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Supporting America’s Children and Families Act

Public Law 118-258 · H.R. 9076 · 118th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jan 4, 2025 · Families

Sponsor: Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL-16)

Cosponsors (23): Rep. Danny Davis,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 405 yea, 10 nay405–10
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

TITLE I--CHILD WELFARE REAUTHORIZATION AND MODERNIZATION

Protecting America's Children by Strengthening Families Act

This title reauthorizes through FY2029 certain child and family services and modifies programs related to prevention services, youth in foster care, parental substance use disorder, and kinship caregiving, which are generally administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

First, the title reauthorizes funding through FY2029 for the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services and the MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families programs. It also requires 3% of allocated funding to be paid directly to Indian tribes.

The title also reauthorizes through FY2029 the Court Improvement Program and requires the ACF to issue guidance for technological changes necessary to conduct proceedings remotely.

The title reauthorizes through FY2029 and revises regional partnership grants for services to families affected by substance use disorders.

The ACF also must review administrative requirements for state child welfare agencies and explore ways to reduce the compliance time.

The title also authorizes grants to states and other specified organizations to evaluate child and family services and kinship navigator programs.

Further, state plans for child welfare services must describe how states may offer virtual caseworker visits to youth in care who are over 18 and have consented to such visits.

The title also authorizes family preservation and family support services for youth under the age of 26. It also includes within the definition of family preservation services nonrecurring, short-term benefits that address immediate needs related to a specific crisis, such as supports for housing or food assistance.

The title also reauthorizes grants to states for caseworker support and authorizes demonstration grants to support relationships between foster children and their incarcerated parents.

Finally, the title modifies certain requirements regarding data collection and technical assistance for programs relating to behavioral health services, and it requires the ACF to report on post-adoption and guardianship services.

The title takes effect on October 1, 2025.

TITLE II--STRENGTHENING STATE AND TRIBAL CHILD SUPPORT

Strengthening State and Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act

This title permits tribal child support enforcement agencies to access the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program to collect past-due child support payments from the federal tax refunds of noncustodial parents.

Additionally, the title authorizes the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration to disclose certain tax return information to tribal child support enforcement agencies. Such information may be disclosed to establish and collect child support obligations from, and to locate, those individuals owing such obligations. The title also explicitly authorizes state and tribal child support enforcement agencies to disclose necessary information to contractors for these purposes.

The title also permits the ACF to reimburse tribal agencies for certain reporting costs related to the Federal Parent Locator Service.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 118th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 405 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

405 yea10 nay15 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(204)

Republicans who voted yea(201)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1141 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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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.

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Related bills

3 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 8621Related bill

    Strengthening Tribal Families Act of 2024

  • H.R. 8799Related bill

    PARENT Act of 2024

  • S. 5336Related bill

    Protecting America’s Children by Strengthening Families Act

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.

  1. Jan 4, 2025Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-258.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 27, 2024FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 23, 2024FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Dec 21, 2024FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Finance discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Sep 19, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  8. Sep 18, 2024FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  9. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  10. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 405 - 10 (Roll no. 423).House roll call 423
  11. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  12. Sep 17, 2024FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  13. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 9076.
  14. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  15. FloorFloor · Mr. Smith (MO) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  16. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 574.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 118-679.
  18. Jul 24, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 38 - 0.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  20. Jul 22, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
  21. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
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.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.