BILL ANALYSIS
SB 597
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 597 (Lieu)
As Amended August 31, 2009
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :36-1
HUMAN SERVICES 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Beall, Saldana, Tom |Ayes:|De Leon, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Berryhill, Hall, Logue, | | |
| |Portantino, Swanson | |Charles Calderon, Coto, |
| | | |Davis, Fuentes, Hall, |
| | | |Harkey, Miller, Nielsen, |
| | | |John A. Perez, Skinner, |
| | | |Solorio, Audra |
| | | |Strickland, Torlakson, |
| | | |Hill |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Makes changes in state law relative to child welfare
services to conform to the federal Fostering Connections Act of
2008 (Fostering Connections), and modifies foster family agency
staffing ratios and foster care group home payment rates and
levels. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes the following federal conformity changes:
a) Extends the sunset date for staffing flexibility for
community treatment facilities from January 1, 2010, until
January 1, 2013;
b) Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
develop a plan for the ongoing oversight and coordination
of health care services for a child in foster care, and to
do so in consultation with pediatricians, health care
experts, experts in and recipients of child welfare
services;
c) Requires DSS and licensed adoptive agencies to provide
information regarding the federal adoption tax credit to
any individual adopting or considering adopting a child in
SB 597
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foster care; and,
d) Makes various conforming changes to the law governing
the Adoptions Assistance Program (AAP).
2)Reduces, for one year, social worker supervisor to social
worker ratios at foster family agencies that provide treatment
of children in foster families.
3)Adjusts, for one year, the foster care group home rate
classification levels.
4)Makes a clean-up change to dependent and parent status review
hearings in regards to children under three years of age where
the court would now be required to take into account any
particular barriers to a parent's ability to maintain contact
with those children due to the parent's incarceration or
institutionalization, as specified.
5)Includes chaptering out amendments to avoid a code section
conflict with SB 118 (Liu).
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, no significant costs associated with this
legislation.
COMMENTS : In 2008, Congress passed and the President signed the
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of
2008. The bill includes several provisions that will conform
state law to that of the federal provisions in order for
California's children and families to benefit from the
opportunities in the federal bill.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the
new law increases federal funds available to states for adoption
incentives, a new subsidized guardianship program, and the new
state option to assist children up to age 21 in either foster
care, adoption or subsidized guardianship assistance. Fostering
Connections also gradually de-links eligibility for adoption
assistance from the old AFDC-FC income eligibility criteria.
This bill makes four conformity changes.
Amongst other clarifying or clean-up changes, the August
amendments included two that ameliorate the Budget's 10% rate
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reduction that fund group homes. The first amendment allows
foster family agencies to reduce social worker supervisor to
social worker staffing ratio from the current 1:6 to 1:8. The
second change allows modifications to the rates that are paid to
foster care group homes. Both of these changes allow these
entities the flexibility to continue to operate with less funds
by reducing staffing or services. Both amendments expire in one
year.
Analysis Prepared by : Frances Chacon / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089
FN: 0002714