Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4797 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4797

 To require States to consider legal issues affecting youth as part of 
 case planning and to provide States with the option to use funds from 
  the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to 
     Adulthood to support access to legal services and counseling.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 16, 2026

 Mr. Cornyn (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To require States to consider legal issues affecting youth as part of 
 case planning and to provide States with the option to use funds from 
  the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to 
     Adulthood to support access to legal services and counseling.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act''.

SEC. 2. LEGAL CONSULTING AND ACCESS UNDER THE JOHN H. CHAFEE FOSTER 
              CARE PROGRAM FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD.

    Section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(4), by inserting ``legal counseling 
        access,'' after ``education,''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(3), by adding at the end the 
        following:
                    ``(L) A certification by the chief executive 
                officer of the State that the relevant case planning 
                and other processes employed by the State take into 
                consideration certain legal issues affecting housing, 
                education, entry into employment, and family 
                connections of current and former foster youth and the 
                efforts required to address the issues, including with 
                respect to State court records, legal recognition of 
                family relationships, and matters relating to custody 
                and permanency.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) In General.--The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 
on the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act 
and shall apply to payments under section 477 of the Social Security 
Act pursuant to plans approved by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services on or after such date.
    (b) Delay Permitted if State Legislation Required.--If the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that State 
legislation (other than legislation appropriating funds) is required in 
order for a State plan developed pursuant to section 477 of the Social 
Security Act to meet the additional requirements imposed by the 
amendments made by this Act, the plan shall not be regarded as failing 
to meet any of the additional requirements before the 1st day of the 
1st calendar quarter beginning after the first regular session of the 
State legislature that begins after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. For purposes of the preceding sentence, if the State has a 2-year 
legislative session, each year of the session is deemed to be a 
separate regular session of the State legislature.
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