[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9488-9492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         IMPROVING SERVICES FOR OLDER YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE ACT

  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2847) to make improvements to the John H. Chafee Foster Care 
Independence Program and related provisions.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2847

       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 ``Improving Services for Older 
     Youth in Foster Care Act''.

     SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE JOHN H. CHAFEE FOSTER CARE 
                   INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM AND RELATED PROVISIONS.

       (a) Authority To Serve Former Foster Youth up to Age 23.--
     Section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(5), by inserting ``(or 23 years of 
     age, in the case of a State with a certification under 
     subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii) to provide assistance and services 
     to youths who have aged out of foster care and have not 
     attained such age, in accordance with such subsection)'' 
     after ``21 years of age'';
       (2) in subsection (b)(3)(A)--
       (A) by inserting ``(i)'' before ``A certification'';
       (B) by striking ``children who have left foster care'' and 
     all that follows through the period and inserting ``youths 
     who have aged out of foster care and have not attained 21 
     years of age.''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(ii) If the State has elected under section 475(8)(B) to 
     extend eligibility for foster care to all children who have 
     not attained 21 years of age, or if the Secretary determines 
     that the State agency responsible for administering the State 
     plans under this part and part B uses State funds or any 
     other funds not provided under this part to provide services 
     and assistance for youths who have aged out of foster care 
     that are comparable to the services and assistance the youths 
     would receive if the State had made such an election, the 
     certification required under clause (i) may provide that the 
     State will provide assistance and services to youths who have 
     aged out of foster care and have not attained 23 years of 
     age.''; and
       (3) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking ``children who 
     have left foster care'' and all that follows through the 
     period and inserting ``youths who have aged out of foster 
     care and have not attained 21 years of age (or 23 years of 
     age, in the case of a State with a certification under 
     subparagraph (A)(i) to provide assistance and services to 
     youths who have aged out of foster care and have not attained 
     such age, in accordance with subparagraph (A)(ii)).''.
       (b) Authority To Redistribute Unspent Funds.--Section 
     477(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(d)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``or does not expend 
     allocated funds within the time period specified under 
     section 477(d)(3)'' after ``provided by the Secretary''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(5) Redistribution of unexpended amounts.--
       ``(A) Availability of amounts.--To the extent that amounts 
     paid to States under this section in a fiscal year remain 
     unexpended by the States at the end of the succeeding fiscal 
     year, the Secretary may make the amounts available for 
     redistribution in the second succeeding fiscal year among the 
     States that apply for additional funds under this section for 
     that second succeeding fiscal year.
       ``(B) Redistribution.--
       ``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall redistribute the 
     amounts made available under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal 
     year among eligible applicant States. In this subparagraph, 
     the term `eligible applicant State' means a State that has 
     applied for additional funds for the fiscal year under 
     subparagraph (A) if the Secretary determines that the State 
     will use the funds for the purpose for which originally 
     allotted under this section.
       ``(ii) Amount to be redistributed.--The amount to be 
     redistributed to each eligible applicant State shall be the 
     amount so made available multiplied by the State foster care 
     ratio (as defined in subsection (c)(4), except that, in such 
     subsection, `all eligible applicant States (as defined in 
     subsection (d)(5)(B)(i))' shall be substituted for `all 
     States').
       ``(iii) Treatment of redistributed amount.--Any amount made 
     available to a State under this paragraph shall be regarded 
     as part of the allotment of the State under this section for 
     the fiscal year in which the redistribution is made.
       ``(C) Tribes.--For purposes of this paragraph, the term 
     `State' includes an Indian tribe, tribal organization, or 
     tribal consortium that receives an allotment under this 
     section.''.
       (c) Expanding and Clarifying the Use of Education and 
     Training Vouchers.--
       (1) In general.--Section 477(i)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
     677(i)(3)) is amended--
       (A) by striking ``on the date'' and all that follows 
     through ``23'' and inserting ``to remain eligible until they 
     attain 26''; and
       (B) by inserting ``, but in no event may a youth 
     participate in the program for more than 5 years (whether or 
     not consecutive)'' before the period.
       (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 477(i)(1) of such Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(1)) is amended by inserting ``who have 
     attained 14 years of age'' before the period.
       (d) Other Improvements.--Section 477 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
     677), as amended by subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this 
     section, is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by striking ``INDEPENDENCE 
     PROGRAM'' and inserting ``PROGRAM FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION 
     TO ADULTHOOD'';
       (2) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``identify children who are likely to 
     remain in foster care until 18 years of age and to help these 
     children make the transition to self-sufficiency by providing 
     services'' and inserting ``support all youth who have 
     experienced foster care at age 14 or older in their 
     transition to adulthood through transitional services'';
       (ii) by inserting ``and post-secondary education'' after 
     ``high school diploma''; and
       (iii) by striking ``training in daily living skills, 
     training in budgeting and financial management skills'' and 
     inserting ``training and opportunities to practice daily 
     living skills (such as financial literacy training and 
     driving instruction)'';
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``who are likely to 
     remain in foster care until 18 years of age receive the 
     education, training, and services necessary to obtain 
     employment'' and inserting ``who have experienced foster care 
     at age 14 or older achieve meaningful, permanent connections 
     with a caring adult'';
       (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``who are likely to 
     remain in foster care until 18 years of age prepare for and 
     enter postsecondary training and education institutions'' and 
     inserting ``who have experienced foster care at age 14 or 
     older engage in age or developmentally appropriate 
     activities, positive youth development, and experiential 
     learning that reflects what their peers in intact families 
     experience''; and
       (D) by striking paragraph (4) and redesignating paragraphs 
     (5) through (8) as paragraphs (4) through (7);
       (3) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ``adolescents'' and 
     inserting ``youth''; and
       (B) in paragraph (3)--
       (i) in subparagraph (D)--

       (I) by inserting ``including training on youth 
     development'' after ``to provide training''; and
       (II) by striking ``adolescents preparing for independent 
     living'' and all that follows through the period and 
     inserting ``youth preparing for a successful transition to 
     adulthood and making a permanent connection with a caring 
     adult.'';

       (ii) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``adolescents'' each 
     place it appears and inserting ``youth''; and

[[Page 9489]]

       (iii) in subparagraph (K)--

       (I) by striking ``an adolescent'' and inserting ``a 
     youth''; and
       (II) by striking ``the adolescent'' each place it appears 
     and inserting ``the youth''; and

       (4) in subsection (f), by striking paragraph (2) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than October 1, 2018, 
     the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means 
     of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance 
     of the Senate a report on the National Youth in Transition 
     Database and any other databases in which States report 
     outcome measures relating to children in foster care and 
     children who have aged out of foster care or left foster care 
     for kinship guardianship or adoption. The report shall 
     include the following:
       ``(A) A description of the reasons for entry into foster 
     care and of the foster care experiences, such as length of 
     stay, number of placement settings, case goal, and discharge 
     reason of 17-year-olds who are surveyed by the National Youth 
     in Transition Database and an analysis of the comparison of 
     that description with the reasons for entry and foster care 
     experiences of children of other ages who exit from foster 
     care before attaining age 17.
       ``(B) A description of the characteristics of the 
     individuals who report poor outcomes at ages 19 and 21 to the 
     National Youth in Transition Database.
       ``(C) Benchmarks for determining what constitutes a poor 
     outcome for youth who remain in or have exited from foster 
     care and plans the executive branch will take to incorporate 
     these benchmarks in efforts to evaluate child welfare agency 
     performance in providing services to children transitioning 
     from foster care.
       ``(D) An analysis of the association between types of 
     placement, number of overall placements, time spent in foster 
     care, and other factors, and outcomes at ages 19 and 21.
       ``(E) An analysis of the differences in outcomes for 
     children in and formerly in foster care at age 19 and 21 
     among States.''.
       (e) Clarifying Documentation Provided to Foster Youth 
     Leaving Foster Care.--Section 475(5)(I) of such Act (42 
     U.S.C. 675(5)(I)) is amended by inserting after ``REAL ID Act 
     of 2005'' the following: ``, and any official documentation 
     necessary to prove that the child was previously in foster 
     care''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Indiana.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 2847.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support the Improving Services for Older 
Youth in Foster Care Act.
  In fiscal year 2015, almost 21,000 youth aged out of foster care, 
meaning they left foster care without a permanent family connection. 
Many of them are often poorly prepared for adulthood and lack some of 
the basic skills they need to be successful adults.
  Last year, the House passed the Family First Prevention Services Act, 
a bill that would improve the lives of children and families by making 
sure more children can stay safely at home and not enter foster care in 
the first place, helping to make sure fewer children age out of care. 
The bill also updated the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence 
Program to allow States to assist older former foster youth up to the 
age of 23, including providing education and training vouchers, to help 
those young people who do age out to have a better future. 
Unfortunately, it did not pass the Senate, so it never became law.
  I am glad my good friend, Mr. Faso, introduced the Improving Services 
for Older Youth in Foster Care Act to highlight the needs of these 
older youth, and I know many will benefit from the changes made by his 
bill.
  Specifically, this bill would support older youth leaving foster care 
by allowing existing funds used for financial housing, counseling, and 
employment support to support older youth leaving care. It would also 
allow HHS to redistribute unspent funds if a State has money remaining 
at the end of the fiscal year so more youth can be helped with existing 
resources. And through this bill, we will also be able to learn more 
about youth leaving foster care and their outcomes, which will help us 
develop better policies in the years ahead.
  I am grateful for the opportunity we have today to support this bill. 
I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 2847, the Improving 
Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act, which would help to ensure 
that all the congressional resources that would be provided for foster 
youth will indeed be utilized and make sure they are used to help them 
in the furtherance of their education and becoming independent.
  My colleague, Karen Bass, who visited me just a few weeks ago, has 
been a leader on this legislation and on foster youth issues for a 
number of years, and our committee has worked closely with her to move 
it forward today.
  I want to note that this is one of five bills the House is 
considering today to help at-risk families and children in foster care. 
All of these bills passed the House last year as part of the Family 
First Prevention Services Act, which also provided significant new 
investment in substance abuse, mental health, and parenting skills 
services to help kids and families avoid foster care when possible.
  We continue to work on a bipartisan basis with our leadership and our 
colleagues in the Senate to find a way to move forward on broader 
foster care improvements, but today's action provides a good 
opportunity to once again highlight the sharp rise of children in 
foster care in the United States and, indeed, in the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, fueled in part by the opiate crisis.
  In Massachusetts, between 2011 and 2015, the number of petitions to 
remove children from their homes grew 38 percent. Today, Massachusetts 
is home to nearly 10,000 kids in foster care. Over 1,000 of them are 
considered at risk of reaching adulthood without being adopted or 
safely reunified with their birth families. That is why it is so 
important that we do everything we can to help them finish their 
education and develop mentoring relationships with supportive adults.
  While I am pleased that our committee and the full House are working 
together to help these young people, we can't ignore the bigger 
picture, which is the President's attempt to overturn the Affordable 
Care Act, because it will have real and measurable negative effects on 
these kids.
  Republican Medicaid cuts jeopardize health coverage for older foster 
youth, the same youth we are trying to help with this bill. By cutting 
the essential health benefits and Medicaid, there will be a 
consequence. In turn, this endangers access to substance abuse 
treatment and, by extension, many of the treatment centers themselves.
  Republican proposals to end the Social Services Block Grant would 
reduce States' abilities to provide substance abuse, mental healthcare, 
and supportive services to foster parents.
  While these larger issues are deeply troubling, today's five children 
welfare bills, including the one before us now, represent an 
improvement over the status quo, and it is refreshing to note the 
bipartisan collaboration that is involved.
  In addition to Congresswoman Bass' leadership on this bill to help 
foster youth, let me also recognize my colleagues on the Ways and Means 
Committee who are providing great leadership on these very issues--Mr. 
Davis, Ms. Chu, and Ms. Sewell--for their work on behalf of foster 
children as reflected in these bills that they have coauthored and that 
we are considering today.
  I urge our colleagues to support this bill and the other bipartisan 
child welfare improvements being considered today and to work with us 
to even do more to help foster youth succeed.
  I reserve the balance of my time, and I ask unanimous consent that 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K.

[[Page 9490]]

Davis), be allowed to control the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Faso), the sponsor of this bill.
  Mr. FASO. Mr. Speaker, I come before the House today to express 
support and ask my colleagues to support our legislation, H.R. 2847, 
the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act.
  I would also like to acknowledge and thank the cosponsors of this 
legislation, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Reed), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. 
Davis), the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), and the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright).
  Our legislation is designed to help support older foster youth as 
they transition into adulthood by making limited but much-needed 
changes to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program.
  While the Chafee program has largely enhanced outcomes for former 
foster youth, there is still room for improvement. Of the individuals 
who age out of foster care, nearly 20 percent will be homeless after 
18, only half will be employed at age 24, and less than 3 percent will 
earn a college degree. This legislation seeks to improve on those 
results.
  If enacted, our legislation would support the education of foster 
youth who leave care by extending the age of eligibility for education 
and training vouchers up to the age of 26. By changing the eligibility, 
we can help improve employment outcomes and job opportunities for older 
youth as they leave the system.
  Additionally, this legislation will help youth who age out to 
maintain benefits by ensuring that they are provided with the necessary 
documentation that proves they were previously in foster care.
  Finally, our legislation would extend the financial, housing, 
counseling, employment, and other services for former foster care 
youth. Currently, support services are only available to youth between 
the ages of 18 and 21. Under this legislation, States would be able to 
extend coverage up to the age of 23.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to note that this legislation is 
supported by many organizations throughout the Nation, including the 
Alliance for Children's Rights, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the 
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the California 
State Association of Counties, the Child Welfare League of America, 
Children Now, County Welfare Directors Association of California, the 
March of Dimes, and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse 
Practitioners.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Faso).
  Mr. FASO. I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation so that we can help improve outcomes for some of our 
Nation's most vulnerable individuals.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  First of all, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for 
yielding.
  I strongly support H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth 
in Foster Care Act. This bill would expand eligibility for the Chafee 
Foster Care Independence Program services and education for older 
foster youth, and ensure that all funds and education vouchers are 
used. I want to commend my colleague, Representative Bass, for her 
longstanding leadership on this bill.
  As has been indicated by the ranking member, this important bill, and 
the other child welfare bills we will consider today, come from the 
Families First Prevention Services Act. The Families First Prevention 
Services Act begins a fundamental shift in Federal child welfare policy 
to preserving families rather than separating them. I look forward to 
working with my colleagues to ensure that we enact the larger bill with 
these important child welfare provisions and as we consider the other 
bills separately today.
  I would like to note that there are, indeed, five child welfare bills 
on the floor this afternoon, which is a real testament to the 
leadership of Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Neal. So I commend both 
of them for their leadership in bringing the Ways and Means Committee 
together to the extent that we can have five bills that have been 
researched, that have been debated; levels of agreement have been 
reached.
  I strongly support the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster 
Care Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Franks), my good friend.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I also want to sincerely thank 
Chairman Kevin Brady and the members of the Ways and Means Committee 
for their continued and invaluable work to protect America's children 
and strengthening our child welfare policy, as is in evidence in these 
five bills we are considering today.
  Mr. Speaker, foster care issues rarely drive our national media 
headlines, yet, to the children who are in the child welfare system, 
the importance of finding solutions and eliminating the barriers that 
would ensure better futures, better outcomes, and a permanent 
connection to a loving family can make fundamental, lifelong 
differences to those who are some of America's most vulnerable 
children.
  The goal of the Family First legislation, of which these bills are 
components, is to respond to the devastating data pertaining to the 
outcomes for foster youth who age out of care, often without any 
permanent connection and without the life skills and support systems 
necessary to thrive as independent adults.
  Mr. Speaker, we have heard so many times from the States that there 
is a need to make our Federal child welfare funding flexible enough so 
that we never incentivize the placement of children into foster care 
who would safely receive care in their homes or with safe, loving 
relatives. This bipartisan package of child welfare system improvements 
makes important steps toward improving our child welfare system to 
better protect children and families, and I am certainly delighted to 
support its passage.
  I want to thank, Mr. Speaker, again, those colleagues that have 
worked on this for their invaluable work on this critically important 
legislation.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Davis for 
yielding.
  I want to give a big thanks to my friend and colleague, 
Representative Karen Bass of California. She is a true champion for our 
foster youth. I was happy to participate in her Foster Youth Shadow Day 
last month, which gave me the opportunity to meet with a constituent of 
mine that directly benefits from the Chafee Foster Care Independence 
Program. I strongly urge all of my colleagues to host a foster child 
next year.
  I also want to voice my strong support for Representative Bass' bill, 
H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act. 
The current Chafee Foster Care Independence Program plays an important 
role in our larger foster care system, and the services it provides 
should be extended to cover older youth up to the age of 23.
  I was able to hear firsthand from my foster youth shadow, Khadejah 
Moore, about the struggles that foster youth face when they age out of 
the system. These young adults are thrown into the real world with 
little to no support system. It is an incredibly frightening time for 
these young youth. But if we can extend the Chafee Foster Care 
Independence Program and also allow

[[Page 9491]]

youth more time to use education vouchers, they have a better chance of 
having the opportunity to graduate college and successfully enter the 
workforce.
  This is an important, commonsense bill, and I want to thank both 
Representative Bass and Representative Faso for introducing this 
legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2847.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, having no other speakers, I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu).
  Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 2847, the bill offered by my friend and colleague, Karen Bass, a 
tireless leader on foster youth and child welfare.
  I recently hosted an amazing young woman named Ruth during Foster 
Youth Shadow Day here on the Hill. The message Ruth wanted lawmakers to 
hear is that the obstacles she faces every day as a 19-year-old have 
not suddenly stopped now that she has aged out of foster care. Ruth has 
a resilient spirit and unstoppable determination, but she should not be 
left out in the cold as she pursues her education and her goal of 
helping other foster youth in the future.
  The Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act will help 
people like Ruth by making vital changes to the Chafee Foster Care 
Independence Program, an important source of funding for foster youth.
  Currently, foster youth are only eligible for Chafee services if they 
are between the ages of 16 and 21. This bill expands access to the 
services provided by the program to include youth between the ages of 
14 and 23. This is such a crucial change to the program since foster 
youth like Ruth face so many daunting challenges during the period of 
young adulthood as they transition toward independence and self-
sufficiency.
  Providing essential services such as access to older mentors and role 
models, connections to employment opportunities, and education vouchers 
for foster youth after they reach the age of 18 are key sources of 
support for foster youth. This bill helps ensure that foster youth have 
the resources needed to become healthy, thriving adults.
  Thanks again to Representative Bass for her work on this bill.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the sponsor of this bill.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, in 
conjunction with Representative Faso, to support the education and 
advancement of foster youth. I want to thank the Representative for his 
leadership on this issue. I also want to thank Chairman Brady and 
Ranking Member Neal for their leadership on behalf of the Nation's 
foster youth.
  I do think it is very remarkable, as several other speakers have 
said, that today we are bringing forward five bipartisan bills to 
improve the Nation's foster care system. Each one of the bills 
addresses a serious challenges or gap in that system.
  H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act, 
allows States to expand the Chafee Grant Program to foster youth up to 
the age of 23. Currently, the program ends at 21. The Chafee Grant 
Program provides educational grants and other services to help young 
people transition into adulthood and become independent.
  In May, as part of National Foster Youth Shadow Day that is organized 
by the National Foster Youth Institute, I had the opportunity to meet a 
young woman named Doniesha Thomas. Doniesha is from Los Angeles, and 
spent 20 years in foster care before she aged out. She described her 
foster home as abusive, and eventually she had to move several times.
  Against tremendous odds, Doniesha has continued to persevere and is 
currently a college student at Los Angeles Trade Tech College, majoring 
in the administration of justice and minoring in paralegal studies.
  Doniesha is just one of a small number of foster youth who actually 
make it to college. This is despite nearly 70 percent of foster youth 
expressing a desire to attend college. Those, like Doniesha, who are 
accepted and attend college face another hurdle, which is graduating. 
Currently, only 3 percent of foster youth who attend college graduate. 
Programs like Chafee are designed to help foster youth advance in 
college, trade school, and employment.
  During National Foster Youth Shadow Day, I had the opportunity to 
speak to many other young people, and several of them described 
challenges that they face after--well, if they were lucky to graduate 
high school, where they attend college and then something happens; 
either they run out of resources or their housing falls through and 
they have to leave college, so their college is interrupted.
  That is why this legislation is so important, because it allows for 
the flexibility; if the young person is not able to complete college in 
4 years, they do have a couple of other years.
  One of the things that many people don't realize is that when young 
people age out of the foster youth system--which typically is at 18, 
sometimes is at 21, depending on the State--that many times we 
literally put these young people on the street. They are 18 years old. 
They are in their foster home. They are given a bag, typically a large-
sized trash bag, with all of their belongings, and they are put out on 
the street left to fend for themselves. With today's economic 
challenges, there are no 18-year-olds that can fend for themselves 
without a safety net.
  If we think of middle class children, transitioning into adulthood is 
typically what happens at college. They go to college and they have 
housing. But if they have any challenges, they can always call home. 
They can text their parents. Their parents are there to rescue them in 
case they run out of money or something happens with their housing or 
their grades.
  If we think of a young person out of the child welfare system who is 
literally put on the streets at the age of 18, you can only imagine 
what happens; which is why so many children in the foster care system 
wind up incarcerated. Many young girls wind up trafficked; and we did 
legislation on that a few weeks ago.
  So if we want to stop what happens on the other end, with many young 
children winding up incarcerated, or early pregnancies, or other 
challenges, we need to make sure that we provide support for them early 
on.
  H.R. 2847 will allow the flexibility for a student, again, who might 
need more time to complete their education. I urge my colleagues to 
support this legislation, to give foster youth the same type of 
flexibility and support that we provide our own children.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further 
requests for time, and I yield myself the balance of my time.
  H.R. 2847 would provide important assistance for youth aging out of 
foster care.
  In my State of Illinois, 22 percent of the more than 16,000 children 
placed in foster care in 2015 are aging out. Illinois is widely 
regarded as a leader among States when it comes to foster youth aging 
out of care; therefore, it is, indeed, one of the first jurisdictions 
in which young people who are in foster care on their 18th birthday 
were able to remain in beyond the age of 18.
  Research conducted by the University of Chicago found that allowing 
foster youth to remain in care beyond the age of 18 is associated with 
an increase in child well-being, including postsecondary educational 
attainment. Specifically, former foster youth from Illinois are twice 
as likely to have ever attended college, and more than twice as likely 
to have completed at least 1 year of college by age 21, compared with 
foster youth in other States that have not been given the option to 
stay in care beyond 18 years of age.

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                              {time}  1600

  Due to school mobility issues experienced in high school, only 58 
percent of foster youth graduate from high school by age 19, which 
makes it unlikely that they would be graduated from college by age 21.
  Extending access to Chafee Independence Act programs to age 23 rather 
than cutting these young people off at age 21 would ensure these youth 
are able to be supported beyond their first year of college. We know 
that when students lose access to critical financial aid resources such 
as the education training voucher in the middle of their college 
journey, it forces them to drop out of college in search of employment.
  Last Saturday, I spent 2 hours with a group of young people who had 
been organized by a young fellow, Kenneth Bennett's son. His name is 
Taylor Bennett. Taylor is the younger brother of Chance the Rapper. He 
is 21 years of age and had organized young people who were transgender, 
who were homeless, who were out of school, who were in need of 
assistance and help, and they were pleased to know that we were going 
to be considering this legislation today, which I strongly support.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank Mr. Faso and Mr. Reed from New York and Ms. Bass from 
California for introducing this important bill, and I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2847.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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