects on
these kids.
Republican Medicaid cuts jeopardize health coverage for older foster
youth, the same youth we are trying to help with this bill. By cutting
the essential health benefits and Medicaid, there will be a
consequence. In turn, this endangers access to substance abuse
treatment and, by extension, many of the treatment centers themselves.
Republican proposals to end the Social Services Block Grant would
reduce States' abilities to provide substance abuse, mental healthcare,
and supportive services to foster parents.
While these larger issues are deeply troubling, today's five children
welfare bills, including the one before us now, represent an
improvement over the status quo, and it is refreshing to note the
bipartisan collaboration that is involved.
In addition to Congresswoman Bass' leadership on this bill to help
foster youth, let me also recognize my colleagues on the Ways and Means
Committee who are providing great leadership on these very issues--Mr.
Davis, Ms. Chu, and Ms. Sewell--for their work on behalf of foster
children as reflected in these bills that they have coauthored and that
we are considering today.
I urge our colleagues to support this bill and the other bipartisan
child welfare improvements being considered today and to work with us
to even do more to help foster youth succeed.
I reserve the balance of my time, and I ask unanimous consent that
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), be allowed to control
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Faso), the sponsor of this bill.
Mr. FASO. Mr. Speaker, I come before the House today to express
support and ask my colleagues to support our
[[Page H4953]]
legislation, H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth in
Foster Care Act.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the cosponsors of this
legislation, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Reed), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K.
Davis), the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), and the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright).
Our legislation is designed to help support older foster youth as
they transition into adulthood by making limited but much-needed
changes to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program.
While the Chafee program has largely enhanced outcomes for former
foster youth, there is still room for improvement. Of the individuals
who age out of foster care, nearly 20 percent will be homeless after
18, only half will be employed at age 24, and less than 3 percent will
earn a college degree. This legislation seeks to improve on those
results.
If enacted, our legislation would support the education of foster
youth who leave care by extending the age of eligibility for education
and training vouchers up to the age of 26. By changing the eligibility,
we can help improve employment outcomes and job opportunities for older
youth as they leave the system.
Additionally, this legislation will help youth who age out to
maintain benefits by ensuring that they are provided with the necessary
documentation that proves they were previously in foster care.
Finally, our legislation would extend the financial, housing,
counseling, employment, and other services for former foster care
youth. Currently, support services are only available to youth between
the ages of 18 and 21. Under this legislation, States would be able to
extend coverage up to the age of 23.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to note that this legislation is
supported by many organizations throughout the Nation, including the
Alliance for Children's Rights, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the California
State Association of Counties, the Child Welfare League of America,
Children Now, County Welfare Directors Association of California, the
March of Dimes, and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse
Practitioners.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mrs. WALORSKI. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Faso).
Mr. FASO. I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan
legislation so that we can help improve outcomes for some of our
Nation's most vulnerable individuals.
{time} 1545
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
First of all, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for
yielding.
I strongly support H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth
in Foster Care Act. This bill would expand eligibility for the Chafee
Foster Care Independence Program services and education for older
foster youth, and ensure that all funds and education vouchers are
used. I want to commend my colleague, Representative Bass, for her
longstanding leadership on this bill.
As has been indicated by the ranking member, this important bill, and
the other child welfare bills we will consider today, come from the
Families First Prevention Services Act. The Families First Prevention
Services Act begins a fundamental shift in Federal child welfare policy
to preserving families rather than separating them. I look forward to
working with my colleagues to ensure that we enact the larger bill with
these important child welfare provisions and as we consider the other
bills separately today.
I would like to note that there are, indeed, five child welfare bills
on the floor this afternoon, which is a real testament to the
leadership of Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Neal. So I commend both
of them for their leadership in bringing the Ways and Means Committee
together to the extent that we can have five bills that have been
researched, that have been debated; levels of agreement have been
reached.
I strongly support the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster
Care Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Franks), my good friend.
Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I also want to sincerely thank
Chairman Kevin Brady and the members of the Ways and Means Committee
for their continued and invaluable work to protect America's children
and strengthening our child welfare policy, as is in evidence in these
five bills we are considering today.
Mr. Speaker, foster care issues rarely drive our national media
headlines, yet, to the children who are in the child welfare system,
the importance of finding solutions and eliminating the barriers that
would ensure better futures, better outcomes, and a permanent
connection to a loving family can make fundamental, lifelong
differences to those who are some of America's most vulnerable
children.
The goal of the Family First legislation, of which these bills are
components, is to respond to the devastating data pertaining to the
outcomes for foster youth who age out of care, often without any
permanent connection and without the life skills and support systems
necessary to thrive as independent adults.
Mr. Speaker, we have heard so many times from the States that there
is a need to make our Federal child welfare funding flexible enough so
that we never incentivize the placement of children into foster care
who would safely receive care in their homes or with safe, loving
relatives. This bipartisan package of child welfare system improvements
makes important steps toward improving our child welfare system to
better protect children and families, and I am certainly delighted to
support its passage.
I want to thank, Mr. Speaker, again, those colleagues that have
worked on this for their invaluable work on this critically important
legislation.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Davis for
yielding.
I want to give a big thanks to my friend and colleague,
Representative Karen Bass of California. She is a true champion for our
foster youth. I was happy to participate in her Foster Youth Shadow Day
last month, which gave me the opportunity to meet with a constituent of
mine that directly benefits from the Chafee Foster Care Independence
Program. I strongly urge all of my colleagues to host a foster child
next year.
I also want to voice my strong support for Representative Bass' bill,
H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act.
The current Chafee Foster Care Independence Program plays an important
role in our larger foster care system, and the services it provides
should be extended to cover older youth up to the age of 23.
I was able to hear firsthand from my foster youth shadow, Khadejah
Moore, about the struggles that foster youth face when they age out of
the system. These young adults are thrown into the real world with
little to no support system. It is an incredibly frightening time for
these young youth. But if we can extend the Chafee Foster Care
Independence Program and also allow youth more time to use education
vouchers, they have a better chance of having the opportunity to
graduate college and successfully enter the workforce.
This is an important, commonsense bill, and I want to thank both
Representative Bass and Representative Faso for introducing this
legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2847.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, having no other speakers, I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu).
Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of
H.R. 2847, the bill offered by my friend
[[Page H4954]]
and colleague, Karen Bass, a tireless leader on foster youth and child
welfare.
I recently hosted an amazing young woman named Ruth during Foster
Youth Shadow Day here on the Hill. The message Ruth wanted lawmakers to
hear is that the obstacles she faces every day as a 19-year-old have
not suddenly stopped now that she has aged out of foster care. Ruth has
a resilient spirit and unstoppable determination, but she should not be
left out in the cold as she pursues her education and her goal of
helping other foster youth in the future.
The Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act will help
people like Ruth by making vital changes to the Chafee Foster Care
Independence Program, an important source of funding for foster youth.
Currently, foster youth are only eligible for Chafee services if they
are between the ages of 16 and 21. This bill expands access to the
services provided by the program to include youth between the ages of
14 and 23. This is such a crucial change to the program since foster
youth like Ruth face so many daunting challenges during the period of
young adulthood as they transition toward independence and self-
sufficiency.
Providing essential services such as access to older mentors and role
models, connections to employment opportunities, and education vouchers
for foster youth after they reach the age of 18 are key sources of
support for foster youth. This bill helps ensure that foster youth have
the resources needed to become healthy, thriving adults.
Thanks again to Representative Bass for her work on this bill.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the sponsor of this bill.
Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, in
conjunction with Representative Faso, to support the education and
advancement of foster youth. I want to thank the Representative for his
leadership on this issue. I also want to thank Chairman Brady and
Ranking Member Neal for their leadership on behalf of the Nation's
foster youth.
I do think it is very remarkable, as several other speakers have
said, that today we are bringing forward five bipartisan bills to
improve the Nation's foster care system. Each one of the bills
addresses a serious challenges or gap in that system.
H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act,
allows States to expand the Chafee Grant Program to foster youth up to
the age of 23. Currently, the program ends at 21. The Chafee Grant
Program provides educational grants and other services to help young
people transition into adulthood and become independent.
In May, as part of National Foster Youth Shadow Day that is organized
by the National Foster Youth Institute, I had the opportunity to meet a
young woman named Doniesha Thomas. Doniesha is from Los Angeles, and
spent 20 years in foster care before she aged out. She described her
foster home as abusive, and eventually she had to move several times.
Against tremendous odds, Doniesha has continued to persevere and is
currently a college student at Los Angeles Trade Tech College, majoring
in the administration of justice and minoring in paralegal studies.
Doniesha is just one of a small number of foster youth who actually
make it to college. This is despite nearly 70 percent of foster youth
expressing a desire to attend college. Those, like Doniesha, who are
accepted and attend college face another hurdle, which is graduating.
Currently, only 3 percent of foster youth who attend college graduate.
Programs like Chafee are designed to help foster youth advance in
college, trade school, and employment.
During National Foster Youth Shadow Day, I had the opportunity to
speak to many other young people, and several of them described
challenges that they face after--well, if they were lucky to graduate
high school, where they attend college and then something happens;
either they run out of resources or their housing falls through and
they have to leave college, so their college is interrupted.
That is why this legislation is so important, because it allows for
the flexibility; if the young person is not able to complete college in
4 years, they do have a couple of other years.
One of the things that many people don't realize is that when young
people age out of the foster youth system--which typically is at 18,
sometimes is at 21, depending on the State--that many times we
literally put these young people on the street. They are 18 years old.
They are in their foster home. They are given a bag, typically a large-
sized trash bag, with all of their belongings, and they are put out on
the street left to fend for themselves. With today's economic
challenges, there are no 18-year-olds that can fend for themselves
without a safety net.
If we think of middle class children, transitioning into adulthood is
typically what happens at college. They go to college and they have
housing. But if they have any challenges, they can always call home.
They can text their parents. Their parents are there to rescue them in
case they run out of money or something happens with their housing or
their grades.
If we think of a young person out of the child welfare system who is
literally put on the streets at the age of 18, you can only imagine
what happens; which is why so many children in the foster care system
wind up incarcerated. Many young girls wind up trafficked; and we did
legislation on that a few weeks ago.
So if we want to stop what happens on the other end, with many young
children winding up incarcerated, or early pregnancies, or other
challenges, we need to make sure that we provide support for them early
on.
H.R. 2847 will allow the flexibility for a student, again, who might
need more time to complete their education. I urge my colleagues to
support this legislation, to give foster youth the same type of
flexibility and support that we provide our own children.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further
requests for time, and I yield myself the balance of my time.
H.R. 2847 would provide important assistance for youth aging out of
foster care.
In my State of Illinois, 22 percent of the more than 16,000 children
placed in foster care in 2015 are aging out. Illinois is widely
regarded as a leader among States when it comes to foster youth aging
out of care; therefore, it is, indeed, one of the first jurisdictions
in which young people who are in foster care on their 18th birthday
were able to remain in beyond the age of 18.
Research conducted by the University of Chicago found that allowing
foster youth to remain in care beyond the age of 18 is associated with
an increase in child well-being, including postsecondary educational
attainment. Specifically, former foster youth from Illinois are twice
as likely to have ever attended college, and more than twice as likely
to have completed at least 1 year of college by age 21, compared with
foster youth in other States that have not been given the option to
stay in care beyond 18 years of age.
{time} 1600
Due to school mobility issues experienced in high school, only 58
percent of foster youth graduate from high school by age 19, which
makes it unlikely that they would be graduated from college by age 21.
Extending access to Chafee Independence Act programs to age 23 rather
than cutting these young people off at age 21 would ensure these youth
are able to be supported beyond their first year of college. We know
that when students lose access to critical financial aid resources such
as the education training voucher in the middle of their college
journey, it forces them to drop out of college in search of employment.
Last Saturday, I spent 2 hours with a group of young people who had
been organized by a young fellow, Kenneth Bennett's son. His name is
Taylor Bennett. Taylor is the younger brother of Chance the Rapper. He
is 21 years of age and had organized young people who were transgender,
who were homeless, who were out of school, who were in need of
assistance and help, and they were pleased to know that we were going
to be considering this legislation today, which I strongly support.
[[Page H4955]]
I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I want to thank Mr. Faso and Mr. Reed from New York and Ms. Bass from
California for introducing this important bill, and I urge my
colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2847.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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