Chu Opening Statement at Markup of H.R. 7463, the “Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act”

(As prepared for delivery) 

Thank you. I am so proud that today this Committee is marking up my bill, H.R. 7463, the Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act. 

Foster youth face so many barriers in so many areas of their lives, including attaining a college education. That is why, in 2001, Congress created Education & Training Vouchers, or ETVs, under the Chafee program, which provide foster youth a voucher of up to $5000 per year to attend college. However, during a subcommittee hearing last year, a former foster youth witness described the unique challenges he faced while navigating college and shared that he wasn’t even aware of resources he was eligible for, including ETV, until it was too late. The data backs this up: currently only about one-third of eligible youth who attend college even receive an ETV. Another witness at the hearing shared that the maximum value of the ETV, $5,000 per year, is far too low to truly help cover the cost of higher education. In fact, that amount hasn’t been updated since the program was created 25 years ago. 

That is exactly why I introduced H.R. 7463. My bill would raise the maximum value of the ETV from $5,000 to $12,000 to make higher education more affordable for foster youth. It would also address many of the barriers we know youth face in accessing ETV. First, it would improve state outreach to ensure more youth are made aware of ETV. It would also make it easier for youth to apply for ETV by requiring a simplified application that is user-tested, easy-to-understand, and available electronically. And finally, the bill would help more foster youth maintain their voucher for the full duration of their education. Currently, foster youth lose access to ETV if they fall short in meeting their state’s satisfactory academic progress requirements. This can happen for many reasons, as we know foster youth face disproportionate challenges that may hinder their studies. My bill would allow for a grace period for youth who are temporarily struggling so they can get back on track academically without losing their voucher. This bill will make important progress toward ensuring more foster youth can earn a degree, and I want to thank Congressmember Nathaniel Moran for partnering with me on this legislation.

But if we want to truly ensure that all foster youth can pursue higher education and follow their dreams, this legislation must also be paired with a corresponding increase in overall funding for Chafee ETV. Without an increase, many states will be forced to choose between either raising ETV award amounts, or serving fewer young people. In my home state of California for example, the maximum award has already been reduced to $4,500 per year so the state can serve more youth, yet there are still over 600 young people on a waiting list to receive ETV. Only additional funding can address these shortfalls and ensure all youth receive full support. ETV’s funding authorization of $60 million hasn’t been updated since the program was first created in 2001. If this were adjusted for inflation alone, it would probably be at over $100 million now. We must also increase funding for the entire Chafee program, which has only been increased by a measly $3 million since Congress created the program in 1999. If we are serious about wanting to improve outcomes, our investment must reflect the real needs of the young people we are trying to serve. 

So, while my bill and the other bills being marked up here today would make meaningful progress towards ensuring the Chafee program works better for foster youth, we must not stop here. After today’s markup, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to increase funding for Chafee and ETV to truly meet the needs of our youth. And I look forward to strengthening other programs that help support older foster youth, such as extended foster care, which is why just earlier this week I reintroduced my bipartisan bill, the Increasing Access to Foster Care Through Age 21 Act. With today’s markup and going forward, we will continue working until all foster youth have the resources and support to reach their full potential. 

Thank you.

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