General provisions

Part F of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 U.S.C. 11271 et seq.) is amended— (1) in the heading, by striking Part F and inserting Part G; (2) in section 381— (A) in subsection (a)(3), by striking facility and inserting center or project; and (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking facility both places it appears and inserting center or project; (3) in section 382(a)— (A) by striking 2000 and inserting 2026; (B) by striking the Workforce and inserting Workforce; (C) in paragraph (1)— (i) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) through (D) as subparagraphs (C) through (E), respectively; and (ii) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following: (B) identifying youth who are victims of trafficking;; and (D) in paragraph (2)— (i) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following: (A) the number and characteristics of youth served by such projects, including such youth who— (i) are victims of trafficking; (ii) are pregnant or parenting; (iii) have been involved in the child welfare system; or (iv) have been involved in the juvenile or adult criminal justice system, the incarceration system, or legal proceedings related to such systems;; and (ii) by striking subparagraph (F) and inserting the following: (F) the ability of such projects to encourage the resolution of problems within the family, including with individuals identified by such youth as family, through counseling and development of self-sufficient living skills; and; (4) in section 383(a) by striking facility’s budget and inserting budget of the center or project; (5) in section 384, by adding at the end the following: Grantees are encouraged to share data with other programs and systems, without identifying individual youth in any shared records, to improve coordination and maximize the use of resources.; (6) by inserting after section 384 the following: 384A. Administration and enforcement (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Associate Commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau, may waive any provision under this title for a period of not more than 3 years, unless an extension is granted under subsection (f), if— (1) a potential grantee requests a waiver that describes 1 or more conflicting or duplicative requirements or circumstances that prevent the effective delivery of services to runaway and homeless youth, such as an extraordinary circumstance, natural disaster, public health emergency, or financial crisis; (2) the Secretary determines that the waiver will, by itself, contribute to or enhance the ability of the grantee to carry out the purposes of this title; and (3) the Secretary determines that the waiver will not be inconsistent with the objectives of this title. (b) Contents A request made under subsection (a) shall be provided to the Secretary in writing and shall— (1) detail each provision within this title for which the grantee seeks relief; (2) describe how a waiver from such provision will, by itself, improve delivery of services to runaway and homeless youth; and (3) certify that the health, safety, and well-being of runaway and homeless youth served through assistance received under this title will not be compromised as a result of the waiver. (c) Notification of approval or disapproval (1) In general Not later than 30 days after the receipt of a waiver request made under subsection (a), the Secretary shall inform the grantee of approval or disapproval of the request. (2) Disapproval If the request is disapproved, the Secretary shall inform the grantee, the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives of the reasons for the disapproval and give the grantee the opportunity to amend the request or appeal the decision. (3) Approval If the request is approved, the Secretary shall grant a waiver and, not later than 30 days after granting such waiver, notify and submit a report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives that describes— (A) each specific provision waived; (B) the reason given by the grantee for the need for a waiver; and (C) the expected impact of the waiver on youth served under this program. (d) External conditions The Secretary shall not require or impose any new or additional requirements in exchange for receipt of a waiver if such requirements are not specified in this title. (e) Termination The Secretary shall terminate approval of a request for a waiver authorized under this section if the Secretary determines, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, that the performance of a grantee who was granted relief under this section has been inadequate, or if such relief is no longer necessary to achieve its original purposes. (f) Waiver Extension (1) In general The Secretary may grant an extension to an existing waiver authorized under this section for a period of not more than 1 year upon a request for a waiver extension from the grantee. (2) Extension Request A request for a waiver extension described under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the Secretary not later than 30 days before the expiration date of the existing waiver, and shall re-certify the provisions in subsection (b) and explain the need for additional time of relief from such provisions provided in this title. (g) Restrictions Nothing in this title shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary to permit a grantee to alter the eligibility requirements for eligible youth. Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary to waive anything related to the Secretary's authority under this title.; (7) in section 386(a)— (A) by striking 3 consecutive and inserting 5 consecutive both places it appears; (B) by inserting, acting through the Associate Commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau, after Secretary; and (C) by inserting or virtually when appropriate, after on-site,; (8) in section 386A— (A) in subsection (a)— (i) by striking Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 and inserting Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act of 2025; and (ii) by inserting 371, after sections; and (B) in subsection (c), by inserting 371, after sections; (9) by inserting after section 386A the following: 386B. Nondiscrimination (a) In general No person in the United States shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under this title on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in section 249(c) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, or disability. (b) Exception If sex-segregation or sex-specific programming is necessary to the essential operation of a program, nothing in this section shall prevent any such program or activity from considering the sex of an individual. In such circumstances, grantees may meet the requirements of this section by providing comparable services to individuals who cannot participate in the sex-segregated or sex-specific programming. (c) Disqualification The Secretary shall enforce this section pursuant to section 654 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9849). The provisions of such section relating to the procedure for review of an action taken by the Secretary shall apply. (d) Construction Nothing in this section shall be construed as supplanting, displacing, preempting, or otherwise limiting the responsibilities and liabilities under other Federal or State civil rights laws with respect to discrimination on a basis described in subsection (a).; (10) in section 387— (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8), as paragraphs (9), (6), (7), (8), (11), and (13), respectively; (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) the following: (1) Culturally and linguistically appropriate The term culturally and linguistically appropriate, with respect to services, has the meaning given the term culturally and linguistically appropriate services in the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care, issued in April 2013, by the Office of Minority Health of the Department of Health and Human Services.; (C) in paragraph (3)(A)— (i) in clause (i), by striking 21 and inserting 26; and (ii) by striking clause (ii) and inserting the following: (ii) for the purposes of part B, not less than 15 years of age but less than 26 years of age, subject to section 322(d);; (D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following: (4) Mixed projects The term mixed projects means a building, structure, or campus that may house multiple programs serving youth under the age of 26. Any of these programs may be funded as authorized under this Act as well as funded by other entities, including private, public, and other government funding. (5) Prevention services The term prevention services means services to prevent youth from becoming runaway, homeless, or street youth and may include— (A) individual, family, group, and peer counseling; (B) family mediation; (C) assessing the strengths, vulnerabilities, and needs of youth; (D) connecting youth to public services and housing options; (E) emergency respite care for clients within the allowable age range of the underlying grant award, including care that provides parents and other caregivers with emergency services and temporary shelter that offer relief; (F) connecting youth to education and employment programs; (G) case management and resource navigation; and (H) activities to improve access to local mental health and substance use treatment and prevention.; (E) in paragraph (7)(B), as redesignated by subparagraph (A)— (i) in clause (i), by inserting, including the use of online methods of engagement, as appropriate, based on the needs of the community and population served after street youth; and (ii) by striking clause (v) and inserting the following: (v) advocacy, education, and prevention services related to— (I) substance use disorder; (II) trafficking; (III) sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus; (IV) violence, including physical assault, sexual assault, domestic violence, and gender-based violence; and (V) suicide.; (F) in paragraph (8)(B), as redesignated by subparagraph (A), by striking prostitution, or drug abuse and inserting trafficking, or substance use disorder; (G) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by subparagraph (A), by striking the paragraph (9) enumerator and all that follows through services’—, and inserting the following: (9) Substance use disorder education and prevention services The term substance use disorder education and prevention services —; (H) by inserting after paragraph (9), as redesignated by subparagraph (A), the following: (10) Trafficking The term trafficking has the meaning given the terms severe forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).; (I) in paragraph (11), as redesignated by subparagraph (A), by inserting, to establish family or community supports, after self-sufficient living; (J) by inserting after paragraph (11), as redesignated by subparagraph (A), the following: (12) Trauma-informed The term trauma-informed has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (34 U.S.C. 11103).; and (K) in paragraph (13)(B), as redesignated by subparagraph (A)— (i) in clause (ii)— (I) by inserting or able after willing; and (II) by striking or after the semicolon; (ii) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the end and inserting; or; and (iii) by adding at end the following: (iv) who is involved in the child welfare system, juvenile justice system, or criminal justice system, but who is not being housed by any such system..