HR2426-118

Reported

To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify obstacles to identifying and responding to reports of children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth, to provide technical assistance relating to the removal of such obstacles, and for other purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Mar 30, 2023

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
Feb 13, 2024

Additional sponsors: Ms. Mace, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Casten, Mr. Doggett, …

Feb 13, 2024

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …

Mar 30, 2023

Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas (for himself, Ms. Brown, Mrs. …

Summary

What This Bill Does

Directs HHS to evaluate state protocols for identifying and responding to missing foster children and vulnerable foster youth. Requires analysis of compliance, effectiveness, and best practices.

Who Benefits and How

Missing foster children may be found faster through improved protocols. States receive best practices guidance. Tribal organizations get included in evaluation.

Who Bears the Burden and How

HHS must conduct comprehensive evaluation. States must provide compliance information. Tribal organizations face similar reporting requirements.

Key Provisions

  • Requires HHS evaluation of missing foster child protocols
  • Mandates analysis of state compliance and effectiveness
  • Includes Indian tribes and tribal organizations in evaluation
Model: claude-opus-4
Generated: Jan 10, 2026 18:44

Evidence Chain:

This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

Primary Purpose

Requires HHS evaluation of state protocols for missing foster children and vulnerable foster youth

Policy Domains

Child Welfare Foster Care Social Services

Legislative Strategy

"Improve missing foster child response through evaluation"

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Foster Care Child Welfare
Actor Mappings
"secretary"
→ Secretary of HHS

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology