June 24, 1999 (2:30 p.m.)
Amendments Submitted to the Rules Committee on
H.R. 1802 - Foster Care Independence Act of 1999(in alphabetical order) (listed in alphabetical order)
Andrews #1 Amends the Higher Education Act to prorate the expected family contribution by adoptive and foster parents to reflect the number of years of custody (only 10% of a families assets would be considered for each year of custody of the child when applying for a student loan or grant).
Buyer #2 Requires the Social Security Administration to study denials to family farmers with resources of under $100,000 when the family chooses to care for a disabled dependent in the home.
Cardin #4 Continues partial hold harmless payments to States that pass through child support to families on welfare. LATE
Cardin #5 Broadens eligibility for the Welfare to Work Program, including allowing former foster children to participate in the program.LATE
Johnson (CT) #6 A technical change is made in the table of contents to refer to a new provision on adoption incentive payments; A technical change is made in the table of contents to refer to a new provision regarding Supplemental Security Income benefits for certain World War II veterans; A technical change is made in the table of contents to refer to the narrowing of the hold harmless provision in the Child Support Enforcement program; In section 477(a)(1), redundant wording is revised; In section 477(b)(3)(A), wording is changed to clarify that eligible children are those who have left foster care because they reached age 18; In section 477(b)(3)(A), wording is changed to clarify that eligible children are those who left foster care because they reached age 18; In section 477(c)(1), language is inserted to clarify that states must be provided a payment to operate their Independent Living program that is at least equal to the payment under previous law; In section 477(c), a new section is added to clarify the procedure by which the Secretary should reduce payments to other states to adjust for payments to states that receive a hold harmless payment; In section 477(c), the Secretary's authority to redistribute funds that are not used by states is eliminated; In section 477(d), language is inserted to allow states to spend each year's appropriation over a 2-year period; A new Subtitle D is added that authorizes (but does not appropriate) additional funds to pay adoption incentive payments to states that increased their level of adoptions in FY 1998; In section 206, a conforming amendment to Medicaid law is added to ensure that recipients of Supplemental Security Income who lose their benefits because of assets held in trust will not automatically lose their Medicaid benefits; In section 207, a conforming amendment to Medicaid law is included to clarify a section reference; In Title II, Subtitle B, extensive amendments are made to the Committee provision; the new provision would allow certain veterans of the U.S. armed forces in World War II to be eligible for continued SSI benefits if they move outside the U.S. (The Committee bill had restricted this new benefit to Filipino veterans of World War II.); In section 301, the provision that eliminates the hold harmless provision in the child support enforcement provision is narrowed slightly so that states that share more of their child support collections with families are allowed to qualify for a partial hold harmless payment. LATE
Thompson (CA) #3 Requires States to include in their State plan a certification that they adequately train prospective foster parents of the child being placed and that such training is continued, as necessary, after the placement.
* Summaries derived from information submitted by the amendment sponsors.
