Foster Youth Mentoring Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3061 To support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using a network of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 3, 2019 Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. BACON, Mr. LANGEVIN, and Mr. SCHWEIKERT) in- troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means A BILL To support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using a network of public and private com- munity entities to provide mentoring for children in fos- ter care. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Foster Youth Men- 4 toring Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress makes the following findings: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 3061 IH (1) Research shows that mentors make a dif- 1 ference in young people’s lives. At-risk youth who 2 have mentors are 55 percent more likely to enroll in 3 college. Students who meet regularly with their men- 4 tors are 52 percent less likely than their peers to 5 skip a day of school. Youth who have mentors are 6 also 130 percent more likely to hold a leadership po- 7 sition. 8 (2) Young people that have mentors have im- 9 proved relationships with adults, fewer disciplinary 10 referrals, and more confidence to achieve their goals. 11 (3) In 2017, 442,995 youth were in foster care. 12 Of those youth 70,858 were between the ages of 10 13 and 13, and 101,983 were between the ages of 14 14 and 20. 15 (4) Mentoring programs that serve foster youth 16 are unique and require additional considerations, in- 17 cluding specialized training and support necessary to 18 provide for consistent, long-term relationships for 19 children in foster care. 20 (5) Mentoring programs can be used as an ef- 21 fective preventative or intervention strategy to sup- 22 port positive outcomes for foster youth. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 3061 IH SEC. 3. PROGRAMS FOR MENTORING CHILDREN IN FOSTER 1 CARE. 2 Subpart 2 of part B of title IV of the Social Security 3 Act (42 U.S.C. 629 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 4 end the following: 5 ‘‘SEC. 439A. PROGRAMS FOR MENTORING CHILDREN IN 6 FOSTER CARE. 7 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 8 authorize the Secretary to make grants to eligible appli- 9 cants to support the establishment or expansion and oper- 10 ation of programs using a network of public and private 11 community entities to provide mentoring for children in 12 foster care. 13 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 14 ‘‘(1) CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE.—The term 15 ‘children in foster care’ means children who have 16 been removed from the custody of their biological or 17 adoptive parents by a State child welfare agency. 18 ‘‘(2) MENTORING.—The term ‘mentoring’ 19 means a structured, managed program— 20 ‘‘(A) in which children are appropriately 21 matched with screened and trained adult volun- 22 teers for consistent relationships; 23 ‘‘(B) that can include direct one-on-one, 24 group, peer, or a combination of these types of 25 mentoring services; 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 3061 IH ‘‘(C) that involves meetings and activities 1 on a regular basis; and 2 ‘‘(D) that is intended to meet, in part, the 3 child’s need for involvement with a caring and 4 supportive adult who provides a positive role 5 model. 6 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en- 7 tity’ means— 8 ‘‘(A) a nonprofit organization; 9 ‘‘(B) a State child welfare agency; 10 ‘‘(C) a local educational agency; 11 ‘‘(D) an Indian tribe or a tribal organiza- 12 tion; or 13 ‘‘(E) a faith-based organization. 14 ‘‘(c) GRANT PROGRAM.— 15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 16 out a program to award grants to eligible entities to 17 support the establishment or expansion and oper- 18 ation of programs using networks of public and pri- 19 vate community entities to provide mentoring for 20 children in foster care. 21 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—To be eli- 22 gible for a grant under paragraph (1), an eligible en- 23 tity shall submit to the Secretary an application con- 24 taining the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 3061 IH ‘‘(A) PROGRAM DESIGN.—A description of 1 the proposed program to be carried out using 2 amounts provided under this grant, including— 3 ‘‘(i) the number of mentor-child 4 matches proposed to be established and 5 maintained annually under the program; 6 ‘‘(ii) the targeted age range of youth 7 to be served by the program; 8 ‘‘(iii) such information as the Sec- 9 retary may require concerning the methods 10 to be used to recruit, screen, support, and 11 oversee individuals participating as men- 12 tors, and to evaluate outcomes for partici- 13 pating children, including information nec- 14 essary to demonstrate compliance with re- 15 quirements established by the Secretary for 16 the program; and 17 ‘‘(iv) such other information as the 18 Secretary may require. 19 ‘‘(B) RECRUITMENT.—An assurance that 20 the program will engage in recruitment strate- 21 gies for mentors that realistically portray the 22 benefits, practices, supports, and challenges of 23 participating in the program. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 3061 IH ‘‘(C) TRAINING.—An assurance that all 1 mentors covered under the program will receive 2 intensive and ongoing training in the following 3 areas: 4 ‘‘(i) Child development, including the 5 importance of bonding. 6 ‘‘(ii) Family dynamics, including the 7 effects of domestic violence and trauma. 8 ‘‘(iii) The foster care system and fos- 9 ter care principles and practices. 10 ‘‘(iv) Cultural competence practices 11 and relationship building strategies. 12 ‘‘(v) Positive youth development prac- 13 tices. 14 ‘‘(vi) Recognizing and reporting child 15 abuse and neglect. 16 ‘‘(vii) Confidentiality requirements for 17 working with children in foster care. 18 ‘‘(viii) Working in coordination with 19 the child welfare system. 20 ‘‘(ix) Other matters related to work- 21 ing with children in foster care. 22 ‘‘(D) SCREENING.—An assurance that all 23 mentors covered under the program are appro- 24 priately screened and have demonstrated a will- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:30 Jun 13, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 3061 IH ingness to comply with all aspects of the mentor 1 program, including— 2 ‘‘(i) a description of the methods to be 3 used to conduct criminal background 4 checks on all prospective mentors; and 5 ‘‘(ii) a description of the methods to 6 be used to ensure that the mentors are 7 willing and able to serve as a mentor on a 8 long-term, consistent basis. 9 ‘‘(E) COMMUNITY CONSULTATION; COORDI- 10 NATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—A dem- 11 onstration that, in developing and implementing 12 the program, the eligible entity will, to the ex- 13 tent feasible and appropriate— 14 ‘‘(i) consult with— 15 ‘‘(I) public and private commu- 16 nity entities, including religious orga- 17 nizations and Indian tribal organiza- 18 tions and urban Indian organizations; 19 and 20 ‘‘(II) family members of children 21 who may be potential clients of the 22 program; 23 ‘‘(ii) coordinate the mentoring pro- 24 gram and the eligible entity’s activities 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 3061 IH with other Federal, State, and local pro- 1 grams serving children and youth; and 2 ‘‘(iii) consult and coordinate with ap- 3 propriate Federal, State, and local correc- 4 tions, workforce development, and sub- 5 stance abuse and mental health agencies. 6 ‘‘(F) EQUAL ACCESS FOR LOCAL SERVICE 7 PROVIDERS.—An assurance that public and pri- 8 vate entities and nonprofit community organiza- 9 tions, including religious organizations and In- 10 dian organizations, will be eligible to participate 11 on an equal basis. 12 ‘‘(G) RECORDS, REPORTS, AND AUDITS.— 13 An agreement that the eligible entity will main- 14 tain such records, make such reports, and co- 15 operate with such reviews or audits as the Sec- 16 retary may find necessary for purposes of over- 17 sight of project activities and expenditures. 18 ‘‘(H) EVALUATION.—An agreement that 19 the eligible entity will cooperate fully with the 20 Secretary’s ongoing and final evaluation of the 21 program under the plan, by means including 22 providing the Secretary access to the program, 23 the program’s staff, program-related records 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 3061 IH and documents, and each public or private com- 1 munity entity receiving funding under the plan. 2 ‘‘(3) CONSIDERATIONS IN AWARDING 3 GRANTS.—In awarding grants under this subsection, 4 the Secretary shall take into consideration— 5 ‘‘(A) the feasibility and strength of a plan 6 to recruit and support transition-aged foster 7 youth; 8 ‘‘(B) the overall qualifications and capacity 9 of the eligible entity and its partners to effec- 10 tively carry out a mentoring program under this 11 subsection; 12 ‘‘(C) the level and quality of training pro- 13 vided to mentors under the program; 14 ‘‘(D) evidence of coordination of the pro- 15 gram with the social services and education pro- 16 grams of the State or political subdivision; 17 ‘‘(E) the ability of the eligible entity to 18 provide supervision and support for mentors 19 under the program and the youth served by 20 such mentors; 21 ‘‘(F) the number of children in foster care 22 served by the State or political subdivision; and 23 ‘‘(G) any other factors that the Secretary 24 determines to be significant with respect to the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 3061 IH need for, or the potential success of, carrying 1 out a mentoring program under this section. 2 ‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that 3 receives a grant under this subsection may use such 4 funds to— 5 ‘‘(A) develop and carry out a training pro- 6 gram and ongoing support for mentors; 7 ‘‘(B) recruit mentors for children in foster 8 care; and 9 ‘‘(C) provide activities that will help the 10 development of a child in foster care who is 11 participating in the program. 12 ‘‘(5) GRANT AMOUNT.—In awarding grants 13 under this subsection, the Secretary shall scale 14 grants to account for the eligible entity’s annual 15 budget and capacity. 16 ‘‘(6) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 17 after the date of enactment of this section, and an- 18 nually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and 19 submit to Congress a report that includes the fol- 20 lowing with respect to the year involved: 21 ‘‘(A) A description of the number of pro- 22 grams receiving grant awards under this sub- 23 section. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 3061 IH ‘‘(B) A description of the number of men- 1 tors who serve in the programs described in 2 subparagraph (A). 3 ‘‘(C) A description of— 4 ‘‘(i) the number of children in foster 5 care who participated in mentoring pro- 6 grams funded by the grant funds under 7 this subsection; 8 ‘‘(ii) data on the academic achieve- 9 ment of the children in mentoring pro- 10 grams funded by the grant funds under 11 this subsection; and 12 ‘‘(iii) the number of children in foster 13 care on waiting lists for such mentoring 14 programs. 15 ‘‘(D) Any other information that the Sec- 16 retary determines to be relevant to the evalua- 17 tion of the program under this section. 18 ‘‘(7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 19 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 20 this section— 21 ‘‘(A) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 22 2019 and 2020; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •HR 3061 IH ‘‘(B) such sums as may be necessary for 1 each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:47 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3061.IH H3061 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS