
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC679]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                       CHAPTER 7--SOCIAL SECURITY
 
 SUBCHAPTER IV--GRANTS TO STATES FOR AID AND SERVICES TO NEEDY FAMILIES 
              WITH CHILDREN AND FOR CHILD-WELFARE SERVICES
 
    Part E--Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance
 
Sec. 679. Collection of data relating to adoption and foster 
        care
        

(a) Advisory Committee on Adoption and Foster Care Information

    (1) Not later than 90 days after October 21, 1986, the Secretary 
shall establish an Advisory Committee on Adoption and Foster Care 
Information (in this section referred to as the ``Advisory Committee'') 
to study the various methods of establishing, administering, and 
financing a system for the collection of data with respect to adoption 
and foster care in the United States.
    (2) The study required by paragraph (1) shall--
        (A) identify the types of data necessary to--
            (i) assess (on a continuing basis) the incidence, 
        characteristics, and status of adoption and foster care in the 
        United States, and
            (ii) develop appropriate national policies with respect to 
        adoption and foster care;

        (B) evaluate the feasibility and appropriateness of collecting 
    data with respect to privately arranged adoptions and adoptions 
    arranged through private agencies without assistance from public 
    child welfare agencies;
        (C) assess the validity of various methods of collecting data 
    with respect to adoption and foster care; and
        (D) evaluate the financial and administrative impact of 
    implementing each such method.

    (3) Not later than October 1, 1987, the Advisory Committee shall 
submit to the Secretary and the Congress a report setting forth the 
results of the study required by paragraph (1) and evaluating and making 
recommendations with respect to the various methods of establishing, 
administering, and financing a system for the collection of data with 
respect to adoption and foster care in the United States.
    (4)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the membership and organization 
of the Advisory Committee shall be determined by the Secretary.
    (B) The membership of the Advisory Committee shall include 
representatives of--
        (i) private, nonprofit organizations with an interest in child 
    welfare (including organizations that provide foster care and 
    adoption services),
        (ii) organizations representing State and local governmental 
    agencies with responsibility for foster care and adoption services,
        (iii) organizations representing State and local governmental 
    agencies with responsibility for the collection of health and social 
    statistics,
        (iv) organizations representing State and local judicial bodies 
    with jurisdiction over family law,
        (v) Federal agencies responsible for the collection of health 
    and social statistics, and
        (vi) organizations and agencies involved with privately arranged 
    or international adoptions.

    (5) After the date of the submission of the report required by 
paragraph (3), the Advisory Committee shall cease to exist.

(b) Report to Congress; regulations

    (1)(A) Not later than July 1, 1988, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Congress a report that--
        (i) proposes a method of establishing, administering, and 
    financing a system for the collection of data relating to adoption 
    and foster care in the United States,
        (ii) evaluates the feasibility and appropriateness of collecting 
    data with respect to privately arranged adoptions and adoptions 
    arranged through private agencies without assistance from public 
    child welfare agencies, and
        (iii) evaluates the impact of the system proposed under clause 
    (i) on the agencies with responsibility for implementing it.

    (B) The report required by subparagraph (A) shall--
        (i) specify any changes in law that will be necessary to 
    implement the system proposed under subparagraph (A)(i), and
        (ii) describe the type of system that will be implemented under 
    paragraph (2) in the absence of such changes.

    (2) Not later than December 31, 1988, the Secretary shall promulgate 
final regulations providing for the implementation of--
        (A) the system proposed under paragraph (1)(A)(i), or
        (B) if the changes in law specified pursuant to paragraph 
    (1)(B)(i) have not been enacted, the system described in paragraph 
    (1)(B)(ii).

Such regulations shall provide for the full implementation of the system 
not later than October 1, 1991.

(c) Data collection system

    Any data collection system developed and implemented under this 
section shall--
        (1) avoid unnecessary diversion of resources from agencies 
    responsible for adoption and foster care;
        (2) assure that any data that is collected is reliable and 
    consistent over time and among jurisdictions through the use of 
    uniform definitions and methodologies;
        (3) provide comprehensive national information with respect to--
            (A) the demographic characteristics of adoptive and foster 
        children and their biological and adoptive or foster parents,
            (B) the status of the foster care population (including the 
        number of children in foster care, length of placement, type of 
        placement, availability for adoption, and goals for ending or 
        continuing foster care),
            (C) the number and characteristics of--
                (i) children placed in or removed from foster care,
                (ii) children adopted or with respect to whom adoptions 
            have been terminated, and
                (iii) children placed in foster care outside the State 
            which has placement and care responsibility, and

            (D) the extent and nature of assistance provided by Federal, 
        State, and local adoption and foster care programs and the 
        characteristics of the children with respect to whom such 
        assistance is provided; and

        (4) utilize appropriate requirements and incentives to ensure 
    that the system functions reliably throughout the United States.

(Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title IV, Sec. 479, as added Pub. L. 99-509, 
title IX, Sec. 9443, Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 2073; amended Pub. L. 103-
432, title II, Sec. 209(c), Oct. 31, 1994, 108 Stat. 4459.)


                               Amendments

    1994--Subsec. (c)(3)(C)(iii). Pub. L. 103-432 added cl. (iii).


                    Effective Date of 1994 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 103-432 effective with respect to fiscal years 
beginning on or after Oct. 1, 1995, see section 209(d) of Pub. L. 103-
432, set out as a note under section 675 of this title.


                   Termination of Advisory Committees

    Advisory committees established after Jan. 5, 1973, to terminate not 
later than the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of 
their establishment, unless, in the case of a committee established by 
the President or an officer of the Federal Government, such committee is 
renewed by appropriate action prior to the expiration of such 2-year 
period, or in the case of a committee established by the Congress, its 
duration is otherwise provided by law. See section 14 of Pub. L. 92-463, 
Oct. 6, 1972, 86 Stat. 776, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, 
Government Organization and Employees.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 673b, 674, 679a, 1320a-9, 
5106f-1 of this title.
