[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3548-3553]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  MODERNIZING THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE ACT

  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4472) to amend title IV of the Social Security Act 
to require States to adopt a centralized electronic system to help 
expedite the placement of children in foster care or guardianship, or 
for adoption, across State lines, and to provide grants to aid States 
in developing such a system, and for other purposes, as amended.

[[Page 3549]]

  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4472

       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 ``Modernizing the Interstate 
     Placement of Children in Foster Care Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) when a child in foster care cannot return safely home, 
     the child deserves to be placed in a setting that is best for 
     that child, regardless of whether it is in the child's State 
     or another State;
       (2) the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children 
     (ICPC) was established in 1960 to provide a uniform legal 
     framework for the placement of children across State lines in 
     foster and adoptive homes;
       (3) frequently, children waiting to be placed with an 
     adoptive family, relative, or foster parent in another State 
     spend more time waiting for this to occur than children who 
     are placed with an adoptive, family, relative, or foster 
     parent in the same State, because of the outdated, 
     administratively burdensome ICPC process;
       (4) no child should have to wait longer to be placed in a 
     loving home simply because the child must cross a State line;
       (5) the National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise 
     (NEICE) was launched in August 2014 in Indiana, Nevada, 
     Florida, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and the District of 
     Columbia, and is expected to be expanded into additional 
     States to improve the administrative process by which 
     children are placed with families across State lines;
       (6) States using this electronic interstate case-processing 
     system have reduced administrative costs and the amount of 
     staff time required to process these cases, and caseworkers 
     can spend more time helping children instead of copying and 
     mailing paperwork between States;
       (7) since NEICE was launched, placement time has decreased 
     by 30 percent for interstate foster care placements; and
       (8) on average, States using this electronic interstate 
     case-processing system have been able to reduce from 24 
     business days to 13 business days the time it takes to 
     identify a family for a child and prepare the paperwork 
     required to start the ICPC process.

     SEC. 3. STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.

       (a) In General.--Section 471(a)(25) of the Social Security 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(25)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``provide'' and insert ``provides''; and
       (2) by inserting ``, which, not later than October 1, 2026, 
     shall include the use of an electronic interstate case-
     processing system'' before the 1st semicolon.
       (b) Effective Date.--
       (1) In general.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter 
     beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
     and shall apply to payments under part E of title IV of the 
     Social Security Act for calendar quarters beginning on or 
     after such date.
       (2) Delay permitted if state legislation required.--If the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that State 
     legislation (other than legislation appropriating funds) is 
     required in order for a State plan developed pursuant to part 
     E of title IV of the Social Security Act to meet the 
     additional requirement imposed by the amendments made by 
     subsection (a), the plan shall not be regarded as failing to 
     meet any of the additional requirements before the 1st day of 
     the 1st calendar quarter beginning after the first regular 
     session of the State legislature that begins after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act. For purposes of the preceding 
     sentence, if the State has a 2-year legislative session, each 
     year of the session is deemed to be a separate regular 
     session of the State legislature.

     SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELECTRONIC 
                   INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EXPEDITE 
                   THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER 
                   CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.

       Section 437 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 637) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(g) Grants for the Development of an Electronic 
     Interstate Case-processing System to Expedite the Interstate 
     Placement of Children in Foster Care or Guardianship, or for 
     Adoption.--
       ``(1) Purpose.--The purpose of this subsection is to 
     facilitate the development of an electronic interstate case-
     processing system for the exchange of data and documents to 
     expedite the placements of children in foster, guardianship, 
     or adoptive homes across State lines.
       ``(2) Application requirements.--A State that desires a 
     grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an 
     application containing the following:
       ``(A) A description of the goals and outcomes to be 
     achieved during the period for which grant funds are sought, 
     which goals and outcomes must result in--
       ``(i) reducing the time it takes for a child to be provided 
     with a safe and appropriate permanent living arrangement 
     across State lines;
       ``(ii) improving administrative processes and reducing 
     costs in the foster care system; and
       ``(iii) the secure exchange of relevant case files and 
     other necessary materials in real time, and timely 
     communications and placement decisions regarding interstate 
     placements of children.
       ``(B) A description of the activities to be funded in whole 
     or in part with the grant funds, including the sequencing of 
     the activities.
       ``(C) A description of the strategies for integrating 
     programs and services for children who are placed across 
     State lines.
       ``(D) Such other information as the Secretary may require.
       ``(3) Grant authority.--The Secretary may make a grant to a 
     State that complies with paragraph (2).
       ``(4) Use of funds.--A State to which a grant is made under 
     this subsection shall use the grant to support the State in 
     connecting with the electronic interstate case-processing 
     system described in paragraph (1).
       ``(5) Evaluations.--Not later than 1 year after the final 
     year in which grants are awarded under this subsection, the 
     Secretary shall submit to the Congress, and make available to 
     the general public by posting on a website, a report that 
     contains the following information:
       ``(A) How using the electronic interstate case-processing 
     system developed pursuant to paragraph (4) has changed the 
     time it takes for children to be placed across State lines.
       ``(B) The number of cases subject to the Interstate Compact 
     on the Placement of Children that were processed through the 
     electronic interstate case-processing system, and the number 
     of interstate child placement cases that were processed 
     outside the electronic interstate case-processing system, by 
     each State in each year.
       ``(C) The progress made by States in implementing the 
     electronic interstate case-processing system.
       ``(D) How using the electronic interstate case-processing 
     system has affected various metrics related to child safety 
     and well-being, including the time it takes for children to 
     be placed across State lines.
       ``(E) How using the electronic interstate case-processing 
     system has affected administrative costs and caseworker time 
     spent on placing children across State lines.
       ``(6) Data integration.--The Secretary, in consultation 
     with the Secretariat for the Interstate Compact on the 
     Placement of Children and the States, shall assess how the 
     electronic interstate case-processing system developed 
     pursuant to paragraph (4) could be used to better serve and 
     protect children that come to the attention of the child 
     welfare system, by--
       ``(A) connecting the system with other data systems (such 
     as systems operated by State law enforcement and judicial 
     agencies, systems operated by the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation for the purposes of the Innocence Lost National 
     Initiative, and other systems);
       ``(B) simplifying and improving reporting related to 
     paragraphs (34) and (35) of section 471(a) regarding children 
     or youth who have been identified as being a sex trafficking 
     victim or children missing from foster care; and
       ``(C) improving the ability of States to quickly comply 
     with background check requirements of section 471(a)(20), 
     including checks of child abuse and neglect registries as 
     required by section 471(a)(20)(B).''.

     SEC. 5. CONTINUATION OF DISCRETIONARY FUNDING TO PROMOTE SAFE 
                   AND STABLE FAMILIES.

       Section 437(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     637(a)) is amended by striking ``2016'' and inserting 
     ``2017''.

     SEC. 6. RESERVATION OF FUNDS TO IMPROVE THE INTERSTATE 
                   PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN.

       Section 437(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     637(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(4) Improving the interstate placement of children.--The 
     Secretary shall reserve $5,000,000 of the amount made 
     available for fiscal year 2017 for grants under subsection 
     (g), and the amount so reserved shall remain available 
     through fiscal year 2021.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. 
Davis) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4472, currently 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there are a number of key points I would like to 
emphasize to explain how this legislation came to be and why I believe 
it is so important at this critical juncture.
  First, my wife, Jenny, and I have four young children of our own. As 
a parent, I know I speak for millions when I say that every child 
deserves to grow up in a stable, loving home.

[[Page 3550]]

  When the bond between parent and child is broken and children cannot 
safely return home, they deserve to be placed in a setting that is best 
for them, regardless of whether that is a home within their State or 
across a State line. However, due to various factors, children are 
languishing in the child welfare system, waiting to be placed with an 
adoptive family, a relative, or foster parents in another State.
  One contributor is the fact that today, in order to place a child 
with a grandparent across a State line, caseworkers must literally 
print out hundreds of pages of paperwork, package it up, and mail case 
files to another State. The receiving State responds in kind, 
completing their portion, and then mailing the case file back. It is an 
antiquated process that, on average, takes more than 5 months to 
complete. At a time when communities, courts, and caseworkers across 
the country are already overwhelmed, this inefficient, paper-based 
placement process is simply unacceptable.
  For children, the sooner we get them placed into a forever home, the 
better. I say this as someone with experience. Before entering 
Congress, I provided pro bono legal services for adoptive couples. 
These situations I have seen can be extremely hard on all parties, but 
none more so than the child.

                              {time}  1400

  You don't have to take my word for it. Statistics show that the 
longer a child remains in the child welfare system, the less likely 
they are to have successful outcomes later in life.
  When proven interventions that can help these children present 
themselves, I believe it is our moral imperative to act. It is this 
belief that led to the solution we are discussing here today.
  The Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care 
Act would incentivize States to connect to an electronic interstate 
case processing system that has already been tested in a handful of 
States, including my home State of Indiana and the District of 
Columbia.
  These pilot programs achieved substantial reductions in the time it 
took to place these children into forever homes, reducing the time a 
child waited by 30 percent. For a child, that means a month and a half 
less time being shuffled from foster home to foster home and from being 
taken in and out of school without a set routine.
  In one pilot scenario, Indiana had an emergency request to place a 
child with a relative in Florida. Use of the system allowed both pilot 
States to exchange their case information the very same day, which, 
under the current system, could have taken weeks.
  In another scenario, an urgent matter came to Florida's attention 
where a placement was breaking down and the child needed to be moved.
  The way the interstate placement process currently works, this child 
could have been sent back into the overloaded foster care system and 
back into temporary care arrangements for another couple of months. 
Instead, Florida's use of this electronic system made a long-term 
placement of the child possible within 48 business hours.
  We can expect to see more of these positive results as use of this 
electronic system is expanded.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join Congressman Todd Young in leading 
H.R. 4472, the Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in 
Foster Care Act.
  I joined my friend from Indiana in introducing H.R. 4472 because it 
would help us make progress on an important issue: reducing the 
barriers and delays that continue to exist when the best new home for a 
child is in a different State than the unsafe home the child had to 
leave.
  Given that my Congressional District has one of the highest 
percentages of grandparents raising grandchildren in the Nation, 
followed closely by two other Congressional Districts in Illinois, 
child welfare issues are very personal to my constituents, to Chicago, 
and to my home State.
  Removing barriers that delay or prevent interstate child placements 
is a long-time, bipartisan goal within Congress. This bill addresses an 
important factor in those delays: the ability of State computer systems 
to link up to process the paperwork. The current paper-based system is 
antiquated and slow.
  As part of an HHS pilot project, seven States and the District of 
Columbia currently participate in the National Electronic Interstate 
Compact Enterprise, or NEICE, an online tool that allows State office 
systems to talk to each other and process interstate placements more 
quickly. I am very proud of the fact that Illinois is one of these 
States.
  An early evaluation found that this system reduced waiting times for 
affected children by about one-third. Ten other States have already 
announced plans to join the exchange over the next 2 years. H.R. 4472 
would accelerate the number of participating States in the short run 
and ensure that all States participate in the long run.
  The Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family 
Services, George Sheldon, often emphasizes that we need to operate in 
kid time, not adult time, meaning that we need to recognize the urgency 
of restoring permanency for children in child welfare, rather than 
allowing adult bureaucracy to impede permanency.
  Modernizing the technology to increase efficiencies and quicken 
placements is common sense and respects the urgency of finding 
permanent, loving homes for children.
  I am grateful to Mr. Young of Indiana for ensuring that the bill 
expands upon existing progress on modernization within States and 
includes tribal foster care systems.
  This is a good bill. I thank Mr. Young and his staff for their 
excellent work. I am indeed pleased to join them.
  I urge support to move forward on H.R. 4472.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good colleague, Mr. 
Davis, and his staff for their hard work and his leadership on this 
effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the State of 
Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), who represents Notre Dame country. She is a 
hardworking Member from my home State.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Modernizing the 
Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act.
  This bill will reduce the amount of time kids wait to be adopted, 
placed with relatives, or placed with foster parents when they are 
going to a home in another State.
  The current paper-based process keeps children waiting while 
caseworkers mail physical documents. This bill incentivizes States to 
connect to an electronic system that has been pilot-tested in a handful 
of States, including my home State of Indiana.
  Getting at-risk kids into a stable, permanent environment as quickly 
as possible is critical to allowing them to thrive and reach their full 
potential. Each day they spend waiting for paperwork to be mailed back 
and forth is time wasted unnecessarily.
  I want to thank my colleague, Congressman Young of Indiana, for his 
leadership on this issue. I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 
4472 and do everything possible to get our most vulnerable children 
placed in a safe environment.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, while we are discussing H.R. 4472, reducing the time 
that it takes to process a child who might come from a different State 
for adoption or foster care placement, there are other issues of child 
welfare, one that I will mention.
  The issues of child welfare have a long history of bipartisanship. In 
addition to the Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in 
Foster Care Act, I hope to engage my colleagues in addressing the 
substance abuse needs of families involved in child welfare.

[[Page 3551]]

  Aside from neglect, alcohol and other drug use is the number one 
reason for removal from the home. More specifically, approximately one-
third of cases list alcohol or other drug use as the reason for the 
child's removal.
  What is exciting is that we have good, clear empirical evidence that 
certain strategies have demonstrated effectiveness. Specifically, these 
quality interventions help children and families affected by substance 
abuse experience fewer days in care, higher reunification rates, less 
recurrence of child maltreatment, and better permanency over time.
  I am preparing to introduce a bill that scales up these successes 
from smaller targeted interventions into full-scale interventions while 
building the research to better inform Federal policy overall.
  My bill does two key things. First, it dedicated staff under Title 
IV-E for the coordination of substance abuse prevention and treatment 
services with child welfare services.
  Secondly, it creates grants to expand the lessons learned from the 
research on smaller scale efforts to the State level, funding 
additional research to improve related Federal policy.
  My home State of Illinois has led the Nation in addressing substance 
abuse issues in child welfare. We know that we need to do more to 
address this problem. We know that it works. And, of course, I look 
forward to being engaged in the development of programs and activities 
that would further enhance that kind of success.
  Again, I want to thank Mr. Young for his tremendous work on H.R. 
4472.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Doggett). He is one of the outstanding members of the Ways and Means 
Committee.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  I want to salute the gentleman and Mr. Young for their bipartisan 
initiative here that would eliminate some of the current paperwork 
barriers that are preventing abused and neglected children from being 
quickly placed in safe, loving homes, which happen to be on the other 
side of a State border. Their coming together in this bipartisan 
initiative is constructive in helping some of the most vulnerable 
children in America.
  It is unacceptable for children who already face so many challenges 
to have to deal with this additional hardship because the process, as 
it exists now, just is not working.
  Based on the experience we have had with those States that were 
involved in a pilot program, we know that waiting times there were 
reduced by almost one-third.
  I think, with that experience, we can move forward under this bill 
for an electronic information exchange that will work and will improve 
the times that these young people face.
  While this bipartisan step is a welcome one, it should also serve as 
a reminder to us of all the work that remains.
  Last week the National Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and 
Neglect Fatalities, a commission that was created with legislation that 
I authored back in 2012, issued its final report entitled ``Within Our 
Reach: A National Strategy to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect 
Fatalities.''
  However you count them and however you may focus on the data needed 
to adequately describe this problem, there are far too many children in 
America today who do suffer, including many who actually are killed, by 
abuse and neglect.
  Our committee, much in the tradition of this piece of bipartisan 
legislation, has addressed these issues on a bipartisan basis in the 
past. I hope that we can do the same with the report of the Commission, 
that we can move forward to consider some of its recommendations, like 
its unanimous recommendations.
  This was a bipartisan Commission appointed by President Obama and by 
House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders. They came together 
with unanimous recommendations on a number of pieces of legislation, 
such as the importance of renewing the home visiting programs that go 
out and work with young parents that strengthen families and help them 
be the kind of parents they want to be.
  We need an ongoing conversation here about foster care financing. The 
reauthorization of programs like the Promoting Safe and Stable Families 
Program is coming up this year, and the Home Visiting Program, fully 
known as the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting 
Program, is up for renewal this next year.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an 
additional 1 minute.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I hope we can find ways to work together to 
advance what has been done here and to advance specific legislation 
that will help reduce the number of children that suffer from abuse and 
neglect.
  I must note, though, that at the same time this legislation was 
approved in our committee, under the Republican budget, the Social 
Services Block Grant was terminated. I hope that is not done by the 
Congress as a whole.
  The Social Services Block Grant is a major source of funding for 
prevention of child abuse and neglect today, used by State and local 
governments to focus on prevention with far too little focus on 
prevention overall.
  One of the major conclusions of this Commission on Child Fatalities 
is that we focus our attention so much on the end, after the abuse has 
occurred, and not on the beginning, to try to prevent abuse. We need to 
focus on prevention. So at the same time this bill was approved, that 
support was cut.
  Hopefully, Congress will reject the bill to eliminate the Social 
Services Block Grant and we can come together to find more resources to 
do what must be done to prevent us from just lurching from one tragedy 
to another and help stabilize and support families working to see that 
children are protected. I thank the gentlemen again for their effort.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  I want to associate my remarks with those just made by Mr. Doggett 
relative to continuing the Social Services Block Grant funding, which 
has provided a tremendous amount of resources, and continues to do so, 
for social welfare programs, including those affecting children.
  I also want to associate myself with the comments made relative to 
the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. It just 
happens that one of the judges from my district, the presiding judge of 
the Child Protection Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, 
serves on that commission and, of course, had some findings that were 
different than the commission report.
  I think we need to consider all of those things as we move forward. 
But I am pleased to note that we are indeed making progress dealing 
with the issues of child welfare.
  Again, I want to commend Mr. Young and his staff for their work on 
H.R. 4472. I am pleased to join, and urge strong support for it.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  This bipartisan, bicameral bill was developed through a yearlong 
process, consulting with key stakeholders to make sure that there would 
be broad support. It involved a whole lot of painstaking work from 
staff members on the committee, both Republican and Democrat, and from 
Mr. Davis, who I commend once again for his leadership on this issue, 
and his staff. And I want to thank all of the stakeholders involved.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support from the 
American Public Human Services Association, the Children's Home Society 
of America, the Partnership for Strong Families, the Child Welfare 
League of America, the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, and the 
County Welfare Directors Association of California.


[[Page 3552]]


         Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact 
           on the Placement of Children,
                                 Washington, DC, February 4, 2016.
     Re Support for H.R. 4472, ``Modernizing the Interstate 
         Placement of Children in Foster Care Act''.

     Hon. Todd Young,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Danny Davis,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives Young and Davis: The American Public 
     Human Services Association (APHSA), and its affiliate, the 
     Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on 
     the Placement of Children (AAICPC), which represents state 
     executives responsible for overseeing the interstate 
     placement of children, would like to thank you for 
     introducing and co-sponsoring H.R. 4472, Modernizing the 
     Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act.
       This legislation will facilitate state participation in the 
     National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise (NEICE), 
     which is modernizing the now antiquated Interstate Compact on 
     the Placement of Children (ICPC) administrative process. The 
     bill complements our efforts to transform the ICPC by 
     promoting policy changes and providing funding so that states 
     may connect to the NEICE. Once fully operationalized, the 
     NEICE will also be a valuable tool for addressing societal 
     challenges that put children at risk, including the opiate 
     and heroin epidemic, illegal rehoming of children, and sex 
     trafficking.
       Thank you again for introducing and co-sponsoring H.R. 
     4472, and for your steadfast leadership to improve the lives 
     of children waiting for safe, permanent families. We strongly 
     support your efforts to modernize the interstate placement of 
     children through this legislation, and intend to work 
     vigorously for its passage.
           Sincerely yours,
     Tracy Wareing Evans,
       Executive Director, APHSA.
     Mical Anne Peterson,
       President, AAICPC.
                                  ____

                               Children's Home Society of America,
                                    Chicago, IL, January 19, 2016.
     Congressman Todd Young,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Young: Children's Home Society of America 
     (CHSA) is proud to support the efforts of Congressman Young 
     as he proposes to modernize and expedite the ability of 
     states to place children across state lines and into forever 
     homes.
       The Modernizing and Interstate Placement of Children in 
     Foster Care Act will replace an antiquated paper based system 
     enabling not only greater efficiencies in the legal process 
     of placing children but also create greater transparency and 
     accountability in the overall process. By utilizing a 
     nationwide computer based system, states will actually save 
     money by reducing the administrative costs associated with 
     complying with the ICPC, expedite communication between 
     states and their placement systems and most importantly, 
     reduce the time that children spend in the foster care 
     system.
       CHSA looks forward to supporting Congressman Young as he 
     understands that no child should have to wait to be placed in 
     a loving home simply because they must cross state lines.
           Sincerely,

                                               Sharon Osborne,

                                                      Board Chair,
     Children's Home Society of America.
                                  ____



                                        Strong Families, Inc.,

                                   Gainesville, FL, March 4, 2016.
     Re Support for H.R. 4472, Modernizing the Interstate 
         Placement of Children in Foster Care Act.

     Hon. Todd Young,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Danny Davis,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives Young and Davis: First, many thanks 
     for introducing and co-sponsoring H.R. 4472, Modernizing the 
     Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act. As the 
     Immediate Past President of the Association of Administrators 
     of Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, it 
     generates much excitement to see this legislation introduced. 
     In a past position, I was the ICPC Compact Administrator for 
     the State of Florida and had the opportunity to help develop 
     the prototype for the electronic transmission process now 
     realized through NEICE. It was our dream in Florida that one 
     day this system could become a national reality. Good or bad, 
     I must also confess that the acronym NEICE was my suggestion 
     so in a couple of ways I feel like a parent to NEICE.
       There is no doubt in my mind that implementation of this 
     system in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the 
     U.S. Virgin Islands will change the lives of thousands of 
     children who await placement with relatives or adoption 
     finalization in another state. The additional uses for NEICE 
     are subject only to the minds of those who can identify other 
     possibilities such as combating human trafficking cases and 
     unregulated custody transfers (rehoming).
       Thank you again for introducing and co-sponsoring H.R. 
     4472, and for your steadfast leadership to improve the lives 
     of children waiting for safe, permanent families. The child 
     welfare community strongly supports your efforts to modernize 
     the interstate placement of children through this 
     legislation, and intends to work vigorously for its passage.
           Sincerely yours,
                                        Stephen Pennypacker, Esq.,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____

                                                    March 4, 2016.
     Hon. Charles Grassley,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Todd Young,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Young and Senator Grassley: The Child 
     Welfare League of America offers its endorsement of your 
     legislation, H.R. 4472 and S. 2574, The Modernizing the 
     Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act.
       We have long recognized the critical role that interstate 
     placement of children has played in the timely placement of 
     children in foster care and kinship care as well as its 
     importance in promoting adoptions. Over the years it has 
     become increasingly clear that these placements have been 
     delayed to the significant detriment of children in need of 
     permanence.
       The recent efforts by the Department of Health and Human 
     Services through the National Electronic Interstate Compact 
     Enterprise or NEICE pilot project has demonstrated 
     significant speed up in these interstate placements with some 
     children seeing there wait times reduced by weeks and months. 
     In addition, the system has reduced cost and paper work. The 
     six pilot states that utilized NEICE demonstrated wait times 
     reduced by 30% with participating states savings of $1.6 
     million per year in reduced copying, mailing, and 
     administrative costs.
       We solute your leaders on this legislation and are equally 
     pleased by the bipartisan spirit as represented by the 
     original co-sponsorship of Congressman Davis, Congresswoman 
     Brooks, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Franken and Senator 
     Peters.
       Thank you for your work and advocacy on behalf of children.
           Sincerely,

                                        Christine James-Brown,

                                                    President/CEO,
     Child Welfare League of America.
                                  ____

         American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, American Academy 
           of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys,
                                Washington, DC, February 16, 2016.
     Hon. Todd Young,
     Longworth House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Young: I write as the President of the 
     American Academy of Adoption Attorneys to enthusiastically 
     endorse H.R. 4472 on behalf of our organization. H.R. 4472 is 
     a bill that provides swift stability and permanency to 
     vulnerable children who are being placed in foster/adoptive 
     homes or with guardians across state lines.
       Drafted in 1960, the Interstate Compact on the Placement of 
     Children (``ICPC'') exists to ensure protection for children 
     in interstate placements. The ICPC requires every placement 
     to be scrutinized for legality and appropriateness. It 
     requires that children remain in the state of origin for 
     weeks, or even months, while the required paperwork is mailed 
     from the placing state ICPC's office to the new parent's home 
     state's ICPC office.
       The ICPC is well meaning, but by its very nature, slows 
     down the process due to the paperwork and mailing burdens. A 
     uniform legal framework offers valuable protections, but such 
     protections must be weighed against the significant burden it 
     imposes on children and families. With the advances in 
     technology that have been used by other state and federal 
     agencies for over a decade, the process can be significantly 
     shortened and the most vulnerable members of our society can 
     be provided permanency in stable loving homes. The 
     centralized electronic system created by the passage of H.R. 
     4472 will be a victory for children, by expanding an 
     electronic pilot program to all state and U.S. territories.
       The pilot program has been an unqualified success. Since 
     the pilot program was launched, the placement time for 
     children placed through those pilot states has been reduced 
     by 30 percent. Placement time has been reduced by 11 days. As 
     a truly centralized system evolves, the efficiencies should 
     be better and better.
       The current slow ICPC process causes weeks, and sometimes 
     months, of children languishing in their states of original 
     residence. Social science and neuroscience research has 
     confirmed that children need stable families to thrive. The 
     paperwork barrier to quick foster/adoptive placements creates 
     unnecessarily delays. One month in the life

[[Page 3553]]

     of a child at this vulnerable stage is an eternity. Further, 
     the delay caused by an outdated mailing system can result in 
     significant developmental issues and treatment costs. In many 
     instances, such treatment costs are incurred by local, state 
     and federal governments. Prospective parents willing to 
     provide homes to children in need of families have been 
     subjected to placement processes that are extraordinarily 
     difficult, risky, expensive and time consuming; often 
     requiring months of persistence and intervention by members 
     of Congress. Most significantly, the number of unparented 
     children able to find families has been severely limited 
     while the life potential of those fortunate enough to find 
     families through foster care, guardianship and adoption has 
     been impaired by weeks and months of needless delay.
       Reform must begin with our government's acknowledgement 
     that every child has a fundamental human right to be raised 
     in a permanent loving family and that foster care, 
     guardianship and adoption are an important means for 
     providing such families to children living outside of 
     parental care. Additionally, by eliminating this unnecessary 
     delay, H.R. 4472 will reduce the treatment costs incurred by 
     local, state and federal governments.
       We have come together as a community of child advocates to 
     identify a process that will reform interstate adoption. We 
     welcome the opportunity to discuss our request with you and 
     members of your staff. Please note, the changes we are 
     endorsing would have little budget impact. We look forward to 
     working with you in support of swift passage of this bill. To 
     simplify your communication with us, please feel free to 
     contact our Director of Adoption, Denise Bierly on behalf of 
     our group.
           Sincerely,

                                                   Herb Brail,

                                                        President,
     American Academy of Adoption Attorneys.
                                  ____

                                                    County Welfare


                                        Directors Association,

                                                   Sacramento, CA.
     Re Support for H.R. 4472, ``Modernizing the Interstate 
         Placement of Children in Foster Care Act''.

     Hon. Todd Young,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Danny Davis,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives Young and Davis: The County Welfare 
     Directors Association (CWDA), representing the human services 
     directors in California's 58 counties, supports the 
     Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster 
     Care Act.
       The bill will modernize the Interstate Compact on the 
     Placement of Children (ICPC) administrative process by 
     replacing it with a successfully tested web-based electronic 
     case processing system. The new National Electronic 
     Interstate Compact Enterprise (NEICE) will change policies 
     and provide funding to enable states and counties to connect 
     to the NEICE to exchange data and documents across state 
     jurisdictions so that our agencies may meet the unique needs 
     of foster care children who may reside in another state. The 
     proposed data exchange will enable state and counties more 
     efficiently meet federal mandates for the timely services, 
     placement and permanence of children in the foster care 
     system, and will improve outcomes for children in foster care 
     and their families.
       Thank you again for introducing and co-sponsoring H.R. 
     4472. Please contact Tom Joseph, Director of CWDA's 
     Washington Office, should you have any questions.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Frank J. Mecca,
                                               Executive Director.

  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank those stakeholders 
once again for all their help in getting this across the finish line.
  I am hoping for broad and fulsome support from all Members of this 
Chamber. I hope we can all agree here today that we should do 
everything possible to get our most vulnerable children immediately 
placed into the setting that is best for them, regardless of State 
boundary lines.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4472, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________