H.R. 7995 · On the floor · Families

CONNECT Act

Sponsor: Gwen Moore (D-WI)

What it does

• Amends the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program to require services helping youth age 14 and older develop sustained relationships with adults, mentors, and peers to reduce isolation and build lifelong support networks.
• Requires the program to support youth in foster care age 14 and older in exercising rights to participate in permanency planning, receive written information about services, and access pre- and post-permanency peer support and mentoring.
• Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance within one year to States and Tribal child welfare agencies on eligible services, best practices for peer support and mentoring, outreach standards, and documentation protocols.
• Amendments to the program's purposes take effect one year after enactment of this Act.

Latest action

May 11, 2026: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 559.

Committee: House Ways and Means