Court Improvement Equity Act
This bill allows the Northern Mariana Islands to access state grant funds for child welfare court improvements in foster care and adoption proceedings under the Court Improvement Program (CIP).
Under current law, the Northern Mariana Islands may not receive a CIP grant because the CIP program requires that a participating state or U.S. territory be eligible to operate a Title IV-E program (i.e., be eligible to receive federal payments for the provision of foster care and adoption assistance). This bill allows the Northern Mariana Islands, the only U.S. territory not currently eligible for the Title IV-E program, to participate in the CIP program.
To authorize grants to be made on an equitable basis to highest courts 
    to assess and improve the handling of foster care and adoption 
                  proceedings, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Court Improvement Equity Act''.

SEC. 2. EQUITABLE ALLOCATION OF COURT IMPROVEMENT GRANTS TO HIGHEST 
              COURTS.

    Section 438(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(c)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Certain jurisdictions.--
                    ``(A) In general.--From the amounts reserved under 
                section 436(b)(2) for a fiscal year, the Secretary 
                shall, before applying paragraph (1) of this 
                subsection, allocate 0.85 percent for a grant to the 
                highest court of each State that applies therefor and 
                is not eligible to operate a program under part E.
                    ``(B) Use of funds.--A highest court to which a 
                grant is made under this paragraph shall use the grant, 
                consistent with subsection (a), to assess and make 
                improvements to court processes and proceedings 
                relating to child safety, permanency, and well-being.
                    ``(C) State defined.--In subparagraph (A), the term 
                `State' has the meaning given the term in section 
                1101(a)(1) for purposes of title XX.
                    ``(D) Authority to request expenditure 
                information.--On request of the Secretary, an entity to 
                which a grant is made under this paragraph shall 
                provide the Secretary with such information about the 
                expenditure of the grant as the Secretary may 
                request.''.
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Court Improvement Equity Act
To authorize grants to be made on an equitable basis to highest courts to assess and improve the handling of foster care and adoption proceedings, and for other purposes.
Court Improvement Equity Act
Del. Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho