Bipartisan Federal Bills Aim to Better Support Foster Youth on Their Path to Adulthood

By Claire Elmore, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates

While Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session has officially ended, federal lawmakers are still working on important legislation that could strengthen supports for young people with foster care experience. 

On April 29th, the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously advanced six bipartisan bills to modernize the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood and the Education and Training Voucher program. The six bills now await consideration by the full House of Representatives.

These bills build on growing federal attention to supporting some of our nation’s most vulnerable youth. During this administration, President Trump announced the Fostering the Future for American Children and Families Executive Order, and First Lady Melania Trump has convened lived experts to bring attention to the challenges young people face when transitioning from foster care to adulthood.

Initially established in 1999, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood provides federal funding to states to support young people with foster care experience as they transition into adulthood. Chafee-funded services can support independent living skills, help with connections to supportive adults, and increase opportunities for normal life experiences. Services look differently depending on what state you live in since states have flexibility in how they use the funds. 

Kentucky outlines its approach to the program in its Child and Family Services Plan submitted to the federal Children’s Bureau.

Education and Training Vouchers, or ETVs, can provide young adults with foster care experience up to $5,000 per year for postsecondary education and training expenses. These vouchers can help cover costs such as tuition and fees, books, supplies, transportation, and some living expenses. 

In Kentucky, youth ages 18 to 26 may be eligible if they are currently in foster care, aged out of foster care, or exited foster care through adoption or guardianship assistance after their 16th birthday, between 18-26; and are enrolled in an accredited post-secondary program. For students to continue receiving ETV funding, they must remain enrolled and meet academic requirements set by their school.

• H.R. 7343, the Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act, would allow Educational Training Vouchers to be used for apprenticeship programs, GED programs, and remedial education.
• H.R. 7432, the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act, would expand how the Chafee Program can support housing by allowing Chafee Funds to be used on housing supportive services, and extend support to youth under age 26 who receive Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) vouchers. 
• H.R. 7463, the Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act, would increase Educational Training Vouchers from $5,000 to $12,000 per year and allow states to provide a grace period for youth who are not meeting satisfactory academic progress. This also requires states to streamline the process for applicants and make reasonable efforts to inform youth of the program.  
• H.R. 7529, the Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act, would allow Chafee funds to be used for legal support services and require states to consider how legal issues affect access to housing, education, employment, and family connections as part of transition planning, including how legal assistance may help remove those barriers. 
• H.R. 7655, the Support for Expectant and Parenting Foster Youth Act, would improve access to evidence-based home visiting and support services through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program and allow Chaffee funds to be used for tailored case management and resource coordination for expectant and parenting youth. 

If passed, this federal legislation would give states more flexibility to use Chafee and ETV funds to support young people with foster care experience and improve access to services that promote improved transitions to adulthood, including education, workforce training, housing stability, legal assistance, parenting supports and lifelong connections. 

In Kentucky, 282 ETVs were awarded in the 2021-2022 school year. The Commonwealth also offers the Tuition Waiver for Foster and Adopted Children, which waives tuition and mandatory fees for eligible youth with foster care experience and allows ETV funds to be used for other education-related costs. Despite these existing supports, postsecondary graduation remains low for former foster youth in Kentucky, showing that additional supports are needed during this critical transition. 

A review of ETV utilization in ten states, found that ETV use was correlated with college persistence and increased graduation rates compared to eligible young people who did not receive ETVs. This suggests that expansion of ETV allotments, increased efforts to inform youth about the program, and broader flexibility in how ETVs can be used could support youth in completing their postsecondary educations. The expansion for ETVs to be used for remedial education could also have a large impact in the commonwealth, as only 61% of those previously in foster care in Kentucky had received their high school diploma or GED by age 22.

Additionally, about 1 in 3 Kentucky youth who have foster care experience, face housing instability at age 21. Expanding how Chafee funds can be spent, would help address these disparities by recognizing how legal issues can create barriers to housing and education, while also allowing funds to be used for housing supportive services. 

These bipartisan bills are an important step toward strengthening the housing, education, legal, parenting, and connection-building supports young people leaving foster care need to successfully transition into adulthood. Advocates, service providers, and community members can stay engaged by:

• Tracking federal child welfare bills through the Journey to Success Bill Tracker. 
• Contacting your House member, Senator McConnell, and Senator Paul to share why strengthening supports for foster youth matters and to ask for their support.
• Visiting kyyouth.org/advocacy to learn more about how to advocate for policies that support Kentucky kids.