WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bipartisan legislation – representing the work of many members of the Ways and Means Committee – to provide critical supports to vulnerable children and families has been signed into law. The Supporting America’s Children and Families Act (H.R.9076), introduced by Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (IL-16) and Ranking Member Danny K. Davis (IL-07), reauthorizes, fully for the first time in over fifteen years, child welfare programs under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act that provide federal resources to states, tribes, and territories for family preservation and to promote the safety, permanence, and well-being of children in foster care.

“The enactment of this law will have a tremendously positive and powerful impact on millions of children and families. It is a bold and compassionate step toward bettering lives and paving the way for a brighter future,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08). “The Child Welfare program provides important resources to help secure the safety and well-being of America’s children. These reforms will ensure our communities have the necessary tools, support, and flexibilities to carry out that responsibility. The vital improvements that will be made – including policies to strengthen accountability within these programs, reduce the trauma experienced by children in foster care, and guarantee states can continue to collect needed child support payments – are long overdue. They will transform the way America protects its youth and vulnerable families. Among the policies enacted is one I have championed to ensure that children are not removed from homes and separated from their parents simply because a family may live in poverty. It is no wonder that numerous child support advocates, agencies, Native American tribes, and 26 state governors have stood shoulder to shoulder with Congress in pushing to see this effort succeed. They understand how these solutions will deliver historic enhancements to the Child Welfare program and to the quality of life for millions of our fellow Americans. The Ways and Means Committee has been engaged all Congress in a concerted, bipartisan effort to reauthorize and modernize these programs, and I am grateful for the hard work of all our members to see these policies enacted.”

“As Chairman of the Work and Welfare Subcommittee, I take seriously our responsibility to ensure we have a strong safety net for the nearly 370,000 children in foster care who have experienced the trauma and hardships of abuse and neglect,” said Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman LaHood (IL-16). “The signing of the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act marks the first meaningful reform to child welfare since 2008 and will help modernize the Title IV-B program, strengthen our foster care system, and keep families together. Our future generations are key to our nation’s success, and we must continue our work to protect and uplift the most vulnerable among them.”

“I am proud to join with Chair LaHood in celebrating the enactment of this important bill that will increase guaranteed funding for the MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families program for the first time since 2006,” said Work and Welfare Subcommittee Ranking Member Davis (IL-07). “In addition to providing essential new funding for both state and tribal agencies to strengthen families, this bill includes significant investments and policy updates to improve child safety and well-being. For example, it invests in evidence-based programs that successfully help parents overcome substance use disorders to safely care for their children, in aiding kinship caregivers in finding needed resources, and in independent legal representation to address racial inequities in child welfare. This bill also provides for new demonstration projects to promote meaningful relationships between foster youth and their incarcerated parents.”

Background on the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act:

Reauthorizes Title IV-B for five years and makes reforms to modernize the program. Saves taxpayer dollars by supporting early intervention to help families stay united and reducing duplication in the child welfare system. Uses savings from H.R. 7906, the Strengthening State and Tribal Child Enforcement Act to make targeted investments that will:

• Reduce administrative burden by requiring the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reduce paperwork and data reporting for state agencies and caseworkers by at least 15 percent.
• Improve access for Indian tribes by streamlining funding, as well as monitoring state engagement with the Indian Child Welfare Act.
• Support expansion of evidence-based services to prevent child abuse and neglect and ensures children are not separated from parents solely due to poverty-related neglect.
• Address the caseworker crises by ensuring caseworkers have access to training and support to improve retention and recruitment.
• Strengthen support systems for the 2.5 million grandparents and relatives providing kinship care for children who would otherwise enter foster care.
• Improve outcomes for youth transitioning from foster care by including individuals with lived experience (formerly in foster care) in state service planning and ensuring youth have access to mental health services.
• Support post-adoption services by requiring HHS to review post-adoption supports provided under Title IV-B and identify opportunities for strengthening them.

Read a one-pager on H.R. 9076 here.

Background on Strengthening Child Support Enforcement:

• The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program is a federal-state partnership dedicated to obtaining child support on behalf of custodial parents. This vital support system serves 13 million families and 18 percent of all children in the U.S.
• As one of the most cost-effective federal programs, in fiscal year (FY) 2023, for every $1 spent on program operations, nearly $5 was collected for families. The program collected nearly $30 billion in payments from non-custodial parents.
• Conflicting federal laws threatens the ability of states and tribes to efficiently run their CSE programs using contractors.
• The bipartisan bill formally authorizes state use of contractors for purposes of child support enforcement and gives tribes the same access to information needed to operate their child support enforcement programs.
• The Congressional Budget Office estimates this bill would save $777 million.
• 26 governors through the National Governors Association, along with child support advocates, state agencies, and Native American tribes expressed support for the legislation.

Read a one-pager on H.R. 7906 here.