Southern West Virginia News

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) participated in a Ways and Means Committee Hearing on reauthorizing Title IV-B, a program serving children and youth in foster care, aimed at strengthening child welfare.

Congresswoman Miller began her remarks by emphasizing the committee’s efforts to address challenges within the child welfare system. “I want to thank all four of you for being here. Your stories, your information, and your feedback are so important to us. I’m a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I never knew how many feet would be underneath my table at dinner, and many nights there were a lot of extra feet. I’ve always had empathy for children who may have just been hungry, but the social welfare that we have for our kids is so important to me,” said Congresswoman Miller.

She highlighted the urgent needs of children entering the child welfare system and mentioned her initiative with Representative Judy Chu. “In West Virginia, 53% of our foster children are cared for by relatives, often older grandparents who are retired. They struggle to afford unexpected expenses... I introduced H.R. 476, the ‘Helping HANDS for Families Act,’ with Representative Judy Chu... to allow Title IV-B funds to be used for electronic services and tools that connect families to essential support services online.”

Congresswoman Miller questioned Rob Geen, Chair of Board of Trustees of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Bipartisan Policy Center Fellow, about providing more flexibility in delivering Title IV-B services to rural families. “Mr. Geen, do you believe that providing more flexibility in how Title IV-B services are delivered could better serve families?” asked Congresswoman Miller.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that the type of coordination and navigation you’re talking about is essential... Clarifying that with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) might be a first step,” responded Mr. Geen.

Miller also discussed policies related to the Court Improvement Program (CIP). "Another policy that I have worked on with my colleagues would be providing additional flexibilities within the Court Improvement Program... Along with Representatives Blake Moore and Judy Chu, I introduced the Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act which will allow CIP funds to be used towards improving technology support for remote hearings," she said.

Addressing Mr. Geen again on this topic, she asked about ensuring proper training for those involved in child welfare proceedings and benefits from remote hearing flexibility. “Mr. Geen... how more remote hearing flexibilities would actually allow for better overall outcomes?” she queried.

“We need to keep a close eye on what those hearings look like... as an option [remote hearings], absolutely,” Mr. Geen replied.

Lastly, Congresswoman Miller thanked Paris Hilton for her advocacy work regarding youth in foster care and asked her about supporting teens struggling with mental health issues and substance abuse.

“Thank you so much... We should prioritize Lived Experience voices... We do have a mental health crisis for our kids… I’m confident that we can bolster support,” Mrs. Hilton responded.

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