Sponsors (4)
The bill expands information, tailored supports, and state flexibility to help foster youth (especially expectant/parenting youth), while creating new state administrative requirements and risks that funding, benefits, or improvements may be delayed, unequally applied, or diverted away from targeted services.
Foster youth (including expectant or parenting youth) and their families will gain better access to information, evidence-based home visiting, tailored case management, and resource coordination to support parenting, health, and child development.
State agencies will have clearer certification requirements and more flexible use of Chafee funds, which can improve program design, coordination across agencies, and the ability to tailor services to help youth transition from foster care.
The bill protects existing approved plans from retroactive payment rule changes by limiting payment rule changes to newly approved plans, reducing immediate financial disruption for states with existing approvals.
States could divert Chafee funds to broader or less-targeted activities under a permissive "reasonably calculated" standard, reducing dollars available for existing targeted services for foster youth.
Because implementation relies on state action, many foster youth (including expectant or parenting youth) may still lack tailored services in some states, producing uneven supports and geographic disparities.
Delaying payment rule changes for a year and excluding pre-existing approved plans from the new rules means states expecting higher payments or beneficiaries expecting program improvements may face postponed funding, benefits, or savings and unequal treatment across plans.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Adds Chafee program links to evidence‑based home visiting and allows Chafee funds for tailored case management for expectant/parenting foster youth.
Introduced February 24, 2026 by Rudy Yakym · Last progress February 24, 2026
Adds new supports for expectant and parenting foster youth by expanding the Chafee program’s purposes and allowing Chafee dollars to fund tailored case management and coordination for those youth. States applying for Chafee funds must attest they have processes to provide information about evidence‑based home visiting and support services; the changes take effect one year after enactment and apply to plans approved after that date.