,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gjdb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bh1 #bjbj,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of ,illinois 7for himself and ,mr4 ,bacon7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act to expand foster parent training and authorize new appropriations to support the obtainment of a driver's license4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,foster ,youth and ,driving ,act4 #b4 ,foster parent training related to preparing a child to drive ,section #dga7;a77#bd7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fga7;a77#bd77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking and knowledge and skills and inserting knowledge and skills2 and 7#b7 by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following3 and1 when appropriate to the age or other circumstance of the child1 knowledge and skills related to preparing the child to drive1 including assuring opportunity for practice driving hours and assistance in obtaining a driver's license and automotive insurance and in applying as needed for driving and transportation assistance as described in section #dgg7k74 #c4 ,requirement to include a plan for driving preparation in case plan ,section #dge7a7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fge7a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,g77ii71 by moving subclause 7,,ii7 #b ems to the right2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 7,h7 ,a plan for assuring that the child1 when appropriate to the age or other circumstance of the child1 receives assistance1 knowledge1 and skills related to preparing to drive1 including opportunity for practice driving hours and assistance in obtaining a driver's license and automotive insurance and in applying as needed for driving and transportation assistance as described in section #dgg7k74 4 #d4 ,driving and transportation assistance program 7a7 ,purpose ,section #dgg7;a7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgg7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#f71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#g71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#h7 to provide driving and transportation assistance to children in foster care and certain former foster care recipients who have attained the appropriate age and circumstances to begin receiving such assistance4 4 7b7 ,driving and transportation assistance ,section #dgg of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgg7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7k7 ,funds for driving and transportation assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,the following conditions shall apply to a ,state driving and transportation assistance program under this section3 7,a7 ,assistance under the program shall be available to youth who have experienced foster care at age #ad or older1 as described in subsection 7a77#a74 7,b7 ,the ,state may allow youths participating in the assistance program on the date they attain #ba years of age to remain eligible until they attain #bf years of age1 as long as the ,state is satisfied that they are working or enrolled in a postsecondary education or other employment training program and are making satisfactory progress toward completion of that program4 7,c7 ,the assistance provided for an individual under this section-- 7i7 may include vehicle insurance costs1 driver's education class and testing fees1 practice lessons1 practice hours1 license fees1 roadside assistance1 deductible assistance1 assistance in purchasing an automobile1 and any other costs related to obtaining a driver's license and driving legally in the ,state2 and 7ii7 shall not exceed the lesser of #d1jjj per year or the total cost of the items described in clause 7i74 7,d7 ,the ,state shall ensure that1 in the case of a youth in foster care under the age of #ah participating in the assistance program1 the youth's foster parent 7if any7 may authorize another adult to provide any authorization required by the ,state to be provided by a parent or guardian in order for such a youth to obtain a driver's license or permit or take driving lessons4 7,e7 ,the ,state shall work to remove barriers to obtaining a driver's license and appropriate insurance for youth under the age of #ah1 such as addressing liability and insurance laws to allow minor youth to more easily obtain a license4 7,f7 ,the amount of assistance under this section shall be disregarded for purposes of determining the recipient's eligibility for1 or the amount of1 any other ,federal or federally supported assistance1 except that the ,state agency shall take appropriate steps to prevent duplication of benefits under this and other ,federal or federally supported programs4 7,g7 ,the ,state shall coordinate the program with other appropriate programs1 including those described under subsection 7b77#c77;,f71 to support current and former youth in their transition to adulthood4 7,h7 ,the ,state shall work to streamline processes for communicating program eligibility and shall conduct public awareness efforts to ensure that foster youth are aware of the assistance available under the program4 7,i7 ,the ,state agrees to submit such annual data to the ,secretary as the ,secretary may require1 including data specifying the number of individuals1 of those in foster care or formerly in foster care who have attained from #ae to #bf years of age1 who 7as appropriate to the age and other circumstances of the individual7-- 7i7 are eligible for a driver's license2 7ii7 have completed a driver's education course2 7iii7 have completed driver's training hours2 7iv7 have obtained a learner's permit2 7v7 have obtained a driver's license2 7vi7 own a vehicle or otherwise have access to a vehicle to drive2 and 7vii7 have automotive liability insurance4 7#b7 ,report ,the ,secretary shall annually submit a report to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate on the ,state driving and transportation assistance program under this subsection1 and shall make such report publicly available4 ,such report shall include a compilation of the ,state data submitted to the ,secretary under paragraph 7#a77;,i74 4 7c7 ,certification ,section #dgg7;b77#c7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgg7;b77#c77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,l7 ,a certification by the chief executive officer of the ,state that the ,state driving and transportation assistance program under this section is in compliance with the conditions specified in subsection 7k77#a71 including a statement describing methods the ,state will use-- 7i7 to ensure that the total amount of driving and transportation assistance to a youth under this section and under other ,federal and federally supported programs does not exceed the limitation specified in subsection 7k77#a77;,c77ii72 and 7ii7 to avoid duplication of benefits under this and any other ,federal or federally assisted benefit program4 4 7d7 ,increased authorization of appropriations ,section #dgg7;h7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgg7;h77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#c7 an additional #cf1jjj1jjj1 which are authorized to be available for payments to ,states for driving and transportation assistance in accordance with subsection 7k77#a74 4 7e7 ,allotments to ,states ,section #dgg7;c7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgg7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating paragraph 7#d7 as paragraph 7#e72 and 7#b7 by inserting after paragraph 7#c7 the following3 7#d7 ,driving and transportation assistance allotment 7,a7 ,in general ,from the amount1 if any1 appropriated pursuant to subsection 7h77#c7 for a fiscal year and remaining after the reservation described in subparagraph 7,b71 the ,secretary may allot to each ,state with an application approved under subsection 7b7 for the fiscal year an amount equal to the ,state foster care ratio multiplied by the amount so specified4 7,b7 ,reservations for ,indian tribes and tribal organizations ,the ,secretary shall reserve up to #c percent of the amount appropriated each year pursuant to subsection 7h77#c7 for payments to ,indian tribes and tribal organizations to be used in accordance with subsection 7k74 4 7f7 ,discretionary grants ,section #dgd of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgd7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7e77#a71 by striking section #dgg7;a77#f7 and inserting section #dgg7;a77#e72 7#b7 by redesignating subsections 7f7 and 7g7 as subsections 7g7 and 7h71 respectively2 and 7#c7 by inserting after subsection 7e7 the following3 7f7 ,discretionary grants for driving and transportation assistance ,from amounts appropriated pursuant to section #dgg7;h77#c71 the ,secretary may make a grant to a ,state with a plan approved under this part1 for a calendar quarter1 in an amount equal to the lesser of-- 7#a7 #hj percent of the amounts expended by the ,state during the quarter to carry out programs for the purposes described in section #dgg7;a77#h72 or 7#b7 the amount1 if any1 allotted to the ,state under section #dgg7;c77#d77;,a7 for the fiscal year in which the quarter occurs1 reduced by the total of the amounts payable to the ,state under this subsection for such purposes for all prior quarters in the fiscal year4 4 7g7 ,payments to ,indian tribal organizations ,section #dgg of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgg71 as amended by subsection 7b71 is further amended by adding at the end the following3 7l7 ,payments to ,indian tribes and tribal organizations for driving and transportation assistance programs 7#a7 ,in general ,an ,indian tribe or tribal organization 7as such terms are defined for purposes of section #dbh7;c77 which has a plan for child welfare services approved under subpart #a of part ,b of this title and which operates a foster care program may apply for an allotment out of any amounts reserved for a fiscal year under subsection 7c77#d77;,b7 to carry out programs for the purposes described in subsection 7a77#h74 7#b7 ,application ,an ,indian tribe or tribal organization desiring an allotment under paragraph 7#a7 of this subsection shall submit an application to the ,secretary to directly receive such allotment that includes a plan which-- 7,a7 satisfies such requirements of subsections 7b77#c7 and 7k7 as the ,secretary determines are appropriate in consultation with the tribe or tribal organization2 7,b7 contains a description of the ,indian tribe or tribal organization's consultation process regarding the programs to be carried out under the plan with each ,state in which the ,indian tribe or tribal organization is located2 and 7,c7 contains an explanation of the results of such consultation1 particularly with respect to-- 7i7 determining the eligibility for driving and transportation assistance benefits and services of ,indian children to be served under the programs to be carried out under the plan2 and 7ii7 the process for consulting with the ,state in order to ensure the continuity of such benefits and services for such children who will transition from receiving such benefits and services under programs carried out under a ,state plan under subsection 7b77#b7 to receiving such benefits and services under programs carried out under a plan under this subsection4 7#c7 ,payments ,the ,secretary shall pay an ,indian tribe or tribal organization with an application approved under this subsection from the allotment determined for the ,indian tribe or tribal organization under paragraph 7#d7 in the same manner as is provided in section #dgd7;f7 with respect to a ,state1 or in such other manner as is determined appropriate by the ,secretary1 except that in no case shall an ,indian tribe or tribal organization receive a lesser proportion of such funds than a ,state is authorized to receive under such section4 7#d7 ,allotment ,from the total amount reserved for a fiscal year under subsection 7c77#d77;,b71 the ,secretary shall allot to the ,indian tribes or tribal organizations with an application approved under this subsection for that fiscal year an amount based on each ,indian tribe or tribal organization's share of the total tribal child population among all such tribes and tribal organizations with an application so approved4 7#e7 ,data and evaluation ,the ,secretary shall consult with tribes and tribal organizations to determine the tribally relevant data needed to understand how the driving and transportation assistance program helps tribal youth and if any policies would improve tribal youth access to drivers' licenses and1 to the extent practicable1 the number and demographic data of tribal youth served4 7#f7 ,matching requirement ,in determining the amounts expended by an ,indian tribe or tribal organization for purposes of section #dgd7;f77#a71 the ,secretary may take into account in-kind expenditures of the ,indian tribe or tribal organization4 4 7h7 ,technical assistance ,section #dgg7;g77#b7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgg7;g77#b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking the amount specified in subsection 7h7 and inserting each of the amounts specified in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of subsection 7h71 and up to #e percent of the amount specified in paragraph 7#c7 of such subsection12 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 ,with respect to such reservations of amounts specified in paragraph 7#c7 of subsection 7h71 the ,secretary-- 7,a7 shall consider a higher reservation of funds for initial fiscal years to the extent necessary to support ,states in establishing a new program in each ,state2 and 7,b7 shall not consider an entity an appropriate entity unless the entity has demonstrated the capacity to successfully administer a ,state-mandated program to provide driver's licenses to youth under the age of #ah who are in ,state foster care and to increase the number of such foster youth who obtain a driver's license4 4