Darin LaHood U.S. Rep. Illinois | Official U.S. House Headshot
Darin LaHood U.S. Rep. Illinois | Official U.S. House Headshot
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Congressman Darin LaHood's (R-IL-16) H.R. 9076, the Supporting America's Children and Families Act, with a vote of 405-10. This bipartisan legislation represents a significant reauthorization and reform of child welfare programs under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act. Introduced in July 2024 by LaHood and Subcommittee Ranking Member Danny Davis (D-IL-07), the bill aims to address issues within the foster care system.
With approximately 369,000 children currently in foster care nationwide, the legislation seeks to strengthen family units and support the well-being of children in foster care. The act integrates policies from 16 different pieces of legislation from both Republican and Democrat members of the Ways and Means Committee, following an extensive year-long review.
The bill has garnered support from 228 child welfare organizations and 26 governors. Rep. LaHood stated, "For the past year, the Ways and Means Committee has undertaken a review of the Title IV-B child welfare program, listening to stakeholders, state administrators, and those with lived experience on the most pressing challenges." He added that the act reauthorizes Title IV-B for five years while implementing reforms to modernize it.
Key policies in the act include reducing paperwork for state agencies by at least 15 percent, strengthening support systems for grandparents providing kinship care, improving access for Indian tribes by streamlining funding, addressing caseworker crises with better technology and training, improving outcomes for youth transitioning from foster care up to age 26, supporting evidence-based services to prevent child abuse and neglect due to poverty-related issues, and evaluating adoption services.
The Committee has held four hearings on child welfare during this Congress:
1. Six Key Moments from Work & Welfare Subcommittee Hearing on Child Welfare
2. Three Key Moments from Hearing on Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
3. In Arizona, Tribal Leaders Share Difficult Challenges Facing Their Communities
4. Six Key Moments: Hearing on Strengthening Child Welfare and Protecting Children
Rep. LaHood emphasized his pride in passing this "commonsense bill" through the House and urged swift action from the Senate.
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