[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 178 (Monday, October 30, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5232-S5233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FIND AND PROTECT FOSTER YOUTH ACT

  Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. 1146 and the 
Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1146) to amend part E of title IV of the Social 
     Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services to identify obstacles to identifying and responding 
     to reports of children missing from foster care and other 
     vulnerable foster youth, to provide technical assistance 
     relating to the removal of such obstacles, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Ms. SMITH. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a 
third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 1146) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 1146

       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 ``Find and Protect Foster 
     Youth Act''.

     SEC. 2. ELIMINATING OBSTACLES TO IDENTIFYING AND RESPONDING 
                   TO REPORTS OF CHILDREN MISSING FROM FOSTER CARE 
                   AND OTHER VULNERABLE FOSTER YOUTH.

       Section 476 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 676) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(f) Evaluation of Protocols Relating to Children Missing 
     From Foster Care and Other Vulnerable Youth; Technical 
     Assistance.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct an 
     evaluation of the protocols established by States in 
     accordance with the requirements of section 471(a)(35) and, 
     to the extent applicable, by Indian tribes or tribal 
     organizations (as defined in section 479B(a)) or tribal 
     consortia with a plan approved under section 471 in 
     accordance with section 479B.
       ``(2) Requirements.--The evaluation shall include the 
     following:
       ``(A) A review of relevant aspects of reports submitted by 
     States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal 
     consortia under this part and part B, and data and other 
     information reported pursuant to the system established under 
     section 479.
       ``(B) Analysis of the extent to which States, Indian 
     tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia comply 
     with, and enforce, the protocols required by section 
     471(a)(35).
       ``(C) Analysis of the effectiveness of such protocols.
       ``(D) Identification of obstacles for States, Indian 
     tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia to 
     identifying and responding to reports of children missing 
     from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth.
       ``(E) Identification of best practices for identifying such 
     children and youth and intervening with effective services.
       ``(3) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide 
     States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal 
     consortia with information, advice, educational materials, 
     and technical assistance relating to eliminating identified 
     obstacles to identifying and responding to reports of 
     children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster 
     youth and providing such children and youth with effective 
     services. Such assistance may include dissemination of--
       ``(A) processes and tools to identify and examine risk 
     factors and potential trends related to children who go 
     missing from foster care and other vulnerable youth;
       ``(B) best practices for runaway tracking and recovery; and
       ``(C) guidelines for intervention, including with respect 
     to services, types of providers, and placement settings.
       ``(4) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
     enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit a 
     report to Congress on the results of the evaluation conducted 
     under this subsection and the technical assistance provided 
     in accordance with paragraph (3).''.

     SEC. 3. IMPROVING SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN 
                   RETURNED TO FOSTER CARE AFTER GOING MISSING TO 
                   DETERMINE WHETHER THEY WERE, OR ARE AT RISK OF 
                   BECOMING, VICTIMS OF SEX TRAFFICKING.

       Section 476 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 676), as 
     amended by section 2, is further amended by adding at the end 
     the following:
       ``(g) Improving Identification of, and Services for, 
     Children Who Return to Foster Care After Running Away or 
     Otherwise Being Absent From Foster Care and Who Are, or Are 
     at Risk of Being, Victims of Sex Trafficking.--
       ``(1) Assistance.--
       ``(A) Screening after a return to foster care.--The 
     Secretary shall provide States, Indian tribes, tribal 
     organizations, and tribal consortia, with information, 
     advice, educational materials, and technical assistance to 
     improve compliance with section 471(a)(35)(A)(iii).
       ``(B) Improving other requirements.--The information, 
     advice, educational materials,

[[Page S5233]]

     and technical assistance provided may include information, 
     advice, educational materials, and technical assistance to 
     improve or modify policies and procedures (including relevant 
     training for caseworkers) developed by States, Indian tribes, 
     tribal organizations, and tribal consortia under section 
     471(a)(9)(C), including the following:
       ``(i) Identifying, through screening, whether the State has 
     reasonable cause to believe the child or youth is, or is at 
     risk of being, a victim of sex trafficking.
       ``(ii) Documenting the results of such screening in agency 
     records.
       ``(iii) Determining appropriate services for a child or 
     youth for whom the State determines there is reasonable cause 
     to identify the child or youth as a victim of sex 
     trafficking, or as at risk of being a victim of sex 
     trafficking.
       ``(iv) Documenting in agency records the determination of 
     appropriate services for a child or youth described in clause 
     (iii).
       ``(2) Forms of assistance.--The assistance provided under 
     this subsection shall include the following:
       ``(A) Assisting States, Indian tribes, tribal 
     organizations, and tribal consortia, with developing 
     oversight mechanisms to assess their compliance with section 
     471(a)(35)(A)(iii).
       ``(B) Assisting States, Indian tribes, tribal 
     organizations, and tribal consortia in developing--
       ``(i) assessments for screening children who return to 
     foster care after running away or otherwise being absent from 
     foster care for risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking; 
     and
       ``(ii) effective and robust policies relating to the use of 
     the assessments.
       ``(C) Working with States, Indian tribes, tribal 
     organizations, and tribal consortia to improve or modify 
     policies and procedures developed under section 471(a)(9)(C).
       ``(D) Providing technical assistance on how States, Indian 
     tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia may best 
     use data collected pursuant to section 479 for oversight of, 
     and to ensure compliance with, the requirements of paragraphs 
     (9)(C) and (35)(A)(iii) of section 471(a).
       ``(3) Consultation.--The Secretary shall, to the extent 
     practicable, consult with internal and external offices with 
     expertise on sex trafficking, including the Office on 
     Trafficking in Persons of the Administration for Children and 
     Families, on the development and dissemination to States, 
     Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia of 
     the assistance required under this subsection.''.

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