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Bill > S1829


US S1829

Strong Families Act of 2017


summary

Introduced
09/19/2017
In Committee
09/19/2017
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
12/31/2018

Introduced Session

115th Congress

Bill Summary

Strong Families Act of 2017 This bill amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to reauthorize through FY2022, and otherwise revise, the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Under current law, grantees were required, after three years of program implementation, to demonstrate improvement in specified benchmark areas. The bill requires grantees to continue to track and demonstrate, on a triennial basis, improvement in applicable benchmark areas. A grantee that fails to do so must develop and implement a corrective action plan, subject to approval by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS shall terminate a program grant made to a grantee that implements such a plan but continues to fail to demonstrate improvement. As a condition for receiving grant funds under the program, a state must review and update its statewide needs assessment by October 1, 2020. A grantee may use a portion of program grant funds to support a "pay-for-outcomes initiative" (a performance-based grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, awarded by a public entity, in which a commitment is made to pay for improved outcomes that result in social benefit and public-sector cost savings). HHS must designate data-exchange standards applicable to the program.

AI Summary

This bill amends the Social Security Act to reauthorize and revise the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program through fiscal year 2022. The key provisions include: 1. Requiring grantees to continue demonstrating improvement in applicable benchmark areas on a triennial basis, and allowing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to terminate grants if grantees fail to show improvement. 2. Requiring states to review and update their statewide needs assessments by October 1, 2020 as a condition of receiving grant funds. 3. Allowing grantees to use a portion of program funds to support "pay-for-outcomes initiatives" - performance-based agreements that pay for improved outcomes resulting in social benefits and public-sector cost savings. 4. Directing HHS to designate data-exchange standards to improve interoperability and reporting requirements for the program.

Committee Categories

Budget and Finance

Sponsors (29)

Last Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (on 09/19/2017)

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