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HR3852FEDERALFederal Billfiled

Proposed Changes to Foster Care Housing and Funding

Original title: Create Accountable Respectful Environments (CARE) for Children Act

Record date · December 17, 2024

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

This bill would allow foster children to be placed in 'cottage family homes' and make these homes eligible for federal . It establishes specific safety, quality, and living standards for these homes to ensure they support sibling groups and provide trauma-informed care.

Why it matters

If passed, this bill would expand the types of housing eligible for federal foster care funding, potentially increasing the availability of placements that keep sibling groups together and providing new oversight standards for those facilities.

Background
  • The Social Security Act is the primary federal law governing social welfare programs, including foster care and adoption assistance. context

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Foster children

Children in the foster system may be placed in cottage family homes and gain access to new safety and quality standards.

Directly affected

State child welfare agencies

Agencies must ensure their licensing standards align with the new federal definition of cottage family homes to receive maintenance payments.

Directly affected

Foster care providers

Providers operating cottage-style homes may become eligible for federal maintenance payments if they meet the new statutory requirements.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 'cottage family home' under this bill?
It is a licensed, single-family style residence with live-in parents that provides 24-hour care, uses trauma-informed practices, and meets specific safety and quality standards.
Does this bill change federal funding for foster care?
Yes, it makes cottage family homes eligible for federal , which are currently restricted to other types of placements.
How does this affect sibling groups?
The bill requires cottage family homes to serve as a resource to facilitate keeping sibling groups together.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Expansion of Foster Housing Definitions

The bill represents a shift toward formalizing 'cottage family homes' as a distinct, federally-funded category of foster care, moving away from traditional foster family home definitions.

Social Security Act

Connected Entities

W. Steube, 42 U.S.C. 672(a)(2)(C), Bilirakis and 14 more
PersonW. Steube“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
bill number42 U.S.C. 672(a)(2)(C)“Specific section of the Social Security Act being amended.”Map →
PersonBilirakis“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
PersonBean of Florida“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
PersonWaltz“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
PersonMoskowitz“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
PersonRutherford“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
PersonSoto“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
bill number42 U.S.C. 671(a)(37)“Specific section of the Social Security Act being amended.”Map →
PersonMs. Wasserman Schultz“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
PersonCammack“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
otherCottage Family Home“A defined type of foster care placement.”Map →
bill number42 U.S.C. 672(c)“Specific section of the Social Security Act being amended.”Map →
PersonDunn of Florida“Lead sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
PersonCherfilus-McCormick“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →
bill numberSocial Security Act“The primary law being amended.”Map →
PersonScott Franklin of Florida“Co-sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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