BILL NUMBER: AB 628	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Strickland

                        FEBRUARY 17, 2005

   An act to add Section 1502.1 to the Health and Safety Code, and to
add Section 16015 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to
foster care.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 628, as introduced, Strickland.   Foster care givers.
   Existing law provides for the certification, licensing, and
training of foster care providers.  Existing law relating to the
placement of children in foster care generally requires these
placements to be made in the best interests of the child.
   This bill would provide, notwithstanding any other provision of
law, that the religious or moral beliefs of a person licensed or
certified to provide foster care, or of a person applying for
licensure or certification to provide foster care do not render the
person ineligible to provide foster care, and that a foster care
provider's objection, based upon religious or moral grounds, to the
initial or continued placement of a foster youth in the provider's
care, do not render the provider ineligible to provide foster care to
any other foster youth.
   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 1502.1 is added to the  Health and Safety Code
, to read:
   1502.1.  (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
religious or moral beliefs of a person licensed or certified to
provide foster care, or of a person applying for licensure or
certification to provide foster care, shall not render the person
ineligible to provide foster care. (b) Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, a foster care provider's objection, based upon
religious or moral grounds, to the initial or continued placement of
a foster youth in the provider's care, shall not render the foster
care provider ineligible to provide foster care to any other foster
youth.
  SEC. 2.  Section 16015 is added to the  Welfare and Institutions
Code , to read:
   16015.  (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
religious or moral beliefs of a person licensed or certified to
provide foster care, or of a person applying for licensure or
certification to provide foster care, shall not render the person
ineligible to provide foster care. (b) Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, a foster care provider's objection, based upon
religious or moral grounds, to the initial or continued placement of
a foster youth in the provider's care, shall not render the foster
care provider ineligible to provide foster care to any other foster
youth.