Safe Shelters Act of 2021

Safe Shelters Act of 2021

This bill imposes certain requirements on applicants for Office of Refugee Resettlement grants to open or fund shelter facilities for unaccompanied alien children.

Specifically an applicant for such a grant must (1) disclose in the application any adverse action (generally an adverse criminal or regulatory action relating to a government contract or the care of children) taken against the applicant in the five-year period before the application, and (2) be licensed under state law to operate the facility in question.

The Department of Health and Human Services must seek to collaborate with state regulatory agencies to review state databases for information about adverse actions taken against such applicants.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3182 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3182

  To improve the Office of Refugee Resettlement shelter grant process.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 4, 2021

 Mr. Carper (for himself, Mr. Portman, and Mr. Tillis) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To improve the Office of Refugee Resettlement shelter grant process.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Shelters Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT SHELTER GRANT PROCESS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Adverse action.--The term ``adverse action'' means an 
        adverse criminal or regulatory action taken by the Federal 
        Government or a State or local government with respect to 
        contracting with a government entity or to the care of 
        children, including--
                    (A) the suspension or revocation of an operating 
                license; and
                    (B) any ongoing or pending investigation by the 
                Federal Government or a State or local government.
            (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)).
    (b) Disclosure and Licensure.--With respect to Office of Refugee 
Resettlement grants to open or fund shelter facilities for 
unaccompanied alien children, the Secretary shall require each 
applicant--
            (1) to disclose in the grant application any adverse action 
        taken against the applicant during the 5-year period 
        immediately preceding the date on which the application is 
        submitted; and
            (2) to be licensed to operate such a facility in the 
        applicable State as of such date.
    (c) Information Sharing.--In considering an application for a grant 
referred to in subsection (b), the Secretary shall seek to collaborate 
with the appropriate regulatory agencies of the State in which the 
applicant intends to operate to conduct a review of State databases for 
information on adverse actions taken against the applicant.
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