Vulnerable Children and Families Act of 2017
Latest action · May 18, 2017 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 18, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Vulnerable Children and Families Act of 2017
This bill redesignates the Office of Children's Issues of the Department of State as the Office of Vulnerable Children and Family Security (VCFS).
The President shall appoint an Ambassador-at-Large to promote: (1) oversight of the VCFS; (2) the implementation in foreign countries of child welfare laws and policies in keeping with the goals of the United States Government Action Plan on Children in Adversity; and (3) addressing the gap in U.S. diplomacy, policy, and operations regarding permanent family care for children living without families.
The Ambassador-at-Large shall: (1) advise the State Department and the President about vulnerable children and family security in foreign countries; (2) represent the United States regarding international child welfare, family preservation and reunification, and provision of permanent, safe parental care; (3) develop related policies and programs; and (4) submit an annual report on implementation of such action plan.
The bill provides the VCFS with lead responsibility for: (1) representing the U.S. government regarding intercountry adoptions, and (2) determining whether a country has met its obligations under the Hague Convention of Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption and is eligible to participate in intercountry adoptions in accordance with U.S. law.
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to: (1) include in the annual country reports on human rights practices information on the conditions of children living in orphanages and group homes, and (2) repeal certain provisions providing assistance for orphans and other vulnerable children.
The Special Advisor for Assistance to Orphans and Vulnerable Children shall work with the Ambassador-at-Large to ensure that U.S. assistance and development programs are focused on:
- child development through the integration of health, nutrition, and family support;
- facilitating government efforts to protect children from violence, exploitation, and neglect;
- building integrated child welfare and protection systems; and
- integrating such objectives with U.S. government agencies.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 18, 2017 to Aug 17, 2018; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| R-AZ | Trent Franks | May 19, 2017 | |
| R-WI | F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. | May 23, 2017 | |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Jun 8, 2017 | |
| R-IN | Susan W. Brooks | Jun 8, 2017 | |
| R-MS | Gregg Harper | Jun 12, 2017 | |
| R-TX | Pete Olson | Jun 12, 2017 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Jun 27, 2017 | |
| R-OK | Steve Russell | Jul 27, 2017 | |
| R-IN | Todd Rokita | Jul 27, 2017 | |
| D-CA | Pete Aguilar | Aug 17, 2018 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred May 18, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 18, 2017Introduced in House
- May 18, 2017Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 86, May 18, 2017, page H4359.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1178 | Vulnerable Children and Families Act of 2017 | Identical bill | May 18, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To realign structures and reallocate resources in the Federal Government in keeping with the core belief that families are the best protection for children and the bedrock of any society to bolster United States diplomacy targeted at ensuring that every child can grow up in a permanent, safe, nurturing, and loving family, and to ensure that intercountry adoption to the United States becomes a viable and fully developed option for providing families for children in need, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Vulnerable Children and Families Act of 2017
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Adoption and foster care
- Child care and development
- Child health
- Child safety and welfare
- Congressional oversight
- Department of State
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Domestic violence and child abuse
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Family relationships
- Family services
- Federal officials
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Human rights
- International Affairs
- International law and treaties
- Nutrition and diet
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 18, 2017Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
