On September 14, the House Ways and Means Committee approved, by voice vote, the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (H.R. 2883).
Specifically, the bill, sponsored by Chair Dave Camp (R-MI), would extend through FY2016 current annual levels for child welfare services programs ($325 million) and the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program ($345 million in mandatory and $200 million in discretionary spending). The current authorization for these programs (P.L. 109-288) expires on September 30.
The measure would reauthorize and streamline the Court Improvement Program, allowing states to submit one application for the three improvement grants. Tribes and tribal organizations would be eligible for court improvement grants as well.
The legislation would end the program to mentor children of prisoners but would provide peer-to-peer mentoring of, and support for, parents and caregivers. Services would be targeted to populations at greatest risk of abuse and mistreatment.
