Davis Opening Statement at Markup of H.R. 7529, the “Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act”
(As prepared for delivery)
Mr. Chairman, I am proud of the sincere, collaborative process in which Chair LaHood and I have engaged that yielded these six pieces of legislation that signify real consensus. These bills reflect first steps that represent real progress, and I believe that we can accomplish far more, especially with the First Lady’s support.
Foster youth face numerous challenges as they transition to adulthood. Foster youth can experience legal needs that often are acute and time-sensitive, threatening a young person’s housing, educational goals, income, and family stability at a time when they have the least support.
Since launching its Virtual Support Services program for foster youth in 2021, Think of Us reports that 18 percent of all requests from transition-age youth are for help with legal services. A few of the issues include: housing stability and eviction defense; guardianship and custody, especially for youth informally caring for relatives; needs of expectant and parenting youth; reentry into extended care; legal issues; and education and disability advocacy. I want to thank Nikolas Hughey, a former Foster Youth Intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, for raising the issue of urgent legal issues.
Chair LaHood and I lead the Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act, which would help foster youth transition to adulthood by providing better access to resources to legal issues affecting housing, education, employment, and family conditions. Specifically, the bill would amend the Chafee Program to require States to consider legal issues affecting youth as part of case planning and to provide States with the option to use funds to support access to legal representation and counseling. I am grateful that this bill is supported by over 140 foster youth, legal, and child and family advocates.
I am proud of this bill and the other five we are considering today, and I hope that they are just the first of many bipartisan accomplishments. Notably, there is a critical need for more investment. Aside from the pandemic, Congress has only increased Chafee funding by $3 million since its creation in 1999, excluding the funds we later added for education and training vouchers (which also have not been adjusted for inflation). Right now, we spend about $143 million a year on Chafee. If the 1999 funding had been adjusted for inflation, Chafee would receive $270 million each year. The amount of investment needed today is tiny compared to the fiscal impact of a routine tax markup in our Committee or a day at the Defense Department; yet, such funding could be life-changing for foster youth.
Further, there are other important policy improvements we could make. For years, foster youth have championed my bill to help them obtain driving-related assistance. Transportation presents one of the biggest barriers for foster youth to access education and employment opportunities, especially in rural areas. The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative found that foster youth with driver’s licenses were 1.6 times as likely as their peers to attend school and almost twice as likely to work. And Jocelyn, one of the foster youth who attended the Roundtable with the First Lady, spoke to me at length about how a peer mentoring program in Illinois was critical in her success. We could also help youth build assets or connect youth to their kin, whether or not those family members are able to be foster care placements.
In closing, I am so grateful for the opportunity to do so much bipartisan work on child welfare during my 30 years in Congress. These bills today are important initial improvements to Chafee, and I look forward to working together to do even more to improve Chafee before I retire.
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