,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ajif  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #ab1 #bjac    
,ms4 ,moore introduced the following    
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,ways and ,means  ,a      
,,bill  ,to provide funds to ,state     
courts for the provision of legal       
representation to parents and legal     
guardians with respect to child welfare 
cases4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may 
be cited as the ,enhancing the ,quality 
of ,parental ,legal ,representation ,act
 of #bjac4  #b4 ,findings ,congress     
finds the following3  7#a7 ,in the      
,strengthening ,abuse and ,neglect      
,courts ,act of #bjjj1 the ,congress    
found that 8under both ,federal and     
,state law1 the courts play a crucial   
and essential role in the ,nation's     
child welfare system and in ensuring    
safety1 stability1 and permanence for   
abused and neglected children under the 
supervision of that system04  7#b7      
,child outcomes are improved and courts 

function more effectively when all      
parties have quality legal              
representation4 ,analysis of data from  
programs in ,new ,york and ,michigan    
revealed that more than #ej percent of  
children avoided unnecessary foster care
 placement when all parties received    
high quality representation4 ,according 
to the ,american ,bar ,association1 a   
pilot program in the ,state of          
,washington to improve representation   
for parents resulted in 8a #ec4c percent
 increase in the rate of reunification04
  7#c7 ,in ,new ,york1 children placed  
in foster care whose parents receive    
high quality legal representation spent 
on average #d4e months in placement     
compared to a statewide average of #b   
years and re-entry rates of #a percent  
compared to #ae percent statewide4  7#d7
 ,according to the ,american ,bar       
,association1 the cost per family for   
high quality legal services in ,new     
,york was approximately #f1jjj over the 
life of a case as compared to anywhere  

from #bi1jjj to #ff1jjj for #a year of  
foster care for a child in ,new ,york   
,city in #bjaj4  7#e7 ,training and     
standards of representation are         
necessary to ensure qualified           
representation4 ,according to the       
,american ,bar ,association ,center on  
,children and the ,law1 parental        
representation is 8often substandard1   
resulting in the failure of due process 
in these cases4 ,as a result1 numerous  
children are needlessly separated from  
their parents for extended periods of   
time and in many cases families are     
permanently severed through termination 
of parental rights orders0 and most     
,states have no standard training       
requirements for attorneys representing 
parents in their ,state4  #c4           
,amendments to the ,court ,improvement  
,program  7a7 ,provision of legal       
representation for parents and legal    
guardians with respect to child welfare 
cases ,section #dch7;a7 of the ,social  
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fbi;h7a77

 is amended--  7#a7 in paragraph 7#c71  
by striking and at the end2  7#b7 in    
paragraph 7#d77;,b71 by striking the    
period at the end and inserting 2 and2  
and  7#c7 by adding at the end the      
following3  7#e7 to provide legal       
representation for parents and legal    
guardians with respect to proceedings   
described in paragraph 7#a74  4  7b7    
,application ,section #dch7;b7 of such  
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fbi;h7b77 is       
amended--  7#a7 in paragraph 7#a7--     
7,a7 by striking and at the end of      
subparagraph 7,b72  7,b7 by striking the
 period at the end of subparagraph 7,c7 
and inserting 2 and2 and  7,c7 by adding
 at the end the following3  7,d7 in the 
case of a grant for any purpose         
described in subsection 7a77#e7--  7i7 a
 description of how the grant will be   
used to provide legal representation to 
parents and legal guardians2  7ii7 a    
description of how the court will       
prioritize the provision of legal       
representation1 including how and when  

attorneys will be assigned to represent 
a parent or legal guardian2 and  7iii7 a
 description of how courts and child    
welfare agencies on the local and ,state
 levels will collaborate and jointly    
plan for the collection and sharing of  
all relevant data and information to    
demonstrate how increased quality       
representation of parents and legal     
guardians with respect to child welfare 
cases will improve child and family     
outcomes4  2 and  7#b7 in paragraph     
7#b7--  7,a7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by   
striking or2  7,b7 in subparagraph 7,d71
 by striking and 7,c7 and inserting     
7,c71 and 7,d72  7,c7 by redesignating  
subparagraph 7,d7 as subparagraph 7,e72 
and  7,d7 by inserting after            
subparagraph 7,c7 the following3  7,d7  
the purpose described in subsection     
7a77#e72 or  4  7c7 ,amount of grant    
,section #dch7;c77#a7 is amended by     
striking and 7,c7 and inserting 7,c71   
and 7,d74  7d7 ,allocation of ,funds    
,section #dch7;c77#c77;,a7 of such ,act 

7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fbi;h7c77#c77;,a77 is   
amended--  7#a7 by striking and at the  
end of clause 7iii72  7#b7 by           
redesignating clause 7iv7 as clause 7v72
 and  7#c7 by inserting after clause    
7iii7 the following3  7iv7 #aj1jjj1jjj  
for grants for the purpose described in 
subsection 7a77#e72 and  4  7e7 ,funding
 ,section #dcf of such ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #fbi;g7 is amended--  7#a7 in 
subsection 7a71 by striking #cde1jjj1jjj
 and inserting #cee1jjj1jjj2 and  7#b7  
in subsection 7b77#b71 by striking      
#cj1jjj1jjj and inserting #dj1jjj1jjj4