BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1641|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1641
Author: Soto (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE : 3-1, 3/28/06
AYES: Maldonado, Chesbro, Romero
NOES: Aanestad
NO VOTE RECORDED: Alquist
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-3, 4/24/06
AYES: Murray, Alarcon, Alquist, Dutton, Escutia, Florez,
Romero, Torlakson
NOES: Ashburn, Battin, Poochigian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Aanestad, Ortiz
SUBJECT : Foster care providers
SOURCE : Legal Advocates for Permanent Parenting
National Center for Youth Law
DIGEST : This bill requires the Department of Social
Services to convene a workgroup to review regulations and
statutes of foster care placements to identify barriers and
requirements which may stigmatize foster families or result
in unnecessary restrictions on foster youth.
ANALYSIS : Existing law vests the legal responsibility
for establishing policies, licensing standards and
regulations for the care and supervision of all children
CONTINUED
SB 1641
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2
removed from their parents due to dependency, neglect or
abuse.
Existing law requires placement agencies which utilize
"foster family agencies" to require those agencies when
placing a child in a foster home to place each child in a
home that best meets the needs of the child.
This bill requires the Director of Social Services to
establish a workgroup to review all statutes, regulations
and policies and to recommend elimination of rules which
hinder recruitment of foster parents or require imposition
of restrictions not ordinarily imposed by reasonable and
prudent parents. The workgroup is to be convened by
February 1, 2007 and shall issue a report by December 31,
2007.
This bill requires that foster home placements with either
relative caregivers or non-relative caregivers are the
least restrictive and most family like environments which
meet the needs of the children. This bill specifies age
appropriate activities be available to foster children.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2006-07 2007-08
2008-09 Fund
Administrative costs $ 75 $ 135 $
0GF
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/25/06)
Legal Advocates for Permanent Parenting (co-source)
National Center for Youth Law (co-source)
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AFSCME
County Welfare Directors Association of California
Foster Parent Association of Santa Cruz County
National Association of Council for Children, Los Angeles
Chapter
Straight from the Heart
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
the goal of the legislation as "all foster children should
live in the most family-like setting possible." The
author's office further cites examples of current licensing
standards and regulations which cause undue hardship on
foster children by depriving them of participation in
age-appropriate normal behavior.
1.A 17 year old is not allowed to be home alone, even
while a foster parent runs a simple errand.
2.Laundry detergent cannot be accessible to foster teens.
3.No more than two children can occupy a bedroom even for
a single night, precluding sibling or grandparent
visitation, let alone school friends "sleeping over."
These and other such examples have also been cited as
barriers to recruiting foster parents. Many families do
not want to alter their own homes so radically that they
would not consider them to be "normal" as a result of
accepting a foster child.
CTW:do 4/25/06 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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