Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7529 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7529

 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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 12, 2026

   Mr. Davis of Illinois (for himself and Mr. LaHood) introduced the
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 the effect of 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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