,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gigf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,august #g1 #bjbj,ms4
 ,moore introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,ways and ,means  ,a ,,bill  ,to modify 
certain rules and procedures under the  
,federal foster care and adoption       
assistance program during a public      
health crisis4  #a4 ,short title ,this  
,act may be cited as the ,suspend the   
,timeline not ,parental ,rights in a    
,public ,health ,crisis ,act4  #b4      
,modification of certain rules and      
procedures under the ,federal foster    
care and adoption assistance program    
during a public health crisis  7a7      
,timeline and compelling reason ,section
 #dge7e77;,e7 of the ,social ,security  
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fge7e77;,e77 is    
amended-- 7#a7 in clause 7ii71 by       
inserting 1 and any effect of a public  
health crisis shall be considered such a
 compelling reason before the semicolon2
  7#b7 by adding except that at the end 

of clause 7iii72  7#c7 by redesignating 
clauses 7i7 through 7iii7 7as amended by
 the preceding paragraphs of this       
subsection7 as subclauses 7,i7 through  
7,,iii71 respectively2  7#d7 by         
inserting 7i7 after 7,e72 and  7#e7 by  
adding after and below the end the      
following3  7ii7 in the case of a child 
who has been in foster care under the   
responsibility of the ,state for #ae of 
the most recent #bb months1 the         
requirement in clause 7i7 that the      
,state file a petition to terminate the 
parental rights of the child's parents  
7or1 if such a petition has been filed  
by another party1 seek to be joined as a
 party to the petition71 shall be       
suspended for the duration of any public
 health crisis period applicable with   
respect to the ,state2  4  7b7          
,reasonable efforts ,section            
#dga7;a77#ae7 of such ,act 7#db         
,u4,s4,c4 #fga7;a77#ae77 is amended--   
7#a7 by striking and at the end of      
subparagraph 7,e72 and  7#b7 by adding  

at the end the following3  7,g7 the     
,state agency shall ensure that-- 7i7 in
 response to a public health crisis1    
service or treatment providers develop  
and implement alternative methods of    
treatment1 visitation1 and providing    
services1 that are tailored to the      
individual needs of a child or the      
family of a child to meet the reasonable
 efforts requirements of this paragraph2
  7ii7 parents who participate in any   
such alternative methods of treatment or
 receipt of services shall qualify for  
completion of the services2 and  7iii7  
permanency plans for reunification shall
 not be delayed by service or treatment 
gaps that result from a public health   
crisis2 and  7,h7 the removal a child   
during a public health crisis meets the 
requirements of this paragraph if the   
removal is based on a judicial          
determination that removal is necessary 
to protect the child from imminent risk 
of serious harm and is not necessary due
 to any effect of a public health       

crisis2  4  7c7 ,definitions ,section   
#dge of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fge7  
is amended by adding at the end the     
following3  7#ad7 ,the term public      
health crisis period means1 with respect
 to a ,state1 a period that begins when 
a state of emergency that applies to the
 ,state is declared under a ,federal or 
,state law in response to a threat to   
public health1 and ends #a year after   
the last such state of emergency        
applicable to the ,state is terminated4 
7#ae7 ,the term effect of a public      
health crisis means consequences        
experienced by an individual due to a   
threat to public health with respect to 
which a state of emergency described in 
paragraph 7#ad7 has been declared1      
including lack of medical1 educational1 
or therapeutic services for children1   
loss of income1 loss of employment1 loss
 of contact between a parent and a child
 of the parent1 housing instability1    
loss of housing1 lack of access to child
 care1 exposure to or contracting an    

illness or infectious disease1 service  
closure1 lack of access or diminished   
access to services1 quarantine1         
shelter-in-place order1 and having to   
provide care for another individual who 
is at risk of contracting1 or has       
contracted1 an illness or infectious    
disease4  4  7d7 ,effective date  7#a7  
,in general ,the amendments made by this
 section shall take effect on the #ast  
day of the #ast fiscal year beginning on
 or after the date of the enactment of  
this ,act1 and shall apply to payments  
under part ,e of title ,,iv of the      
,social ,security ,act for calendar     
quarters beginning on or after such     
date4  7#b7 ,delay permitted if state   
legislation required ,if the ,secretary 
of ,health and ,human ,services         
determines that ,state legislation      
7other than legislation appropriating   
funds7 is required in order for a ,state
 plan developed pursuant to part ,e of  
title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act
 to meet the additional requirements    

imposed by the amendments made by this  
,act1 the plan shall not be regarded as 
failing to meet any of the additional   
requirements before the #ast day of the 
#ast calendar quarter beginning after   
the first regular session of the ,state 
legislature that begins after the date  
of the enactment of this ,act4 ,for     
purposes of the preceding sentence1 if  
the ,state has a #b-year legislative    
session1 each year of the session is    
deemed to be a separate regular session 
of the ,state legislature4