President Trump today signed into law the Family First Transition Act, legislation that provides additional funding to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act. The legislation was included in a larger spending bill (HR 1865) that Congress passed earlier this week.
The new law will:
- Provide $500 million in funding to states to help implement the Family First Prevention Services Act;
- Provide payments to states to offset most of the financial cost associated with the loss of Title IV-E waiver authority. It would offset 90 percent of state financial losses in FY 2020 and 75 percent in FY 2021;
- Adjust the Family First evidence standards, which currently require 50 percent of evidence-based prevention services funded by the law to be “well-supported” by evidence. Under the new law, this standard will be delayed. By FY 2022, half of such funds must be spent on supported or well-supported programs. The original 50 percent requirement that programs be well supported by evidence becomes effective in FY 2024.
The full text of the Family First Transition Act can be found here.
In other news, the overall bill does not include the Increasing Opportunity for Former Foster Youth Act, legislation that was introduced earlier this month by Sens. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Related
- Chronicle of Social Change, Year-End Spending Bill Includes Hundreds of Millions for Family First Act (December 17, 2019)
- ACYF guidance on new law (January 20, 2020)