Foster Care Reforms Championed by Melania Trump Advance
House committee gives bipartisan approval for a package of six bills that would reform the 'Chafee' foster care program.
About two weeks after First Lady Melania Trump returned to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers about foster care reforms, six pieces of overwhelming bipartisan-supported legislation have been approved by members of a Congressional committee.
On Wednesday, the Ways and Means Committee announced the advancement of six bills that would modernize the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (“Chafee”), the nation’s program exclusively for the 20,000 youth who age out of the foster care system each year.
In a statement, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri, said the needed improvements to the Chafee program were the first since its creation in 1999.
“Together with the spotlight First Lady Melania Trump has shone on the dire circumstances many foster youth face, today’s action moves us one step closer to delivering the same chance for foster youth at a good education, meaningful work, and fulfilling relationships as every other child in America,” Smith said.
The bipartisan policies set forth if enacted into law would help foster youth lead independent lives by expanding access to stable housing, increasing financial support for postsecondary education, increasing access to workforce training programs that lead to in-demand jobs, opening more access to evidence-based home visiting services for expectant and parenting mothers, improving access to legal services and prioritizing relational health, Smith added.
The proposed legislation aligns with Mrs. Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative she established in 2021 to provide individuals in the foster care community with access to education at the university level and President Trump’s Fostering the Future for American Children and Families Executive Order.
“New legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative,” Mrs. Trump said in April during the legislative roundtable that included input from two young people aging out of foster care. “Congress now has the opportunity to create a lasting positive impact on this community … We can ensure that the opportunity is more than helpful for individuals in the foster care community. It can be their birthright.”
Each of the bills have received endorsements from more than 150 national, state, and local organizations, accorning to the committee. Every year, about 20,000 young people age out of foster care. Overall, 1 in 5 become homeless, according to The National Foster Youth Institute.
During the April roundtable meeting, Danny Davis, a Democrat from Illinois and ranking member of the Work and Welfare Subcommittee, described bureaucratic problems with the Chafee program that include a lack of awareness of the program and limited funding that has meant fewer than 25% of eligible youth in foster care receive Chafee services. He has been advocating for funding for legal representation and counseling for young people transitioning out of foster care who need help resolving legal issues affecting housing, education, employment entry and family conditions.
“I made a commitment to the first lady when we held a powerful roundtable with her and two foster youth leaders that the Ways and Means Committee would make it a priority to get these bills to President Trump’s desk,” Smith said in the statement.
The proposed bills are:
Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act (H.R. 7432)
Improves access to housing for youth aging out of foster care, and former foster youth, by strengthening coordination between Chafee and the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) housing voucher program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development by:
Aligning the age eligibility between programs ensuring youth can receive Chafee-funded supportive services for the full duration of the voucher.
Updating the existing 30 percent cap on room and board to exclude housing supportive services for youth with FYI vouchers, and allowing the cap to be based on a rolling average over five years; and
Requiring joint federal guidance to clarify rules and coordination of services between state child welfare agencies and local public housing authorities administering FYI vouchers.
Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act (H.R. 7463)
Increases the individual education and training voucher (ETV) cap from $5,000 to $12,000 per student annually, while maintaining current funding levels for ETVs.
Permits states to establish a grace period for youth to demonstrate satisfactory progress toward completion of a program, after an assessment and consultation with the youth.
Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a user-friendly, electronic, standard application form for ETVs, and requires states to make reasonable efforts to inform youth about the program to improve awareness and streamline access.
Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act (H.R. 7343)
Expands use of Chafee ETVs to include short-term workforce and vocational training and credentialing programs; and expands ETVs for the costs of apprenticeships, GED, and remedial education, and provides one additional year of eligibility if used for remedial education.
Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act (H.R. 7529)
Improves access to legal services for youth and ensures states have processes in place to take into consideration legal issues impacting foster youth, such as housing, education, employment entry, and family conditions as part of case planning in their transition to adulthood.
Support for Expectant and Parenting Foster Youth Act (H.R. 7655)
Improves access to home visiting services offered through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program for youth in foster care who are expecting or parenting.
Permits states to use Chafee funds to provide specialized case management to expectant and parenting youth.
Chafee Opportunities for New Networks and Existing Connection Trust (CONNECT) Act (H.R. 7995)
Updates the purposes section of the Chafee program to reflect the importance of establishing meaningful connections with adults and other lifelong support networks.
Adds a new purpose to clarify that Chafee funds may be used to help foster youth engage in their own permanency process and planning for independence.
Requires HHS to issue guidance, in consultation with youth with foster care lived experience, regarding implementation of the new purposes including best practices, outreach and protocols for documenting supports for youth.
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