This week, the House of Representatives advanced two pieces of legislation from the Ways and Means Committee that help states better identify and track missing foster youth and ensure job placement services are made available to all unemployment insurance claimants.

S. 1146, Find and Protect Foster Youth Act
Provides support to states to better identify and track missing foster youth.

Ways and Means Chairman Smith said:

“Youth in the foster care system often have experienced serious trauma and are at high risk of going missing or running away from their foster care placements, which increases their likelihood of experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and other exploitation.

“Over the past year, the Ways and Means Committee has been hard at work reforming aspects of our child welfare programs. The Find and Protect Missing Foster Youth Act, introduced by Senator John Cornyn and Representative Tony Gonzales, will bring us one step closer to realizing that goal.“

Click here to read Chairman Smith’s full opening statement from the floor debate on the Find and Protect Foster Youth Act.

Background:

• Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct an evaluation of the protocols established by states to determine the location of missing foster youth and provide a Report to Congress within five years of enactment.
• Requires HHS to provide states with technical assistance related to determining children’s experiences while they are missing from foster care, including screening for sex trafficking, determining appropriate services, and documenting their work in agency records.
  • Youth in the foster care system are at high risk of going missing or running away from their foster care placements increasing their likelihood of experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and other exploitation.

Read the one-pager on H.R. 2426 here.

H.R. 5861, BRIDGE for Workers Act
Makes job placement services available to all unemployment insurance (UI) claimants.

Ways and Means Chairman Smith said:

“Members of Congress have heard over and over again about a labor shortage, and ‘Help Wanted’ signs dot storefronts across the country. This legislation will help address this shortage by helping more unemployed Americans get back into the workforce sooner.”

Click here to read Chairman Smith’s full opening statement from the floor debate on the BRIDGE for Workers Act.

Background:

• Makes a correction to the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) program that clarifies reemployment services can be provided to all unemployment insurance claimants, not just those most likely to exhaust their benefits. This change will help more individuals get back to work sooner.
• RESEAs are in-person interviews during which UI claimants may receive a variety of services, including personal engagement that receives career information that addresses specific claimant needs; enrollment in employment services, such as job search assistance, employability assessments, or job matching services.
• Strengthens program integrity by ensuring claimants are complying with eligibility rules – including the requirement that a UI claimant must be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work.

Read the one-pager on H.R. 5861 here.