[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
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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.
____________________