Attachment B_Section 7103 PubL109_171

Attachment B: Legislation – Deficit Reduction Act of 2005

Section 7103 of Pub. L. 109-171

Pub. L. 109-171 section 7103
SEC. 7103. GRANTS FOR HEALTHY MARRIAGE PROMOTION AND RESPONSIBLE
FATHERHOOD.
(a) Healthy Marriage and Family Funds.--Section 403(a)(2) (42 U.S.C. 603(a)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
(2) Healthy marriage promotion and responsible fatherhood grants.-(A) In general.-(i) Use of funds.--Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), the Secretary may use the funds made
available under subparagraph (D) for the purpose of conducting and supporting research and
demonstration projects by public or private entities, and providing technical assistance to States,
Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and such other entities as the Secretary may specify that are
receiving a grant under another provision of this part.
(ii) Limitations.--The Secretary may not award funds made available under this paragraph on a
noncompetitive basis, and may not provide any such funds to an entity for the purpose of carrying
out healthy marriage promotion activities or for the purpose of carrying out activities promoting
responsible fatherhood unless the entity has submitted to the Secretary an application which-(I) describes-(aa) how the programs or activities proposed in the application will address, as
appropriate, issues of domestic violence; and
(bb) what the applicant will do, to the extent relevant, to ensure that participation in the
programs or activities is voluntary, and to inform potential participants that their
participation is voluntary; and
(II) contains a commitment by the entity-(aa) to not use the funds for any other purpose; and
(bb) to consult with experts in domestic violence or relevant community domestic
violence coalitions in developing the programs and activities.
(iii) Healthy marriage promotion activities.--In clause (ii), the term `healthy marriage promotion
activities' means the following:
(I) Public advertising campaigns on the value of marriage and the skills needed to increase
marital stability and health.
(II) Education in high schools on the value of marriage, relationship skills, and budgeting.
(III) Marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs, that may include
parenting skills, financial management, conflict resolution, and job and career advancement,
for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers.
(IV) Pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and or couples or
individuals interested in marriage.
(V) Marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples.
(VI) Divorce reduction programs that teach relationship skills.
(VII) Marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role models and mentors in
at-risk communities.
(VIII) Programs to reduce the disincentives to marriage in means-tested aid programs, if
offered in conjunction with any activity described in this subparagraph.
(B) Limitation on use of funds for demonstration projects for coordination of provision of child welfare
and TANF services to tribal families at risk of child abuse or neglect.-(i) In general.--Of the amounts made available under subparagraph (D) for a fiscal year, the
Secretary may not award more than $2,000,000 on a competitive basis to fund demonstration
projects designed to test the effectiveness of tribal governments or tribal consortia in coordinating
the provision to tribal families at risk of child abuse or neglect of child welfare services and
services under tribal programs funded under this part.
(ii) Limitation on use of funds.--A grant made pursuant to clause (i) to such a project shall not be
used for any purpose other than-(I) to improve case management for families eligible for assistance from such a tribal
program;

Pub. L. 109-171 section 7103
(II) for supportive services and assistance to tribal children in out-of-home placements and the
tribal families caring for such children, including families who adopt such children; and
(III) for prevention services and assistance to tribal families at risk of child abuse and neglect.
(iii) Reports.--The Secretary may require a recipient of funds awarded under this subparagraph to
provide the Secretary with such information as the Secretary deems relevant to enable the
Secretary to facilitate and oversee the administration of any project for which funds are provided
under this subparagraph.
(C) Limitation on use of funds for activities promoting responsible fatherhood.-(i) In general.--Of the amounts made available under subparagraph (D) for a fiscal year, the
Secretary may not award more than $50,000,000 on a competitive basis to States, territories,
Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and public and nonprofit community entities, including
religious organizations, for activities promoting responsible fatherhood.
(ii) Activities promoting responsible fatherhood.--In this paragraph, the `activities promoting
responsible fatherhood' means the following:
(I) Activities to promote marriage or sustain marriage through such as counseling, mentoring,
disseminating information about the benefits of marriage and 2-parent involvement for
children, enhancing relationship skills, education regarding how to control aggressive
behavior, disseminating information on the causes of domestic violence and child abuse,
marriage preparation programs, premarital counseling, marital inventories, skills-based
marriage education, financial planning seminars, including improving a family's ability to
effectively manage family business affairs by means such as education, counseling, or
mentoring on matters related to family finances, including household management, budgeting,
banking, and handling of financial transactions and home maintenance, and divorce education
and reduction programs, including mediation and counseling.
(II) Activities to promote responsible parenting through activities such as counseling,
mentoring, and mediation, disseminating information about good parenting practices, skillsbased parenting education, encouraging child support payments, and other methods.
(III) Activities to foster economic stability by helping fathers improve their economic status
by providing activities such as work first services, job search, job training, subsidized
employment, job retention, job enhancement, and encouraging education, including careeradvancing education, dissemination of employment materials, coordination with existing
employment services such as welfare-to-work programs, referrals to local employment training
initiatives, and other methods.
(IV) Activities to promote responsible fatherhood that are conducted through a contract with a
nationally recognized, nonprofit fatherhood promotion organization, such as the development,
promotion, and distribution of a media campaign to encourage the appropriate involvement of
parents in the life of any child and specifically the issue of responsible fatherhood, and the
development of a national clearinghouse to assist States and communities in efforts to promote
and support marriage and responsible fatherhood.
(D) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated,
there are appropriated $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010, for expenditure in
accordance with this paragraph.