Southern West Virginia News

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Carol Miller's (R-WV) Helping HANDS for Families Act and Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act have successfully passed the Ways and Means Committee. These bills were introduced in collaboration with Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), and Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) to reauthorize Title IV-B, a child welfare funding program.

“I am thrilled that my bills to support families passed the Ways and Means Committee. It’s important that families across the U.S. have access to the right resources in order to help their own children or foster children have a better life. All children in the welfare system deserve to find loving homes. The Helping HANDS for Families Act and Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act will help make that possible by providing parents access to community resources and by using technological advancements to equip judges and attorneys with the proper tools and training for child welfare legal proceedings," said Congresswoman Miller.

Miller emphasized the importance of flexibility in administering Title IV-B services, particularly in rural states like West Virginia. “In rural states like mine, providing more flexibility in how Title IV-B services are administered is essential to the success of our most vulnerable families. For this reason, ‘Helping HANDS’ has received glowing endorsements from Child Welfare and Community Services Offices across the country, including CarePortal,” she stated.

The Helping HANDS for Families Act would allow states to use existing funds to access online portals connecting families with resources such as pregnancy centers, child care programs, food pantries, churches, and non-profits.

“Our bill allows Court Improvement Program (CIP) funds to be used towards improving technology support for remote hearings and allows state courts to use CIP funds for remote training for judges, attorneys, and other legal personnel. Inclusion of this bill in the reauthorization will greatly improve parent, family, and youth engagement in their child welfare proceedings,” added Miller.

The Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act aims at enhancing CIP so courts can promote quality care through advanced technology in remote hearings and provide remote training for legal personnel involved in child welfare cases.