WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s foster youth aging out of the child welfare system will have more support and greater opportunities for success as they transition to adulthood and independence thanks to legislation approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. With unanimous support, the House passed H.R. 7432, the Fostering the Future Act – legislation introduced by Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (IL-16) and Representative Gwen Moore (WI-04). The bill modernizes the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (“Chafee”), delivering much-needed reforms to the program for the first time since its creation in 1999. Chafee supports current and former foster youth, age 14 to 21, transitioning to independence and adulthood. Included in the legislation are six initiatives led by a bipartisan coalition of Ways and Means Committee members that will improve state utilization of Chafee funds, strengthen coordination between child welfare agencies and federal housing programs, expand access to educational support and workforce training opportunities, enhance supports for foster youth who are parents or soon-to-be parents, expand access to legal services, and prioritize supportive networks and permanency for foster youth. 

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) issued the following statement on House passage of reforms to the Chafee foster youth program:

“This historic effort to modernize America’s foster care system would have never been possible were it not for the dedicated leadership of members of the Ways and Means Committee who reached across the aisle and built a groundswell of bipartisan support for reform. At every step of the way, we have also benefited from First Lady Melania Trump’s inspirational embrace of this cause and by listening to the voices of foster youth who came forward to share their stories and advocate for their peers. Momentum continues to build toward significant improvements in how we address the unique challenges facing foster youth transitioning to adulthood. We must ensure young people in the foster care program are given opportunities to thrive and achieve true independence.”

The Fostering the Future Act comes as a direct result of the work of First Lady Melania Trump who has championed addressing the challenges facing America’s foster youth through her Fostering the Future initiative. In April, the Ways and Means Committee held a bipartisan roundtable with the First Lady and lived experience leaders to build momentum for this reform effort. The Chafee reforms have also received endorsements from more than 150 national, state, and local organizations as well as 320 foster youth and caregivers.

Fostering the Future Act (H.R. 7432):

• Makes the first comprehensive reforms to Chafee since its creation in 1999 to improve outcomes for youth aging out of foster care by creating stronger connections to housing, education and workforce programs, and other critical supports.
• Codifies several priorities included in the Executive Order, “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families,” championed by First Lady Melania Trump.
• Strengthens alignment with Federal housing programs such as the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) housing voucher.
• Expands Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs) for short-term workforce training programs, costs associated with earning a high school diploma, apprenticeships, or remedial education.
• Increases the maximum ETV cap from $5,000 to $12,000 while maintaining current funding levels and provides greater educational support for foster youth.
• Expands access to legal services for foster youth and connects parenting foster youth with evidence-based Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting services.
• Prioritizes the importance of lifelong connections by updating Chafee’s purposes.
• Nearly 16,000 foster youth “age out” of the child welfare system annually, often without permanent connections to family and face significant challenges in their path to independence.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives with unanimous consent.