BILL NUMBER: AB 665	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 31, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Torrico

                        FEBRUARY 25, 2009

   An act to amend Section 16131.5 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, relating to children  , and making an appropriation
therefor  .



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 665, as amended, Torrico. State adoption services: investment.
   Existing law provides for child welfare services, which are public
social services directed toward, among other purposes, protecting
and promoting the welfare of all children, including those in foster
care placement.
   Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services may
provide state adoption services in a county that has not established
a county adoption agency. Existing law requires the state to reinvest
incentive payments, received through the implementation of specified
provisions of federal law,  for placement of older children
 into the child welfare system, in order to provide adoption
services for older children. 
   This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to these
provisions.  
   This bill would, instead, require the state to reinvest these
incentive payments into the child welfare system, in order to provide
legal permanency outcomes for older children, as specified. 

   This bill would continuously appropriate the amount of the
incentive payments to the State Department of Social Services for
allocation to counties, and the department for a county in which the
department serves as an adoption agency, based on documented legal
permanency outcomes for older children in each county for the purpose
of improving legal permanency outcomes for older children, as
specified. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation:  no   yes
 . Fiscal committee:  no   yes  .
State-mandated local program: no.


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

  SECTION 1.  Section 16131.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   16131.5.   (a)    The state shall reinvest
incentive payments received through the implementation of the federal
 Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-145)
  Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing
Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351)  for placement of
older children, as defined in that act, into the child welfare
system, in order to provide  adoption services for older
children. Nothing   legal permanency outcomes for
children, including, but not limited to, adoption, guardianship, and
reunification of children whose reunification services were
previously terminated.  
    (b) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the
amount of incentive payments received pursuant to subdivision (a) are
hereby continuously appropriated without regard to the fiscal year
to the State Department of Social Services for allocation to the
counties, and the department for a county in which the department
serves as an adoption agency, based on documented legal permanency
outcomes for older children in each county, for the purposes
specified in this section.  
    (c) A county, or the department when it acts as the adoption
agency for a county, shall use incentive payment funds to improve
legal permanency outcomes for older children. A county shall reinvest
savings that result from successful legal permanency outcome efforts
for older children into activities that improve legal permanency
outcomes for older children. 
    (d)     Nothing  in this section shall
be construed to supplant funds currently being spent on programs to
provide  adoption services   legal permanency
outcomes  .