[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2012 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2012
To reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 10, 2025
Ms. Collins (for herself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Warnock, Mr.
Sullivan, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Runaway and Homeless Youth and
Trafficking Prevention Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Section 302 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 U.S.C. 11201)
is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 302. FINDINGS.
``Congress finds that--
``(1) youth who have become homeless or who leave and
remain away from home without parental permission are at risk
of developing, and have a disproportionate share of, trauma,
substance use disorders, and serious health, behavioral,
social, and emotional challenges because they lack sufficient
resources to obtain care and may live on the street for
extended periods of time, thereby endangering themselves;
``(2) many such young people, because of their age and
situation, are urgently in need of temporary shelter and
services, including services that consider their age, gender,
and social and developmental needs, are culturally and
linguistically appropriate, and acknowledge the environment of
youth seeking these services;
``(3) research has documented the fluid experiences of
homelessness of youth, where many youth experience 2 or more
different types of homelessness, including couch surfing,
living in motels, and staying on the streets;
``(4) research has documented that persons who are members
of historically marginalized and underserved communities of
color, LGBTQ youth, youth who do not complete high school or
achieve a high school equivalency, youth involved in the child
welfare system, youth who have been involved with the criminal
justice system, and pregnant and parenting youth are most
likely to experience homelessness in the United States while
unaccompanied by a parent or adult;
``(5) services to such young people should be developed and
provided using a positive youth development approach that
ensures a young person a sense of--
``(A) safety and structure;
``(B) belonging and membership;
``(C) self-worth, empowerment, voice, and choice;
``(D) independence and control over one's life; and
``(E) closeness in interpersonal relationships;
``(6) in view of the interstate nature of the problem, it
is the responsibility of the Federal Government to develop an
accurate national reporting system to report the prevalence of
youth homelessness, and to assist in the development of an
effective system of care (including prevention services and
aftercare services, short-term housing with services, extended
housing with supportive services, and street outreach services)
outside the welfare system and the law enforcement system, in
collaboration with public assistance systems, the education
system, and the child welfare system;
``(7) to make a successful transition to adulthood, youth
who run away, youth experiencing homelessness, and youth living
in the street need a safe and stable place to live, connections
to caring adults, and opportunities to complete high school or
earn a general equivalency degree, learn job skills, and obtain
employment;
``(8) improved coordination and collaboration at the
Federal level between programs that serve runaway and homeless
youth are necessary for the development of a long-term strategy
for responding to the needs of this population;
``(9) runaway and homeless youth are at a high risk of
substance use disorders and becoming victims of sexual
exploitation and trafficking;
``(10) since research has shown that the prevalence of
homelessness among youth is similar in rural and urban
communities, runaway and homeless youth programs, such as those
funded under this title, are integral services that every
community should provide, regardless of the size of the
community; and
``(11) runaway and homeless youth programs, such as those
funded under this title--
``(A) are expert adolescent service providers and
integral community partners for the child welfare and
juvenile justice systems as many youth exit these
systems to homelessness; and
``(B) work to reunify youth with their family when
safe and appropriate.''.
SEC. 3. BASIC CENTER GRANT PROGRAM.
Part A of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 U.S.C. 11211 et
seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 311, by striking subsection (a) and
inserting the following:
``(a) Grants for Centers and Services.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) not later than 90 days before the start date
of the grant, award 5-year grants to public and
nonprofit private entities, and combinations of such
entities, to establish, operate, and maintain
(including renovate) local centers to provide--
``(i) safe shelter and services for runaway
and homeless youth, including trauma-informed
services; and
``(ii) if appropriate, services for the
families of such youth, including individuals
identified by such youth as family; and
``(B) establish an appeal process for grantees.
``(2) Services provided.--Services provided under paragraph
(1)--
``(A) shall be provided to runaway youth, street
youth, homeless youth, or youth at risk of separation
from the family;
``(B) shall include--
``(i) safe and appropriate shelter for not
more than 30 days or the maximum allowed by the
State, whichever is greater;
``(ii) individual, family, or group
counseling, as appropriate, including
counseling for individuals identified by such
youth as family, that considers the age,
gender, and social and developmental needs of
such youth, and is culturally and
linguistically appropriate; and
``(iii) suicide prevention services; and
``(C) may include--
``(i) street-based services;
``(ii) home-based services for families
with youth at risk of separation from the
family, to the extent practicable, that
consider the ages, genders, and social and
developmental needs of the family, and are
culturally and linguistically appropriate;
``(iii) prevention services;
``(iv) substance use disorder education and
prevention services;
``(v) at the request of runaway youth or
homeless youth, testing for sexually
transmitted infections;
``(vi) trauma-informed services, including
for such youth who are victims of trafficking;
and
``(vii) an assessment of--
``(I) family engagement in support
and reunification, if reunification is
appropriate;
``(II) interventions; and
``(III) services for parents or
legal guardians of such youth or, if
appropriate, individuals identified by
such youth as family.'';
(2) in section 312--
(A) in subsection (b)--
(i) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting
the following:
``(2) shall use such assistance to establish, strengthen,
or fund a runaway and homeless youth center that provides
temporary shelter or a locally controlled project, including a
host family home, that has--
``(A) a minimum capacity of not less than 4 youth,
except if there is an established minimum number of
beds per youth shelter or project location;
``(B) a maximum capacity of not more than 20 youth,
except where the applicant demonstrates that the State
where the center or locally controlled project is
located has a State or local law or regulation that
allows a higher maximum to comply with licensure
requirements for child and youth serving centers or
projects;
``(C) a ratio of staff to youth that is sufficient
to ensure adequate supervision and treatment; and
``(D) if it is a mixed project, not more than 20
youth per project, except where the applicant
demonstrates that the project has a State or local law
or regulation that allows a higher maximum to comply
with licensure requirements for child and youth serving
projects;'';
(ii) in paragraph (5), by striking ``or
legal guardians'' and inserting ``, legal
guardians, or individuals identified by such
youth as family, if appropriate,'';
(iii) by striking paragraphs (6), (7), and
(8), and inserting the following:
``(6) shall develop an adequate plan, which may include the
use of online resources to reach and engage youth, for
establishing or coordinating with outreach programs designed to
attract persons, including persons who are members of
underserved populations, who are eligible to receive services
for which a grant under section 311(a) may be expended;
``(7) shall keep adequate statistical records profiling the
runaway youth or homeless youth and family members of such
youth whom the applicant serves, including demographic
information and the number of such youth who--
``(A) are not referred to out-of-home shelter
services;
``(B) are members of vulnerable or underserved
populations;
``(C) are victims of trafficking;
``(D) are pregnant or parenting;
``(E) have been involved in the child welfare
system; and
``(F) have been involved in the juvenile justice
system;
``(8) shall ensure that--
``(A) the information maintained on individual
runaway youth or homeless youth contained in the
records described in paragraph (7) shall not be
disclosed without the consent of the individual youth
and the parent of the youth, the legal guardian of the
youth, or an individual identified by such youth as
family, to anyone other than an agency compiling
statistical records or a government agency involved in
the disposition of criminal charges against such youth;
and
``(B) reports or other documents based on the
statistics described in paragraph (7) shall not
disclose the identity of any individual runaway youth
or homeless youth;'';
(iv) in paragraph (12), by striking
subparagraphs (B) and (C) and inserting the
following:
``(B) detailed information on how the applicant has
been able to meet the goals of the plan of the
applicant; and
``(C) statistical summaries describing--
``(i) the data the Secretary requires to be
collected;
``(ii) the number and characteristics of
runaway youth, homeless youth, street youth,
and youth at risk of separation from the
family, who participate in the project,
including information on such youth who--
``(I) are victims of trafficking;
``(II) are pregnant or parenting;
``(III) have been involved in the
child welfare system; or
``(IV) have been involved with the
criminal justice system; and
``(iii) the services provided to such youth
by the project;'';
(v) in paragraph (13), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``for natural
disasters, inclement weather, and public health
emergencies;''; and
(vi) by adding at the end the following:
``(14) shall provide services to runaway youth and homeless
youth that consider the age, gender, and social and
developmental needs of such youth, and are culturally and
linguistically appropriate, to the extent practicable; and
``(15) shall inform youth of their status as independent
students under section 480 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1087vv), provide verification of such status for the
purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
described in section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1090), and assist youth in completing this
application at the request of the youth.'';
(B) in subsection (c)--
(i) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and''
after the semicolon;
(ii) in paragraph (4), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at end the following:
``(5) develop a plan, consistent with local needs, for the
use of online resources, if appropriate, to reach and engage
youth.'';
(C) in subsection (d)--
(i) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting
the following:
``(1) provide counseling and information that consider the
age, gender, and social and developmental needs of such youth,
and are culturally and linguistically appropriate, to the
extent practicable, to youth and the families of such youth
(including unrelated individuals in the family households of
such youth and individuals identified by such youth as family),
including services relating to basic life skills, interpersonal
skill building, educational advancement, job attainment skills,
mental and physical health care, suicide prevention, parenting
skills, financial planning, and referral to sources of other
needed services;'';
(ii) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``,
including training on trauma-informed care''
before the semicolon at the end; and
(iii) in paragraph (5)--
(I) in subparagraph (A), by
striking ``and'' after the semicolon;
(II) in subparagraph (B), by
striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(III) by adding at the end the
following:
``(C) youth are eligible for home-based services
when determined by the applicant to be at risk of
separation from family.'';
(D) in subsection (e), by striking the subsection
enumerator and all that follows through ``(b)--'' and
inserting the following:
``(e) Applicants Providing Substance Use Disorder Education and
Prevention Services.--To be eligible to use assistance under section
311(a) to provide substance use disorder education and prevention
services, an applicant shall include in the plan required by subsection
(b)--''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(f) Online Resources for Outreach.--An applicant may develop a
plan, consistent with local needs, for the use of online resources to
reach and engage youth.
``(g) Definition of Underserved Populations.--In this section, the
term `underserved populations' means victims of homelessness or
trafficking or runaway youth, who disproportionately face barriers in
accessing and using victim services, including populations who are
underserved due to limited English proficiency or are historically
marginalized and underserved communities of color, and any other
population determined to be underserved by the Secretary of Health and
Human Services.''; and
(3) in section 313, by striking subsection (b) and
inserting the following:
``(b) Priority.--In selecting applications for grants under section
311(a), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible applicants who
have demonstrated experience in providing services to runaway youth and
homeless youth.''.
SEC. 4. TRANSITIONAL LIVING GRANT PROGRAM.
Part B of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 U.S.C. 11