Tribal Family Fairness Act

Tribal Family Fairness Act

This bill revises two programs to provide tribes with additional resources for child and family services.

First, the bill revises the MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families program by

• establishing a minimum grant award for tribes,
• increasing funds reserved for state court improvement grants,
• increasing the set-aside for tribes or tribal consortia,
• exempting certain plans from reporting requirements,
• allowing funds to be used for tribal customary adoptions,
• authorizing in-kind contributions to meet tribal matching requirements, and
• allowing tribal organizations to use the federal negotiated indirect cost rate in lieu of the administrative costs cap.

In addition, the bill revises the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services program by

• modifying reporting requirements,
• authorizing in-kind contributions to meet tribal matching requirements, and
• allowing tribal organizations to use the federal negotiated indirect cost rate in lieu of the administrative costs cap.

Bill 117 hr 4348, also known as the Tribal Family Fairness Act, is a piece of legislation currently being considered by the US Congress. The purpose of this bill is to address issues related to the placement of Native American children in foster care and adoption proceedings.

One of the key provisions of the Tribal Family Fairness Act is to ensure that Native American tribes have a greater role in determining the placement of Native American children who are in the foster care system. This includes giving tribes more authority to intervene in cases involving Native American children and to have a say in where these children are placed.

Additionally, the bill aims to strengthen the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which was originally passed in 1978 to protect the rights of Native American children in foster care and adoption cases. The Tribal Family Fairness Act seeks to clarify and strengthen the provisions of the ICWA to ensure that Native American children are not unfairly removed from their families and communities. Overall, the Tribal Family Fairness Act is designed to promote the well-being and cultural identity of Native American children by giving tribes a greater role in decisions regarding their placement in foster care and adoption proceedings. This bill is currently being debated in Congress and has the potential to have a significant impact on the lives of Native American children and families.