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119-hr-579119th CongressWALLET

Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4]

Passed House

Summary

Boost recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive families by requiring States to build a yearly Family Partnership Plan centered on families and youth and by expanding federal reporting to show who is available and who is unused.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

More foster family data in federal reports

Starting with the fiscal year 2025 report, HHS would publish more state-by-state data on foster and adoptive families. States would report counts, demographics, and traits of licensed foster and prospective adoptive families. States would report how many potential families are not used and the reasons. States would survey foster and adoptive parents and report barriers to recruiting, licensing, engaging, and keeping families. The report would include reasons parents stop fostering, why adoptions disrupt or dissolve, and why families struggle. It would also summarize barriers and State efforts to recruit families that reflect children’s race and ethnicity.

States would create family partnership plans

If enacted, States would need a Family Partnership Plan to recruit and keep foster and adoptive families. States would build the plan with birth, kin, foster and adoptive families, service providers, technical assistance providers, and youth with lived experience. The plan would explain how the State would find and support relatives and other connections for each child. It would require child-specific recruitment for every child who needs a family and engage youth in efforts on their behalf. It would set data-based goals to reduce unnecessary congregate care, raise permanency, and improve placement stability. It would aim to increase kin placements and recruit and keep families for teens, sibling groups, and other special groups. The State would start or support foster family advisory boards. Each year, States would report foster family capacity and use of congregate care, with demographics and reasons for underuse. Each year, States would summarize feedback from parents and youth about licensing, training, support, and why placements fail or families struggle. Each year, States would analyze barriers to recruiting families who reflect children’s race and ethnicity and efforts to fix them. These requirements would start October 1, 2026. If HHS finds a State needs new State laws (not funding), compliance would be delayed until after the next regular session. In two-year sessions, each year would count as a separate regular session.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4]

IA • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 1/21/2025

  • Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3]

    IA • R

    Sponsored 3/3/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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