,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dgie ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #g1 #bjbb,ms4 ,stabenow 7for herself and ,mr4 ,casey7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife to authorize a program to recognize institutions of higher education that offer outstanding services and programs for foster and homeless youth1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,fostering ,postsecondary ,success for ,foster and ,homeless ,youth ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,recognition of foster care youth- and homeless youth-friendly institutions of higher education ,title ,,viii of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #aafa;a et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new part3 ,,bb ,foster care youth- and homeless youth-friendly institutions #hii4 ,recognition of foster care youth- and homeless youth-friendly institutions of higher education 7a7 ,general authority ,the ,secretary shall recognize eligible institutions that offer outstanding support services and other programs tailored to the needs of foster care youth and homeless youth4 7b7 ,designation ,an eligible institution recognized by the ,secretary under subsection 7a7 shall be designated as ,foster and ,homeless ,youth ,friendly4 7c7 ,application ,to be considered for recognition under subsection 7a71 an eligible institution shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 ,at a minimum1 each application shall include a detailed description of the programs and services available for1 and that serve1 foster care youth and homeless youth that are offered by the institution1 which may include programs and services such as-- 7#a7 mentorship programs that formally match foster care youth and homeless youth with a peer or adult mentor2 7#b7 academic support services to supplement or complement the classroom instruction provided to foster care youth and homeless youth2 7#c7 housing assistance programs under which the institution provides-- 7,a7 on-campus or off-campus housing directly to foster care youth and homeless youth2 or 7,b7 financial support to cover the housing costs of foster care youth and homeless youth2 7#d7 life and workforce skills development programs that teach or enhance the skills that foster care youth and homeless youth may require to be successful in their personal and professional lives2 7#e7 financial aid or scholarships available exclusively to foster care youth and homeless youth2 7#f7 counseling or mental health services provided by a licensed professional with expertise in serving foster care youth and homeless youth2 7#g7 case management services and efforts to facilitate participation in other ,federal assistance programs for which students may be eligible2 7#h7 an institutional point of contact for such students2 and 7#i7 such other programs and services as the ,secretary determines to be appropriate in consultation with the individuals and entities described in subsection 7e74 7d7 ,selection process 7#a7 ,general requirements 7,a7 ,annual1 merit-based selection ,on an annual basis1 the ,secretary shall select eligible institutions for recognition under subsection 7a7 from among institutions that submit applications to the ,secretary under subsection 7c74 ,the ,secretary shall select such institutions on a competitive basis1 based solely on merit4 7,b7 ,geographic diversity not required ,the ,secretary shall not consider geographic diversity among the ,states as a factor in the selection of eligible institutions for recognition under subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,criteria and procedures ,consistent with paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall issue guidelines setting forth criteria and procedures for the selection of institutions for recognition under subsection 7a74 ,the guidelines shall be developed and implemented as follows3 7,a7 ,draft guidelines ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall issue draft guidelines1 which shall be made available for public comment for a period of not less than #ij days4 7,b7 ,revised guidelines ,not later than #ij days after the end of the public comment period specified in subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall issue revised guidelines1 which shall be made available for public comment for a period of not less than #cj days4 7,c7 ,final guidelines ,not later than #cj days after the end of the public comment period specified in subparagraph 7,b71 the ,secretary shall publish and implement the final guidelines4 7e7 ,consultation ,in carrying out the program under this section1 the ,secretary shall consult with appropriate individuals and entities outside the ,department of ,education1 which may include-- 7#a7 other ,federal agencies2 7#b7 ,state agencies2 7#c7 institutions of higher education2 7#d7 nonprofit and advocacy organizations2 7#e7 current and former foster care youth2 and 7#f7 students who have experienced homelessness4 7f7 ,information sharing ,on an annual basis1 the ,secretary shall publish1 on a publicly accessible website of the ,department of ,education-- 7#a7 a profile of each institution recognized under subsection 7a7 in the most recent year2 and 7#b7 a comprehensive list of all institutions previously recognized under subsection 7a74 7g7 ,ensuring continuity of quality programs and services for foster and homeless youth 7#a7 ,institutional review 7,a7 ,in general ,not less frequently than once every #e years1 the ,secretary shall review each institution recognized under subsection 7a7 to determine whether the programs and services provided by the institution continue to meet the criteria required for such recognition4 7,b7 ,notice ,if the ,secretary determines under subparagraph 7,a7 that an institution no longer meets the criteria for recognition under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall transmit written notice of such determination to the institution4 7,c7 ,revocation ,after transmitting the notice required under subparagraph 7,b71 the ,secretary shall-- 7i7 revoke the institution's recognition under subsection 7a72 and 7ii7 remove the profile established for the institution under subsection 7f77#a7 from the website of the ,department of ,education4 7,d7 ,reapplication ,an institution that loses recognition under subsection 7a7 may reapply for such recognition in a subsequent application year4 7#b7 ,briefing ,not later than #c years after the date of enactment of this section1 and not less frequently than once every #b years thereafter1 the ,secretary shall provide to ,congress a briefing that identifies-- 7,a7 strategies used by institutions that proved effective in meeting the needs of foster care youth and homeless youth2 and 7,b7 recommendations on how to improve programs and services for foster care youth and homeless youth4 #hii;,a4 ,training1 evaluation1 and information center 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall establish a ,center for ,fostering ,postsecondary ,success for ,foster and ,homeless ,youth 7referred to in this section as the ,center74 7b7 ,duties ,the duties of the ,center shall be to assist institutions of higher education in establishing and maintaining programs for foster care youth and homeless youth1 including by-- 7#a7 providing technical assistance2 7#b7 collecting1 evaluating1 and delivering information on best practices for such programs2 and 7#c7 maintaining resources to help foster care youth and homeless youth navigate postsecondary education4 7c7 ,cooperative agreement ,for the purpose of carrying out this section1 the ,secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with one or more organizations with expertise in support services and other programs tailored to the needs of foster care youth and homeless youth1 including-- 7#a7 nonprofit nongovernmental organizations2 7#b7 ,federal and ,state government agencies2 7#c7 institutions of higher education1 including public1 private1 and land-grant colleges and universities1 and minority-serving institutions2 and 7#d7 such other organizations as the ,secretary determines to be appropriate4 7d7 ,priority ,in entering into agreements with organizations under subsection 7c71 ,secretary shall give priority to organizations that-- 7#a7 are capable of engaging with foster care youth and homeless youth and programs that serve such youth and demonstrate expertise in understanding the unique needs of such youth2 7#b7 demonstrate the capacity to effectively implement outreach1 training1 and coordination functions2 7#c7 are capable of producing resources and materials that can easily be replicated and distributed to institutions of higher education in multiple formats2 7#d7 have working partnerships with-- 7,a7 nonprofit and private sector organizations2 and 7,b7 local1 ,state1 and ,tribal governments2 7#e7 have the ability to work in underserved communities2 and 7#f7 have an organizational mission aligned with goals of the program under this part4 7e7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section shall be construed to provide the ,center with the authority to issue mandates to1 or impose requirements on1 any institution of higher education4 7f7 ,limitation on use of funds 7#a7 ,limitation on use of funds for establishment ,of the funds made available to carry out this part for each of fiscal years #bjbb and #bjbc1 the ,secretary may use not more than #b1jjj1jjj in each fiscal year to establish the ,center4 7#b7 ,limitation on use of funds for operation ,of the funds made available to carry out this part for each fiscal year beginning after fiscal year #bjbc1 the ,secretary may use not more than #a1jjj1jjj in each fiscal year to support the operations of the ,center4 #hii;,b4 ,definitions ,in this part3 7#a7 ,eligible institution ,the term eligible institution means-- 7,a7 an institution of higher education 7as defined in section #aja72 or 7,b7 a postsecondary educational institution operated or controlled by the ,bureau of ,indian ,education4 7#b7 ,foster care youth ,the term foster care youth means an individual whose care and placement is the responsibility of the ,state or ,tribal agency that administers a ,state or ,tribal plan under part ,b or ,e of title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fba et seq42 #fgj et seq471 without regard to whether foster care maintenance payments are made under section #dgb of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fgb7 on behalf of the individual1 including any such individual who was in such care on or after attaining #ac years of age and without regard to the reason the individual left such care4 7#c7 ,homeless youth ,the term homeless youth has the meaning given the term homeless children and youths in section #gbe of the ,mc,kinney-,vento ,homeless ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aadcd;a74 7#d7 ,minority-serving institution ,the term minority-serving institution means an eligible institution described in section #cga7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajfgq7a774 4