[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H173-H175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECRUITING FAMILIES USING DATA ACT OF 2023

  Mr. FEENSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3058) to amend parts B and E of title IV of the Social 
Security Act to improve foster and adoptive parent recruitment and 
retention, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3058

       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 ``Recruiting Families Using 
     Data Act of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. STATE PLAN AMENDMENT.

       (a) In General.--Section 422 of the Social Security Act (42 
     U.S.C. 622) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)(7), by inserting ``through the 
     development and implementation of a family partnership plan 
     which meets the requirements of subsection (d) for 
     identification, recruitment, screening, licensing, support, 
     and retention of foster and adoptive families'' after ``are 
     needed''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Family Partnership Plan Requirements.--For purposes 
     of subsection (b)(7), the requirements for a family 
     partnership plan (in this subsection referred to as the 
     `plan') are the following:
       ``(1) The plan is developed in consultation with birth, 
     kinship, foster and adoptive families, community-based 
     service providers, technical assistance providers, and youth 
     with lived experience with foster care and adoption.
       ``(2) The plan describes--
       ``(A) how the State plans to identify, notify, engage, and 
     support relatives (and others connected to the child) as 
     potential placement resources for children;
       ``(B) how the State plans to develop and implement child-
     specific recruitment plans for every child in or entering 
     foster care who needs a foster or adoptive family;
       ``(C) how the State plans to authentically engage children 
     and youth in recruitment efforts on their behalf;
       ``(D) how the State plans to use data to establish goals, 
     assess needs, measure progress, reduce unnecessary placements 
     in congregate care, increase permanency, improve placement 
     stability, increase the rate of kinship placements, improve 
     recruitment and retention of families for teens, sibling 
     groups, and other special populations, and align the 
     composition of foster and adoptive families with the needs of 
     children in or entering foster care; and
       ``(E) how the State will stand up or support foster family 
     advisory boards for the purpose of improving recruitment and 
     retention of foster and adoptive families.
       ``(3) The plan provides that, not less than annually, the 
     State shall collect and report on the State's actual foster 
     family capacity and congregate care utilization, including 
     the number, demographics, and characteristics of licensed 
     foster families, including prospective adoptive families, the 
     number of such families that haven't received a placement or 
     are not being fully utilized and the reasons therefor, and 
     the number, demographics, and characteristics of children 
     placed in congregate care in-State and out-of-State.
       ``(4) The plan includes, and shall update not less than 
     annually, a summary of the most recent feedback from foster 
     and adoptive parents and youth regarding licensure, training, 
     support, and reasons why parents stop fostering or why 
     adoptive or legal guardianship placements out of foster care 
     fail or foster and such adoptive or legal guardianship 
     families struggle to meet children's needs.
       ``(5) The plan includes, and shall update annually, a 
     report on the State's analysis of specific challenges or 
     barriers to recruiting, licensing, and utilizing families who 
     reflect the racial and ethnic background of children in 
     foster care in the State, and the State's efforts to overcome 
     those challenges and barriers.
       ``(6) The plan includes such other information relating to 
     foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention as the 
     Secretary may require.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     amendment made by this subsection shall take effect on 
     October 1, 2024.
       (2) Delay permitted if state legislation required.--In the 
     case of a State plan approved under subpart 1 of part B of 
     title IV of the Social Security Act which the Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services determines requires State 
     legislation (other than legislation appropriating funds) in 
     order for the plan to meet the additional requirements 
     imposed by this subsection, the State plan shall not be 
     regarded as failing to comply with the requirements of such 
     part solely on the basis of the failure of the plan to meet 
     such additional requirements before the first day of the 
     first calendar quarter beginning after

[[Page H174]]

     the close of the first regular session of the State 
     legislature that begins after the date of enactment of this 
     subsection. For purposes of the previous sentence, in the 
     case of a State that has a 2-year legislative session, each 
     year of such session shall be deemed to be a separate regular 
     session of the State legislature.

     SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF INFORMATION ON FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE 
                   FAMILIES IN ANNUAL CHILD WELFARE OUTCOMES 
                   REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       Section 479A(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     679b(a)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (6)(C), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (2) in paragraph (7)(B), by striking the period and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(8) include in the report submitted pursuant to paragraph 
     (5) for fiscal year 2025 or any succeeding fiscal year--
       ``(A) State-by-State data on the number, demographics, and 
     characteristics of foster and adoptive families in the State, 
     and the number of potential foster and adoptive families not 
     being utilized in the State and the reasons why;
       ``(B) a summary of the challenges of, and barriers to, 
     being a foster or adoptive parent, including with respect to 
     recruitment, licensure, engagement, retention, and why 
     parents stop fostering, adoptions disrupt or dissolve, or 
     foster or adoptive families struggle, as reported by States 
     based on surveys of foster and adoptive parents; and
       ``(C) a summary of the challenges and barriers States 
     reported on efforts to recruit a pool of families that 
     reflect the racial and ethnic background of children in 
     foster care in the State, and efforts to overcome those 
     barriers.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Feenstra) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FEENSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FEENSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3058, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 
2023, supports States in addressing the nationwide shortage of foster 
homes.
  In the United States of America, every child deserves a home. 
Unfortunately, our Nation's foster care system is facing enormous 
challenges, with a record number of children sleeping in social 
workers' offices, hotels, and hospitals because they have nowhere else 
to go.
  Iowa lost more than 200 licensed foster care homes since 2019. 
Washington, D.C., lost nearly half of their foster homes since 2019. 
States like South Carolina have seen a 60 percent decline.
  These foster homes are essential to providing vulnerable children 
with safe, loving homes, and we have to stop this dramatic decline.
  We need to make it easier to find families who are willing and able 
to foster children and those generous families who choose to foster to 
continue.
  Unfortunately, the ability for States and nonprofits to respond to 
the challenges is limited by the shortage of information. We need to 
know why foster families quit fostering if we are going to make it 
easier to recruit and retain them. We need to be able to evaluate what 
the needs of foster families and their children are so that States can 
set goals for improvement and be able to evaluate whether they are 
making progress in meeting those goals.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the steps this bill takes to modernize 
child welfare by taking advantage of data to support States in their 
recruitment and retention of foster parents so children can be cared 
for in safe and loving homes.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important legislation, and I give a special thanks and shout-out to 
Representative Kildee for his leadership on this bill and for the 
committee's work to strengthen the child welfare system.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking my colleague and friend, Mr. 
Feenstra, for his work on this legislation. I think we have proven once 
again that while we do have our divisions in this body and some 
divisions in this country, there are certain issues that bring us 
together across party lines and across different aspects of our 
society.
  Mr. Feenstra and I, I think, proved that with our work on this 
legislation, along with other Members who have joined together to put 
this really important act together to help foster youth have a better 
path forward in life.
  This legislation, as Mr. Feenstra said, is a commonsense approach to 
solving one of the problems that we see in the foster care system. It 
will improve the recruitment and retention of foster families so that 
we can get more kids into safe and loving homes.
  Across the country, there is a severe shortage of foster parents, and 
retention of foster families, of foster parents, is a big part of the 
problem. Most foster parents stop fostering after just 1 year, and many 
stop fostering after their very first or second foster placement.
  Under current law, States have the responsibility to develop plans, 
known as diligent recruitment plans, outlining the actions they will 
take to ensure that every kid in their care is connected to a family 
that meets their particular needs. However, a recent review conducted 
by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that these 
plans need significant reform and improvement.
  States rarely use data to inform recruitment and retention 
strategies, and often, they fail to engage foster parents or foster 
youth, the people who understand the system better than anyone, in 
developing those plans.
  What this means is that States continue to have difficulty finding 
and keeping foster parents, which has devastating impacts for those 
foster kids.
  The most recent Federal review of Michigan's foster care system cites 
countless reports of children sleeping in offices or hotels for weeks 
and months as they await placement in a foster home.
  Our social workers are doing the best they can, stepping up to take 
care of these children when they don't have anyone else, but that is 
not the kind of home that any child deserves.
  As we continue to grapple with this severe shortage of foster homes, 
we are also seeing a growing number of foster parents drop out of the 
system because they just aren't getting the support that they need.
  In 2023, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services 
reported that close to one-third of foster parents terminate their 
foster care licenses each year. This, of course, only puts more stress 
on a system that desperately needs more safe and loving homes.
  Mr. Speaker, our legislation, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act, 
is the first step toward addressing this crisis. To help States better 
meet the needs of foster children in their care, the bill would replace 
the outdated diligent recruitment plans with family partnership plans 
that are developed in consultation with foster youth and their 
families; support foster family advisory boards, which give foster 
parents a voice in the policy development process; and, as the title of 
the bill suggests, use data to establish recruitment and retention 
goals and measure progress toward those goals.

  This is a subject that is close to me. In my original career for 
almost a decade, I was a social worker working in this field. In fact, 
I was working in a residential agency for the most at-risk kids in our 
population, neglected and abused kids. So I know, from my own personal 
experience, the weaknesses in the system, and I know that fixing the 
system will require the expertise of the people who know it best.
  The foster care system is known best by the people who are part of 
it, the families and the youth who have gone through it. By giving 
people a voice and using data that we derive from them and their 
experiences, we will find better ways to recruit and find retainment 
strategies that really work.
  While it doesn't solve the entire problem, this bill would make a 
significant improvement to the foster care system not just in my home 
State but all across the country.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FEENSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick).

[[Page H175]]

  

  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 3058, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act, introduced by 
Representative Dan Kildee from the great State of Michigan.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation because we 
know all too well that protecting America's foster children starts by 
recruiting and retaining the best foster families to provide safe and 
loving homes.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. Speaker, I am a strong believer that we measure what we value. 
This bill takes a critical step to help States better meet the needs of 
the foster children in their care by replacing antiquated tactics with 
improved Family Partnership Plans to collect and utilize data to 
establish recruitment and retention goals while simultaneously tracking 
progress toward reaching these goals.
  Even with the limited data that currently exists, we know that there 
is a severe shortage of foster parents across our country due to a lack 
of retention. By measuring what we value, we can better understand the 
root causes of low retention and help those willing to open their homes 
to those who need it the most.
  We must never waver as a Congress and as a country to ensure 
America's foster families have what they need to keep our children safe 
and loved.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for 
closing.
  I thank my colleague, Mr. Feenstra, for his work on this, as well as 
all my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee and throughout 
Congress for supporting this legislation.
  As I said, there is much we need to do to improve the foster care 
system, to recognize the needs of foster youth, to make sure that they 
have a safe and loving home, to put them on a path to be the best 
versions of themselves. This is a step in that direction. I encourage 
all my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FEENSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Every year, thousands of families welcome foster children into their 
homes. Children in foster care need permanent, loving homes. Sadly, our 
Nation is facing a shortage of available foster homes, and children are 
left sleeping in hotels and hospitals and social workers' offices 
because they have nowhere else to go. These children need foster 
parents, and we need to show compassion and care for them as they face 
the trauma and hardship of being removed from their homes. We must do 
more to ensure that all children in foster care have safe and available 
placements.
  This bill is so important that it has to get passed. I thank, again, 
Congressman Kildee for all his work and support for this legislation. I 
also appreciate the comments that he just made. I truly urge my 
colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Feenstra) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3058, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. FEENSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________