H.R. 5882 – Reading Mode

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 5882

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 4, 2021

Mr. Price of North Carolina (for himself and Mrs. Miller-Meeks) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the process for awarding grants under section 235 of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 with respect to opening or funding shelter facilities for unaccompanied alien children, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Safeguarding Homes by Ensuring Licensing and Transparency with Eligibility Requirements Act of 2021 or the SHELTER Act of 2021.

Improvement of Office of Refugee Resettlement grant process for shelter facilities

(a)

Disclosure and licensure

With respect to a grant awarded under section 235(i) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C. 1232(i)) to open or fund a shelter facility for unaccompanied alien children, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, shall require each applicant—

(1)

to disclose in the grant application any adverse action against the applicant in the five-year period preceding the date of application; and

(2)

to be licensed to operate such a facility in the applicable State on the date of application.

(b)

Information sharing

In considering an application for a grant under section 235(i) of such Act, the Secretary shall collaborate with the appropriate agencies of the State in which the applicant intends to operate to review the databases of such State for information on any adverse actions taken against the applicant.

(c)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

Adverse action

The term adverse action means a prior adverse criminal or regulatory action by a Federal, State, or local government with respect to contracting with a government entity or to the care of a child, including—

(A)

the suspension or revocation of an operating license; and

(B)

any pending investigation on the date of application.

(2)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(3)

Unaccompanied alien child

The term unaccompanied alien child has the meaning given the term in section 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g)).