[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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