Grants to States for access and visitation programs

42 U.S.C. § 669b

• Title: 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
• Chapter: SUBCHAPTER IV—GRANTS TO STATES FOR AID AND SERVICES TO NEEDY FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AND FOR CHILD-WELFARE SERVICES
• Part: D

Text

(a) In general
The Administration for Children and Families shall make grants under this section to enable States to establish and administer programs to support and facilitate noncustodial parents' access to and visitation of their children, by means of activities including mediation (both voluntary and mandatory), counseling, education, development of parenting plans, visitation enforcement (including monitoring, supervision and neutral drop-off and pickup), and development of guidelines for visitation and alternative custody arrangements.
(b) Amount of grant
The amount of the grant to be made to a State under this section for a fiscal year shall be an amount equal to the lesser of—
(1) 90 percent of State expenditures during the fiscal year for activities described in subsection (a); or
(2) the allotment of the State under subsection (c) for the fiscal year.
(c) Allotments to States
The allotment of a State for a fiscal year is the amount that bears the same ratio to $10,000,000 for grants under this section for the fiscal year as the number of children in the State living with only 1 biological parent bears to the total number of such children in all States.
The Administration for Children and Families shall adjust allotments to States under paragraph (1) as necessary to ensure that no State is allotted less than—
(A) $50,000 for fiscal year 1997 or 1998; or
(B) $100,000 for any succeeding fiscal year.
(d) No supplantation of State expenditures for similar activities
A State to which a grant is made under this section may not use the grant to supplant expenditures by the State for activities specified in subsection (a), but shall use the grant to supplement such expenditures at a level at least equal to the level of such expenditures for fiscal year 1995.
(e) State administration
Each State to which a grant is made under this section—
(1) may administer State programs funded with the grant, directly or through grants to or contracts with courts, local public agencies, or nonprofit private entities;
(2) shall not be required to operate such programs on a statewide basis; and
(3) shall monitor, evaluate, and report on such programs in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.

History

(Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title IV, §469B, as added Pub. L. 104–193, title III, §391, Aug. 22, 1996, 110 Stat. 2258.)

Editorial Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date
For effective date of section, see section 395(a)–(c) of Pub. L. 104–193, set out as an Effective Date of 1996 Amendment note under section 654 of this title.

Editorial Notes

Codification
Pub. L. 115–123, div. E, title VII, §50733(a), Feb. 9, 2018, 132 Stat. 252, substituted "Federal Payments for Foster Care, Prevention, and Permanency" for "Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance" in part heading.