42 U.S.C. § 629e — Evaluations; research; technical assist-

Page 2242 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 629e Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2025 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 118–258 effective Oct. 1, 2025, and applicable to payments under this part for calendar quarters beginning on or after such date, with delay permitted if either State legislation or tribal action is required to meet additional requirements, see section 117 of Pub. L. 118–258, set out as a note under section 622 of this title. EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2006 AMENDMENT Pub. L. 109–288, § 3(f)(2), Sept. 28, 2006, 120 Stat. 1236, provided that: ‘‘The amendments made by paragraph (1) [amending this section] shall apply to expenditures made on or after October 1, 2007.’’ Amendment by Pub. L. 109–288 effective Oct. 1, 2006, except as otherwise provided, and applicable to pay- ments under this part and part E of this subchapter for calendar quarters beginning on or after such date, without regard to whether implementing regulations have been promulgated, and with delay permitted if State legislation is required to meet additional require- ments, see section 12(a), (b) of Pub. L. 109–288, set out as a note under section 621 of this title. EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2002 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 107–133 effective Jan. 17, 2002, with delay permitted if State legislation is required, see section 301 of Pub. L. 107–133, set out as a note under section 629 of this title. EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR THE MARYLEE ALLEN PROMOTING SAFE AND STABLE FAMILIES PROGRAM Pub. L. 116–260, div. X, § 6, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2413, provided that: ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated $85,000,000 to carry out section 436(a) of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 629f(a)] for fiscal year 2021, in addition to any amounts otherwise made available for such purpose. For purposes of section 436(b) of such Act, the amount made available by the preceding sentence shall be considered part of the amount specified in such section 436(a). ‘‘(b) INAPPLICABILITY OF STATE MATCHING REQUIRE- MENT TO ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—In making payments under section 434(a) of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 629d(a)] from the additional funds made avail- able as a result of subsection (a) of this section, the percentage specified in section 434(a)(1) of such Act is deemed to be 100 percent.’’ § 629e. Evaluations; research; technical assist- ance (a) Evaluations (1) In general The Secretary shall evaluate and report to the Congress biennially on the effectiveness of the programs carried out pursuant to this sub- part in accomplishing the purposes of this sub- part, and may evaluate any other Federal, State, or local program, regardless of whether federally assisted, that is designed to achieve the same purposes as the program under this subpart, in accordance with criteria estab- lished in accordance with paragraph (2). (2) Criteria to be used In developing the criteria to be used in eval- uations under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with appropriate parties, such as— (A) State agencies administering programs under this part and part E; (B) persons administering child and family services programs (including family preser- vation and family support programs) for pri- vate, nonprofit organizations with an inter- est in child welfare; and (C) other persons with recognized expertise in the evaluation of child and family serv- ices programs (including family preservation and family support programs) or other re- lated programs. (3) Timing of report Beginning in 2003, the Secretary shall sub- mit the biennial report required by this sub- section not later than April 1 of every other year, and shall include in each such report the funding level, the status of ongoing evalua- tions, findings to date, and the nature of any technical assistance provided to States under subsection (d). (b) Coordination of evaluations The Secretary shall develop procedures to co- ordinate evaluations under this section, to the extent feasible, with evaluations by the States of the effectiveness of programs under this sub- part. (c) Evaluation, research, and technical assist- ance with respect to targeted program re- sources Of the amount reserved under section 629f(b)(1) of this title for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not less than— (1) $1,000,000 for evaluations, research, and providing technical assistance with respect to supporting monthly caseworker visits with children who are in foster care under the re- sponsibility of the State, in accordance with section 629f(b)(4)(B)(i) of this title; and (2) $1,000,000 for evaluations, research, and providing technical assistance with respect to grants under section 629g(f) of this title. (d) Technical assistance To the extent funds are available therefor, the Secretary shall provide technical assistance that helps States and Indian tribes or tribal con- sortia to— (1) develop research-based protocols for iden- tifying families at risk of abuse and neglect of use in the field; (2) develop treatment models that address the needs of families at risk, particularly fam- ilies with substance abuse issues; (3) implement programs with well-articu- lated theories of how the intervention will re- sult in desired changes among families at risk; (4) establish mechanisms to ensure that service provision matches the treatment model; and (5) establish mechanisms to ensure that postadoption services meet the needs of the in- dividual families and develop models to reduce the disruption rates of adoption. (e) Family recovery and reunification program replication project (1) Purpose The purpose of this subsection is to provide resources to the Secretary to support the con- duct and evaluation of a family recovery and Page 2243 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 629e reunification program replication project (re- ferred to in this subsection as the ‘‘project’’) and to determine the extent to which such programs may be appropriate for use at dif- ferent intervention points (such as when a child is at risk of entering foster care or when a child is living with a guardian while a parent is in treatment). The family recovery and re- unification program conducted under the project shall use a recovery coach model that is designed to help reunify families and pro- tect children by working with parents or guardians with a substance use disorder who have temporarily lost custody of their chil- dren. (2) Program components The family recovery and reunification pro- gram conducted under the project shall adhere closely to the elements and protocol deter- mined to be most effective in other recovery coaching programs that have been rigorously evaluated and shown to increase family reuni- fication and protect children and, consistent with such elements and protocol, shall provide such items and services as— (A) assessments to evaluate the needs of the parent or guardian; (B) assistance in receiving the appropriate benefits to aid the parent or guardian in re- covery; (C) services to assist the parent or guard- ian in prioritizing issues identified in assess- ments, establishing goals for resolving such issues that are consistent with the goals of the treatment provider, child welfare agen- cy, courts, and other agencies involved with the parent or guardian or their children, and making a coordinated plan for achieving such goals; (D) home visiting services coordinated with the child welfare agency and treatment provider involved with the parent or guard- ian or their children; (E) case management services to remove barriers for the parent or guardian to par- ticipate and continue in treatment, as well as to re-engage a parent or guardian who is not participating or progressing in treat- ment; (F) access to services needed to monitor the parent’s or guardian’s compliance with program requirements; (G) frequent reporting between the treat- ment provider, child welfare agency, courts, and other agencies involved with the parent or guardian or their children to ensure ap- propriate information on the parent’s or guardian’s status is available to inform deci- sion-making; and (H) assessments and recommendations pro- vided by a recovery coach to the child wel- fare caseworker responsible for documenting the parent’s or guardian’s progress in treat- ment and recovery as well as the status of other areas identified in the treatment plan for the parent or guardian, including a rec- ommendation regarding the expected safety of the child if the child is returned to the custody of the parent or guardian that can be used by the caseworker and a court to make permanency decisions regarding the child. (3) Responsibilities of the Secretary (A) In general The Secretary shall, through a grant or contract with 1 or more entities, conduct and evaluate the family recovery and reuni- fication program under the project. (B) Requirements In identifying 1 or more entities to con- duct the evaluation of the family recovery and reunification program, the Secretary shall— (i) determine that the area or areas in which the program will be conducted have sufficient substance use disorder treat- ment providers and other resources (other than those provided with funds made available to carry out the project) to suc- cessfully conduct the program; (ii) determine that the area or areas in which the program will be conducted have enough potential program participants, and will serve a sufficient number of par- ents or guardians and their children, so as to allow for the formation of a control group, evaluation results to be adequately powered, and preliminary results of the evaluation to be available within 4 years of the program’s implementation; (iii) provide the entity or entities with technical assistance for the program de- sign, including by working with 1 or more entities that are or have been involved in recovery coaching programs that have been rigorously evaluated and shown to in- crease family reunification and protect children so as to make sure the program conducted under the project adheres close- ly to the elements and protocol deter- mined to be most effective in such other recovery coaching programs; (iv) assist the entity or entities in secur- ing adequate coaching, treatment, child welfare, court, and other resources needed to successfully conduct the family recov- ery and reunification program under the project; and (v) ensure the entity or entities will be able to monitor the impacts of the pro- gram in the area or areas in which it is conducted for at least 5 years after parents or guardians and their children are ran- domly assigned to participate in the pro- gram or to be part of the program’s con- trol group. (4) Evaluation requirements (A) In general The Secretary, in consultation with the entity or entities conducting the family re- covery and reunification program under the project, shall conduct an evaluation to de- termine whether the program has been im- plemented effectively and resulted in im- provements for children and families. The evaluation shall have 3 components: a pilot phase, an impact study, and an implementa- tion study. Page 2244 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 629e (B) Pilot phase The pilot phase component of the evalua- tion shall consist of the Secretary providing technical assistance to the entity or entities conducting the family recovery and reunifi- cation program under the project to ensure— (i) the program’s implementation ad- heres closely to the elements and protocol determined to be most effective in other recovery coaching programs that have been rigorously evaluated and shown to in- crease family reunification and protect children; and (ii) random assignment of parents or guardians and their children to be partici- pants in the program or to be part of the program’s control group is being carried out. (C) Impact study The impact study component of the eval- uation shall determine the impacts of the family recovery and reunification program conducted under the project on the parents and guardians and their children partici- pating in the program. The impact study component shall— (i) be conducted using an experimental design that uses a random assignment re- search methodology; (ii) consistent with previous studies of other recovery coaching programs that have been rigorously evaluated and shown to increase family reunification and pro- tect children, measure outcomes for par- ents and guardians and their children over multiple time periods, including for a pe- riod of 5 years; and (iii) include measurements of family sta- bility and parent, guardian, and child safe- ty for program participants and the pro- gram control group that are consistent with measurements of such factors for par- ticipants and control groups from previous studies of other recovery coaching pro- grams so as to allow results of the impact study to be compared with the results of such prior studies, including with respect to comparisons between program partici- pants and the program control group re- garding— (I) safe family reunification; (II) time to reunification; (III) permanency (such as through measures of reunification, adoption, or placement with guardians); (IV) safety (such as through measures of subsequent maltreatment); (V) parental or guardian treatment persistence and engagement; (VI) parental or guardian substance use; (VII) juvenile delinquency; (VIII) cost; and (IX) other measurements agreed upon by the Secretary and the entity or enti- ties operating the family recovery and reunification program under the project. (D) Implementation study The implementation study component of the evaluation shall be conducted concur- rently with the conduct of the impact study component and shall include, in addition to such other information as the Secretary may determine, descriptions and analyses of— (i) the adherence of the family recovery and reunification program conducted under the project to other recovery coach- ing programs that have been rigorously evaluated and shown to increase family re- unification and protect children; and (ii) the difference in services received or proposed to be received by the program participants and the program control group. (E) Report The Secretary shall publish on an internet website maintained by the Secretary the fol- lowing information: (i) A report on the pilot phase compo- nent of the evaluation. (ii) A report on the impact study compo- nent of the evaluation. (iii) A report on the implementation study component of the evaluation. (iv) A report that includes— (I) analyses of the extent to which the program has resulted in increased reuni- fications, increased permanency, case closures, net savings to the State or States involved (taking into account both costs borne by States and the Fed- eral government), or other outcomes, or if the program did not produce such out- comes, an analysis of why the replica- tion of the program did not yield such results; (II) if, based on such analyses, the Sec- retary determines the program should be replicated, a replication plan; and (III) such recommendations for legisla- tion and administrative action as the Secretary determines appropriate. (5) Appropriation In addition to any amounts otherwise made available to carry out this subpart, out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appro- priated $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2019 to carry out the project, which shall remain available through fiscal year 2026. (Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title IV, § 435, as added Pub. L. 103–66, title XIII, § 13711(a)(2), Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 654; amended Pub. L. 107–133, title I, § 105, Jan. 17, 2002, 115 Stat. 2415; Pub. L. 109–288, §§ 4(c), 5(b)(3)(C), Sept. 28, 2006, 120 Stat. 1242, 1243; Pub. L. 115–271, title VIII, § 8082(a), Oct. 24, 2018, 132 Stat. 4098; Pub. L. 118–258, title I, §§ 105(e), 106(g), 108(a), 115(a), Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 2950, 2953, 2956, 2968.) AMENDMENT OF SECTION Pub. L. 118–258, title I, §§ 105(e), 106(g), 108(a), 115(a), 117, Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 2950, 2953, 2956, 2968, 2969, provided that, effective Oct. 1, 2025, and applicable to payments under this part for calendar quarters beginning on or after such date, with delay permitted if either State legislation or tribal action is required to Page 2245 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 629e meet additional requirements, this section is amended as follows: (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by inserting ‘‘in- cluding community-based partners with exper- tise in preventing unnecessary child welfare system involvement’’ before the semicolon; (2) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol- lows: ‘‘(c) Evaluation, research, and technical assistance with respect to targeted program resources ‘‘Of the amount reserved under section 629g(b)(1) of this title for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not less than— ‘‘(1) $1,000,000 for technical assistance to grant- ees under section 629g(f) of this title and to sup- port design of local site evaluations with the goal of publishing and submitting evaluation findings to the clearinghouse established under section 676(d) of this title, or to award grants to allow current or former grantees under section 629g(f) of this title to analyze, publish, and submit to the clearinghouse data collected during past grants; and ‘‘(2) $1,000,000 for technical assistance required under section 628d of this title to support effective implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and to support development of associated State plan measures described pursuant to section 622(b)(9) of this title.’’; (3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (5) and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ‘‘(6) use grants under section 629g(f) of this title in coordination with other Federal funds to better serve families in the child welfare system that are affected by a substance use disorder.’’; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (f) Prevention services evaluation partnerships (1) Purpose The purpose of this subsection is to authorize the Secretary to make competitive grants to sup- port the timely evaluation of— (A) services and programs described in section 671(e) of this title; or (B) kinship navigator programs described in section 674(a)(7) of this title. (2) Grants In accordance with applications approved under this subsection, the Secretary may make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry out projects designed to evaluate a serv- ice or program provided by the eligible entity, or an entity in partnership with the eligible entity, with respect to the requirements for a promising practice, supported practice, or well-supported practice described in section 671(e)(4)(C) of this title. (3) Applications (A) In general An eligible entity may apply to the Secretary for a grant under this subsection to carry out a project that meets the following requirements: (i) The project is designed in accordance with paragraph (2). (ii) The project is to be carried out by the applicant in partnership with— (I) a State agency that administers, or su- pervises the administration of, the State plan approved under part E, or an agency administering the plan under the super- vision of the State agency; and (II) if the applicant is unable or unwilling to do so, at least 1 external evaluator to carry out the evaluation of the service or program provided by the applicant. (B) Contents The application shall contain the following: (i) A description of the project, including— (I) a statement explaining why a grant is necessary to carry out the project; and (II) the amount of grant funds that would be disbursed to each entity described in sub- paragraph (A)(ii) in partnership with the applicant. (ii) A certification from each entity de- scribed in subparagraph (A)(ii) that provides assurances that the individual or entity is in partnership with the applicant and will fulfill the responsibilities of the entity specified in the description provided pursuant to clause (i) of this subparagraph. (iii) A certification from the applicant that provides assurances that the applicant in- tends to comply with subparagraph (A)(ii)(II), if applicable. (iv) At the option of the eligible entity, a certification from the applicant that the ap- plicant requires an external evaluator secured by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (5), if applicable. (4) Priorities In approving applications under this sub- section, the Secretary shall prioritize the fol- lowing: (A) Addressing, with respect to the clearing- house of practices described in section 676(d)(2) of this title, deficiencies or gaps identified by the Secretary in consultation with— (i) States, political subdivisions of a State, and tribal communities carrying out, or re- ceiving the benefits of, a service or program; and (ii) child welfare experts, including individ- uals with lived experience. (B) Maximizing the number of evidence-based services or programs to be included in the clear- inghouse of practices described in section 676(d)(2) of this title. (C) Timely completion of evaluations and the production of evidence. (D) Supporting services or programs that are based on, or are adaptations to new population settings of, a service or program with reliable evidence about the benefits and risks of the service or program. (5) Availability of external evaluators (A) In general Before accepting applications under this sub- section, the Secretary shall make reasonable ef- forts to identify at least 1 entity to serve as an external evaluator for any eligible entity that includes a certification under paragraph (3)(B)(iv) with an application under this sub- section. Page 2246 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 629e (B) No effect on consideration of application The Secretary may not consider whether an eligible entity is in partnership with an external evaluator described in paragraph (A) in approv- ing an application under this subsection sub- mitted by the eligible entity. (6) Reports (A) By grant recipients Within 1 year after receiving a grant under this subsection, and every year thereafter for the next 5 years, the grant recipient shall sub- mit to the Secretary a written report on— (i) the use of grant funds; (ii) whether the program or service evalu- ated by the project meets a requirement speci- fied in section 671(e)(4)(C) of this title, includ- ing information about— (I) how the program or service is being carried out in accordance with standards specified in the requirement; (II) any outcomes of the program or serv- ice; and (III) any outcome with respect to which the service or program compares favorably to a comparison practice; and (iii) whether the Secretary has included the program or service in an update to the clear- inghouse of practices described in section 676(d)(2) of this title. (B) By the Secretary The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Represent- atives and to the Committee on Finance of the Senate an annual written report on— (i) the grants awarded under this sub- section; (ii) the programs funded by the grants; (iii) any technical assistance provided by the Secretary in carrying out this subsection, including with respect to the efforts to secure external evaluators pursuant to paragraph (5); and (iv) any efforts by the Secretary to support program evaluation and review pursuant to section 671(e) of this title and inclusion of programs in the pre-approved list of services and programs described in section 671(e)(4)(D) of this title or the clearinghouse of practices described in section 676(d)(2) of this title. (7) Funding (A) Limitations Of the amounts available to carry out this subsection, the Secretary may use not more than 5 percent to provide technical assistance. (B) Carryover Amounts made available to carry out this sub- section shall remain available until expended. (8) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Eligible entity The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means any of the following providing a service or program or, in the sole determination of the Secretary, able to provide a service or program if awarded a grant under this subsection: (i) A State, a political subdivision of a State, or an agency or department of a State or political subdivision of a State. (ii) An entity described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 626(a)(1) of this title. (iii) An Indian tribe or tribal organization. (B) External evaluator The term ‘‘external evaluator’’ means an enti- ty with the ability and willingness to evaluate a service or program pursuant to paragraph (2) that is not provided by the entity. (C) Service or program The term ‘‘service or program’’— (i) means a service or program described in section 671(e) of this title; and (ii) includes a kinship navigator program described in section 674(a)(7) of this title. See 2025 Amendment notes below. Editorial Notes PRIOR PROVISIONS A prior section 435 of act Aug. 14, 1935, was classified to section 635 of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 100–485. AMENDMENTS 2025—Subsec. (a)(2)(B). Pub. L. 118–258, § 106(g), in- serted before semicolon ‘‘including community-based partners with expertise in preventing unnecessary child welfare system involvement’’. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 118–258, § 115(a), amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) related to evaluation, research, and technical assistance with respect to targeted program resources. Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 118–258, § 105(e), added par. (6). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 118–258, § 108(a), added subsec. (f). 2018—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 115–271 added subsec. (e). 2006—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 109–288, § 4(c), amended heading and text of subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) related to topics for research and evaluation. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–288, § 5(b)(3)(C), inserted ‘‘or tribal consortia’’ after ‘‘Indian tribes’’ in introductory provisions. 2002—Pub. L. 107–133, § 105(1), substituted ‘‘Evalua- tions; research; technical assistance’’ for ‘‘Evalua- tions’’ in section catchline. Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 107–133, § 105(1), substituted ‘‘The Secretary shall evaluate and report to the Con- gress biennially on’’ for ‘‘The Secretary shall evalu- ate’’. Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 107–133, § 105(2), added par. (3). Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 107–133, § 105(3), added sub- secs. (c) and (d). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2025 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 118–258 effective Oct. 1, 2025, and applicable to payments under this part for calendar quarters beginning on or after such date, with delay permitted if either State legislation or tribal action is required to meet additional requirements, see section 117 of Pub. L. 118–258, set out as a note under section 622 of this title. EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2006 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 109–288 effective Oct. 1, 2006, and applicable to payments under this part and part E of this subchapter for calendar quarters beginning on or after such date, without regard to whether imple- menting regulations have been promulgated, and with delay permitted if State legislation is required to meet additional requirements, see section 12(a), (b) of Pub. L. 109–288, set out as a note under section 621 of this title. EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2002 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 107–133 effective Jan. 17, 2002, with delay permitted if State legislation is required, Page 2247 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 629f see section 301 of Pub. L. 107–133, set out as a note under section 629 of this title. § 629f. Authorization of appropriations; reserva- tion of certain amounts (a) Authorization In addition to any amount otherwise made available to carry out this subpart, there are au- thorized to be appropriated to carry out this subpart $345,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023. (b) Reservation of certain amounts From the amount specified in subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve amounts as follows: (1) Evaluation, research, training, and tech- nical assistance The Secretary shall reserve $6,000,000 for ex- penditure by the Secretary— (A) for research, training, and technical assistance costs related to the program under this subpart; and (B) for evaluation of State programs based on the plans approved under section 629b of this title and funded under this subpart, and any other Federal, State, or local program, regardless of whether federally assisted, that is designed to achieve the same purposes as the State programs. (2) State court improvements The Secretary shall reserve $30,000,000 for grants under section 629h of this title. (3) Indian tribes or tribal consortia After applying paragraphs (4) and (5) (but be- fore applying paragraphs (1) or (2)), the Sec- retary shall reserve 3 percent for allotment to Indian tribes or tribal consortia in accordance with section 629c(a) of this title. (4) Support for monthly caseworker visits (A) Reservation The Secretary shall reserve for allotment in accordance with section 629c(e) of this title $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023. (B) Use of funds (i) In general A State to which an amount is paid from amounts reserved under subparagraph (A) shall use the amount to improve the qual- ity of monthly caseworker visits with chil- dren who are in foster care under the re- sponsibility of the State, with an emphasis on improving caseworker decision making on the safety, permanency, and well-being of foster children and on activities de- signed to increase retention, recruitment, and training of caseworkers. (ii) Nonsupplantation A State to which an amount is paid from amounts reserved pursuant to subpara- graph (A) shall not use the amount to sup- plant any Federal funds paid to the State under part E that could be used as de- scribed in clause (i). (5) Regional partnership grants The Secretary shall reserve for awarding grants under section 629g(f) of this title $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023. (c) Support for foster family homes Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary for fiscal year 2018, $8,000,000 for the Secretary to make com- petitive grants to States, Indian tribes, or tribal consortia to support the recruitment and reten- tion of high-quality foster families to increase their capacity to place more children in family settings, focused on States, Indian tribes, or tribal consortia with the highest percentage of children in non-family settings. The amount ap- propriated under this subparagraph shall remain available through fiscal year 2022. (Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title IV, § 436, as added Pub. L. 107–133, title I, § 106(a)(1), Jan. 17, 2002, 115 Stat. 2416; amended Pub. L. 109–171, title VII, § 7402, Feb. 8, 2006, 120 Stat. 150; Pub. L. 109–288, §§ 3(a), 4(a)(1), (b)(1), 5(a)(1), (3), (b)(1)(B), Sept. 28, 2006, 120 Stat. 1234, 1236, 1237, 1242, 1243; Pub. L. 111–242, § 133(1), Sept. 30, 2010, 124 Stat. 2613; Pub. L. 112–34, title I, §§ 102(a)(1), 103(a), (b), Sept. 30, 2011, 125 Stat. 371, 373; Pub. L. 115–123, div. E, title VII, §§ 50751(b), 50752(b)(1), (c), Feb. 9, 2018, 132 Stat. 262, 263; Pub. L. 116–260, div. CC, title III, § 305(a), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2994; Pub. L. 117–328, div. FF, title VI, § 6103(a)(1)–(3), Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 5964, 5965; Pub. L. 118–258, title I, §§ 103(b), 104(a), 105(a), 107(b)(2), 112(a), (c), 115(b)(1), Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 2948, 2949, 2955, 2962, 2968.) AMENDMENT OF SUBSECTIONS (a) AND (b) Pub. L. 118–258, title I, §§ 103(b), 104(a), 105(a), 107(b)(2), 112(a), (c), 115(b)(1), 117, Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 2948, 2949, 2955, 2962, 2968, 2969, made numerous amendments to sub- sections (a) and (b) of this section, effective Oct. 1, 2025, and applicable to payments under this part for calendar quarters beginning on or after such date, with delay permitted if either State legislation or tribal action is required to meet additional requirements. After such effective date, subsections (a) and (b) will read as fol- lows: (a) Authorization In addition to any amount otherwise made avail- able to carry out this subpart, there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subpart $345,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and $420,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029. (b) Reservation of certain amounts From the amount specified in subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve amounts as follows: (1) State court improvements The Secretary shall reserve $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal year for grants under sec- tion 629h of this title. (2) Indian tribes or tribal consortia The Secretary shall reserve 3 percent for allot- ment to Indian tribes or tribal consortia in ac- cordance with section 629c(a) of this title.