BILL NUMBER: AB 1133	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 8, 2013
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 21, 2013

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Mitchell
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Quirk-Silva)
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Ammiano,   Chesbro,   and Maienschein 
 ) 

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2013

   An act to add Section 17739 to the Welfare and Institutions Code,
relating to foster children.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1133, as amended, Mitchell. Foster children: special health
care needs.
   Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services
licenses foster families, and the department and each county provide
assistance to foster parents of low-income children under the Aid to
Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program.
Existing law requires the department to develop a program, to be
administered by the department and county social services
departments, for the establishment of foster care homes for children
with special health care needs with foster parents trained by health
care professionals pursuant to the discharge plan of the facility
releasing the child being placed in, or currently in, foster care.
Existing law requires each county department of social services to
develop a specified plan for foster care placement of children with
special health care needs.
   This bill would require that, when the placement of a foster child
with special health care needs is being considered, preference be
given to placement with a foster parent who is  a health care
practitioner authorized to provide in-home medical care, as
specified   an individual nurse provider, as defined,
who provides health services under the federal Early and Periodic
Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment program  , but that this
preference be subordinate to the preference granted to a relative of
the child, in accordance with federal law.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 17739 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
   17739.  (a) When the placement of a foster child with special
health care needs is being considered, preference shall be given to
placement with a foster parent who is  a health care
practitioner authorized to provide in-home medical care as described
in subdivision (t) of Section 14132 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code.   an individual nurse provider, as defined in
subdivision (m) of Section 14143.26 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, who provides health services under the federal Early and
Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment program (Section 1396d(a)
(4)(B) of Title 42 of the United States   Code). 
   (b) The preference described in subdivision (a) shall be
subordinate to the preference granted to a relative of the child
under Section 361.3, in accordance with Section 671(a)(19) of Title
42 of the United States Code.