[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S95-S96]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION

      By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Wyden):
  S. 3154. A bill to improve the effectiveness of tribal child support 
enforcement agencies, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3154

       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 ``Tribal Child Support 
     Enforcement Act''.

     SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRIBAL CHILD SUPPORT 
                   ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.

       (a) Improving the Collection of Past-due Child Support 
     Through State and Tribal Parity in the Allowable Use of Tax 
     Information.--
       (1) Amendment to the social security act.--Section 464 of 
     the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 664) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following:
       ``(d) Applicability to Indian Tribes and Tribal 
     Organizations Receiving a Grant Under This Part.--This 
     section, except for the requirement to distribute amounts in 
     accordance with section 457, shall apply to an Indian tribe 
     or tribal organization receiving a grant under section 455(f) 
     in the same manner in which this section applies to a State 
     with a plan approved under this part.''.
       (2) Amendments to the internal revenue code.--
       (A) Section 6103(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
     is amended by striking ``any local child support enforcement 
     agency'' and inserting ``any tribal or local child support 
     enforcement agency''.
       (B) Section 6103(a)(3) of such Code is amended by inserting 
     ``, (8)'' after ``(6)''.
       (C) Section 6103(l) of such Code is amended--
       (i) in paragraph (6)--

       (I) by striking ``or local'' in subparagraph (A) and 
     inserting ``tribal, or local'';
       (II) by striking ``and local'' in the heading thereof and 
     inserting ``tribal, and local'';
       (III) by striking ``The following'' in subparagraph (B) and 
     inserting ``The'';
       (IV) by striking the colon and all that follows in 
     subparagraph (B) and inserting a period; and
       (V) by adding at the end the following:

       ``(D) State, tribal, or local child support enforcement 
     agency.--For purposes of this paragraph, the following shall 
     be treated as a State, tribal, or local child support 
     enforcement agency:
       ``(i) Any agency of a State or political subdivision 
     thereof operating pursuant to a plan described in section 454 
     of the Social Security Act which has been approved by the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services under part D of title 
     IV of such Act.
       ``(ii) Any child support enforcement agency of an Indian 
     tribe or tribal organization receiving a grant under section 
     455(f) of the Social Security Act.'';
       (ii) in paragraph (8)--

       (I) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or State or local'' 
     and inserting ``State, tribal, or local'';
       (II) by adding the following at the end of subparagraph 
     (B): ``The information disclosed to any child support 
     enforcement agency under subparagraph (A) with respect to any 
     individual with respect to whom child support obligations are 
     sought to be established or enforced may be disclosed by such 
     agency to any agent of such agency which is under contract 
     with such agency for purposes of, and to the extent necessary 
     in, establishing and collecting child support obligations 
     from, and locating, individuals owing such obligations.'';
       (III) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
     following:

       ``(C) State, tribal, or local child support enforcement 
     agency.--For purposes of this paragraph, the term `State, 
     tribal, or local child support enforcement agency' has the 
     same meaning as when used in paragraph (6)(D).''; and

       (IV) by striking ``and local'' in the heading thereof and 
     inserting ``tribal, and local''; and

       (iii) in paragraph (10)(B), by adding at the end the 
     following new clause:
       ``(iii) The information disclosed to any child support 
     enforcement agency under subparagraph (A) with respect to any 
     individual with respect to whom child support obligations are 
     sought to be established or enforced may be disclosed by such 
     agency to any agent of such agency which is under contract 
     with such agency for purposes of, and to the extent necessary 
     in, establishing and collecting child support obligations 
     from, and locating, individuals owing such obligations.''.
       (D) Subsection (c) of section 6402 of the Internal Revenue 
     Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following: 
     ``For purposes of this subsection, any reference to a State 
     shall include a reference to any Indian tribe or tribal 
     organization receiving a grant under section 455(f) of the 
     Social Security Act.''.
       (b) Reimbursement for Reports.--Section 453(g) of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(g)) is amended--
       (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``State''; and
       (2) by striking ``and State'' and inserting ``, State, and 
     tribal''.
       (c) Technical Amendments.--Paragraphs (7) and (33) of 
     sections 454 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 654) are 
     each amended by striking ``450b'' and inserting ``5304''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Hassan):
  S. 3155. A bill to establish a rural postsecondary and economic 
development grant program; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Success for 
Rural Students and Communities Act, a bill that would help rural 
students achieve their higher education goals and connect their 
successes with economic opportunities in their own communities. I want 
to thank Senator Hassan for introducing this bill with me.
  The Success for Rural Students and Communities Act aims to improve 
the outcomes for rural students who are pursuing higher education and 
skills-based credentials that will prepare them to meet the workforce 
needs of their home communities.
  According to the 2010 census, Maine is now the most rural State in 
the Nation. Two out of three Maine schools are in rural communities, 
and more than half of Maine's students attend those schools. While 
nearly 90 percent of the students in my State graduate from high 
school, only 62 percent enroll in higher education, at least right 
away. According to a recent report by the Maine Department of Economic 
and Community Development, only 30 percent of Maine students go on to 
earn a 2-year or a 4-year degree. So we have a huge dichotomy between 
the number of Maine students who graduate from high school and the 
number who are successful in graduating from some sort of higher 
education.
  Maine's experience reflects the trends observed nationwide. Rural 
students tend to graduate from high school at higher rates than their 
peers in urban districts and at about the same rate as their peers in 
suburban schools, but only 59 percent of rural graduates enroll in 
college upon graduation, which is a lower percentage than their 
counterparts in urban and suburban areas.
  The Success for Rural Students and Communities Act would help spur 
innovation, investment, and strategies that would improve college 
access and success for rural students. It would create

[[Page S96]]

a demonstration program to encourage rural community stakeholders to 
partner together to help students go on to college or obtain some other 
postsecondary education, complete this education, and enter the 
workforce. These partnerships would draw on the talents of local school 
districts, institutions of higher education, regional economic 
development entities, rural community organizations, and the private 
sector. The bill encourages these partnerships to develop and implement 
strategies to help students and their families navigate higher 
education opportunities and addresses the barriers to their 
achievement.
  For example, the bill calls for partnerships to coalesce around 
approaches that boost higher education enrollment rates for referral 
students by exposing students and their families to college campuses, 
courses, internships, and career pathways to jobs at home. These 
partnerships could also focus on rural incompletion rates of 
nontraditional students who may need additional credentials or who once 
began but did not finish higher education.
  To meet the demands of today's workforce, many employees will need a 
credential beyond a high school diploma--perhaps a college degree, a 
skilled trade credential, or a professional certificate. The Success 
for Rural Students and Communities Act encourages schools and employers 
to forge partnerships that will put students on pathways into the high-
demand jobs available where they live. That helps the rural 
communities. It helps them keep their young people. It helps them keep 
people who have the education and the skills those communities need to 
be vibrant and successful and to have strong economies.
  The bill highlights a number of strategies that could be developed 
and tested, including work-based learning opportunities, such as 
apprenticeships, internships, and stackable credentials that make up a 
sequence of courses on the path to a certain skill or job. I have 
toured apprenticeship programs in Maine, including one that helps to 
train people for jobs in forestry, and I have seen firsthand how 
successful those apprenticeship programs are.
  When rural students enroll in college, they often face barriers that 
prevent them from graduating, and that is why I have been a big 
promoter of student success programs. I have seen a very effective one 
at the Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, where students are 
helped with whatever the barrier is that is preventing them from 
completing community college. In some cases, it is the need for some 
mentoring; in others, tutoring in some areas. In other cases, it is 
simply a short-term loan in order for them to fix their automobile so 
they can get to class. In another case, it is childcare needs. Whatever 
the barrier is, if we can help these students, they will be able to 
complete their education.
  Many are the first in their families to attend college, which means 
they may have a more difficult time finding information about financial 
aid or selecting an education program that meets their needs. With the 
right supports in place, more and more rural students can complete 
their postsecondary education.
  Let me give a great example of the type of program I am talking about 
that would fulfill the goals of this legislation. In Maine's Aroostook 
County, where I was born and raised and where much of my family still 
lives, the Aroostook Aspirations Initiative is using this kind of model 
to help put students on pathways to academic and career success. 
Launched with a generous donation from local philanthropic partners, 
Aroostook Aspirations provides scholarships to high school students in 
Aroostook County who are seeking postsecondary education. The 
initiative collaborates with local colleges and universities, including 
the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the University of Maine at 
Fort Kent, Northern Maine Community College, and Husson University. It 
works with the area businesses and entrepreneurs to offer seminars that 
guide students throughout their college educations--the kind of 
mentoring I was referring to.
  Students can also team up with Aroostook County employers through 
internships that give them experience in jobs they wish to pursue or 
simply try out to see if the jobs fit them. They create relationships 
with professional mentors, who help put them on the right path to 
entering the workforce.
  The Success for Rural Students and Communities Act would support 
dynamic programs such as the Aroostook Aspirations Initiative and 
encourage other communities in rural America to innovate in similar 
ways. The Success for Rural Students and Communities Act would make a 
meaningful investment in the educational aspirations of rural students 
and their families and would strengthen the economy in rural America. 
By helping students succeed in reaching their education and career 
goals, we can also enhance the skills of our workforce in rural 
America. I urge my colleagues to support the Collins-Hassan bill.

                          ____________________