ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

Herger Announces Hearing on the Promoting
Safe and Stable Families Program

Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program. The hearing will take place on Thursday, May 10, 2001, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include program administrators, researchers, and other experts on child welfare issues. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

The Promoting Safe and Stable Families program was authorized by the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) (P.L. 105-89). This program expires in fiscal year 2001 and funds services designed to prevent child abuse and neglect. ASFA required that a child's health and safety be the paramount consideration in determining the placement and course of action for an abused or neglected child. This important legislation sought to ensure that the system did not put the goal of returning a child to his or her biological parents above the safety of the child. Changes were also made to address concerns that children were kept in the foster care system too long. Thus, among other provisions, ASFA imposed defined time limits on how long attempts to reunify a family can occur before the child must be legally freed for adoption.

Prior to ASFA, States used these child welfare funds for family preservation services for families in crisis, and family support services to promote child and family well-being. ASFA added two new categories of State activities: time-limited family reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services. ASFA authorized funding for these services through the end of FY 2001. (Currently, $305 million is available each year to States for program purposes, and the President's budget proposes an additional $200 million or a more than 65 percent annual increase in each of the next five years.) Finally, ASFA renamed Title IV-B, Subpart 2 of the Social Security Act the "Promoting Safe and Stable Families" program.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Herger stated: "This will be our first hearing in the 107th Congress on issues affecting the most vulnerable children in our society -- those in need of protection from abuse and neglect, often at the hands of their own parents. I am encouraged that the President has proposed an additional $1 billion for these important services to protect children at all times and reunite families whenever possible. In considering this request, we must first evaluate how current funds are being spent, and whether they are serving those in greatest need."

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The focus of the hearing is to explore how States have used Promoting Safe and Stable Families program funds, to learn which programs are more effective, and to consider issues for further review and action during reauthorization of the program.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Thursday, May 24, 2001, to Allison Giles, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Human Resources office, room B-317 Rayburn House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette WordPerfect or MS Word format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.

4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.

The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at "http://waysandmeans.house.gov".

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.