Bill · S. 3802· Senate(119-S-3802)
Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 2/9/2026
- Last activity
- 2/9/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Deb Fischer
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2026 aims to amend title IV of the Social Security Act. It establishes a demonstration grant program designed to provide emergency relief to foster youth. These funds are intended to improve pre-placement services offered by foster care stabilization agencies. The Secretary will award three demonstration grants of up to $1,000,000 each to these agencies. Agencies must use the funds within three years or return the remaining balance.
Yes· 3 of 7
Would children be better off under this?+7
The bill provides emergency relief, clothing, food, and protection from abuse for foster youth.
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+5
The bill's definition of foster youth includes individuals up to 26 years of age, providing them with emergency assistance.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+5
The bill provides essential resources like food and clothing to vulnerable youth in the foster care system.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-1
The bill establishes a new grant program which increases federal spending through demonstration grants.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Emergency Relief for Foster Youth: Grants can be used for hiring personnel to ensure services, resources, and assistance reach youth (Section 2, subsection 5A).
-
Basic Needs for Youth: The bill allows for the provision of clothing and other personal necessities up to $250 per foster youth, per year (Section 2, subsection 5B).
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Food Security: Funds can be used to purchase food and the equipment required to prepare food for foster youth (Section 2, subsection 5C).
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Safety and Protection: The grant provides for service and support to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect (Section 2, subsection 5D).
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General Safety and Self-Sufficiency: Funds can be used for extraordinary or emergency assistance to promote the safety and self-sufficiency of foster youth (Section 2, subsection 5E).
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Increased Accessibility for Specific Communities: The Secretary is required to make special dissemination efforts for grant applications to rural areas, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations (Section 2, subsection 4).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Time Constraints on Funding: Foster care stabilization agencies that receive a grant have only 3 years to spend the awarded funds or they must return any unused money to the Secretary (Section 2, subsection 2).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+7Good For Low Income Households+5Good For Young Adults+5Good For Native Americans+4Good For Rural Residents+3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+4
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+3Reduces Government Spending-1
- 2/9/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
John HickenlooperDemocrat · Colorado