Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008
Public Law 110-378 · S. 2982 · 110th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 8, 2008 · Families
Sponsor: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Arlen Specter
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to revise requirements for services provided under grants from the Secretary of Health and Human Services for centers for runaway and homeless youth and their families. Limits the length of stay in such a center to 21 days.
Increases grant minimum allotments from $100,000 to $200,000 for states and from $45,000 to $70,000 for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Prohibits the allotted amounts for a state for FY2009-FY2010 from being less than the allotted amount for FY2008.
Requires the plan proposed by grant applicants for a runaway and homeless youth center to include an adequate emergency preparedness and management plan.
(Sec. 4) Revises requirements for transitional living programs. Specifies that shelter and services may be provided by grant, agreement, or contract (currently, directly or indirectly) to homeless youth.
Increases the maximum length of continuous stay in such programs from 540 days to 635 days, if a youth would benefit to an usual extent from additional time in the program.
Requires a transitional living program also to develop an adequate emergency preparedness and management plan.
(Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary to give priority (currently, special consideration) to grant applicants for specified research, evaluation, demonstration, and service projects regarding runaway youth and homeless youth.
Requires the Secretary to give special consideration to proposed projects relating to: (1) behavior (currently, mental) health care for runaway and homeless youth; (2) access to educational and workforce programs to achieve outcomes such as decreasing secondary school dropout rates, increasing rates of attaining a secondary school diploma (or equivalent), or increasing placement and retention in postsecondary education or advanced workforce training programs; and (3) programs, including innovative programs, that assist youth in obtaining and maintaining safe and stable housing (which may include programs with supportive services that continue after the youth completes the remainder of the programs).
Requires the Secretary to ensure that selected grant applicants: (1) represent diverse U.S. geographic regions; and (2) carry out projects that serve diverse populations of runaway or homeless youth.
(Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary to report periodically to specified congressional committees and the public: (1) estimates of the incidence and prevalence of runaway and homeless individuals between 13 to 26 years of age; and (2) an assessment of such individual's characteristics.
(Sec. 7) Requires the Secretary to give priority to public and, as under current law, nonprofit private agencies for sexual abuse prevention programs.
(Sec. 8) Requires the Secretary to establish performance standards for grant recipients.
(Sec. 9) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the processes for making grants under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
(Sec. 10) Redefines "homeless youth" to cover an individual seeking shelter in a runaway and homeless center who is less than a maximum age higher than 18, if the center is located in a state or locality with a child or youth-serving-facility licensure law or regulation that permits a higher maximum age.
Allows a homeless youth to participate in a transitional living program up to age 22, as of the expiration of the maximum stay permitted, if the individual commences such stay before attaining age 22.
Defines "runaway youth" as an individual under age 18 who absents himself or herself from home or place of legal residence without the permission of parents or legal guardians.
(Sec. 13) Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 5524Companion billRelated bill
Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Oct 8, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-378.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 30, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 26, 2008FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Andrews asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
- FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Sep 25, 2008FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- May 22, 2008CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 751.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- May 6, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3795-3796)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 5652SenateSen. Patrick LeahyD-VT· offered Sep 25, 2008Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Sep 25, 2008: Amendment SA 5652 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.