SB 731-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
02/13/2020 0606s
2020 SESSION
20-3035
05/01
SENATE BILL 731-FN
AN ACT relative to foster family assistance and making an appropriation therefor.
SPONSORS: Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Levesque, Dist 12; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Reagan, Dist 17; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Rep. Knirk, Carr. 3; Rep. Martin, Hills. 23
COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services
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ANALYSIS
This bill provides additional financial assistance to first-time foster parents and licensees at renewal who are required to make in-home adjustments to meet licensure requirements. This bill also makes an appropriation to the department of health and human services for the purpose of providing a one-time, supplemental payment to foster parents upon placement of a child in fiscal year 2022.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
02/13/2020 0606s 20-3035
05/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty
AN ACT relative to foster family assistance and making an appropriation therefor.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Statement of Purpose and Findings. In state fiscal year 2019, 1,779 children in New Hampshire were in child protective placement at some point during the year. In January 2019, there were 797 foster homes and 596 relative homes available in the state. It is imperative that a sufficient array of foster and relative homes be available to serve children who must come into child protective custody in the most appropriate placement in their own community.
2 New Paragraph; Foster Parents; Foster Care Allowance. Amend RSA 170-E:52 by inserting after paragraph VI the following new paragraph:
VII. The department shall establish a supplemental foster care allowance program to provide financial support to assist first-time foster parents or licensees at renewal, who are required to make in-home adjustments to meet licensure requirements. In order for an expense to be eligible, the department shall require prior approval of the project before any improvements are initiated. Upon receipt of an authorized invoice for an improvement, the department may make payments directly to the contractor on behalf of the applicant or provide reimbursement to the applicant upon demonstration of payment. There shall be a limit of $2,500 in reimbursable expenses per foster family home. The department may transfer unexpended funds from other accounting units and class lines in order to supplement any appropriation made to the department for purposes of this paragraph; provided that the funding for the supplemental foster care allowance program shall not exceed $100,000 per fiscal year.
3 Residential Care and Child-Placing Agency Licensing; Rulemaking; Foster Care Allowance. Amend RSA 170-E:34, I(f) to read as follows:
(f) Compensation to foster family homes for the costs of caring for each child placed in their home and the application and administration procedure for the supplemental foster care allowance under RSA 170-E:52, VII.
4 Fiscal Year 2022; Supplemental Assistance for New Foster Care Placements; Appropriation to the Department of Health and Human Services. Upon placement of a foster child during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, the foster parent shall receive a one-time allowance of $100, above and beyond daily reimbursement rates, from the department of health and human services for the purpose of providing for the immediate needs of the child. The sum of $30,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022 is hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services for the purposes of this section. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
I. Section 4 of this act shall take effect July 1, 2021.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect September 1, 2020.
20-3035
Amended 2/18/20
SB 731-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2020-0606s)
AN ACT relative to foster family assistance and making an appropriation therefor.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None
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| |||
| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
STATE: | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | FY 2023 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $30,000 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase |
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other | |||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a program to provide financial support for first-time foster parents or licensees at renewal, if those licensees are required to make in-home adjustments to meet licensure requirements. In order to fund this support (which is capped at $2,500 per foster home), the bill allows the Department to transfer up to $100,000 per fiscal year of unexpended funds from other accounting units. In response to an earlier iteration of the bill, the Department stated that there could be as many as 600 foster homes seeking financial support for infrastructure improvements. The Department is unable to determine the number of homes that would qualify or what the total cost of the renovations would be.
In addition to the above, the bill appropriates $30,000 in FY 2022 for the purpose of providing a one-time supplemental allowance of $100 to foster parents upon placement of a child. The Department notes that in FY 2018, 934 children were moved into licensed foster homes. Assuming the number in future years will be similar, this provision is expected to cost approximately $93,000 per year. The Department is unable to determine whether federal funds will be available to offset a portion of the cost.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Health and Human Services
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 28, 2020 | Senate | Hearing |
| Feb. 13, 2020 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| March 19, 2020 | Senate | Floor Vote |
June 16, 2020: Pending Motion Committee Amendment # 2020-1133s; 06/16/2020; SJ 8
June 16, 2020: Placed on Laid on Table Consent List and Laid on Table, MA, VV; 06/16/2020; SJ 8
March 19, 2020: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2020-1133s SC 11
Feb. 13, 2020: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2020-0606s, MA, VV; Refer to Finance Rule 4-5; 02/13/2020; SJ 4
Feb. 13, 2020: Committee Amendment # 2020-0606s, AA, VV; 02/13/2020; SJ 4
Feb. 13, 2020: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2020-0606s, 02/13/2020; SC 6A
Jan. 28, 2020: Hearing: 01/28/2020, Room 101, LOB, 03:40 pm; SC 4
Jan. 8, 2020: Introduced 01/08/2020 and Referred to Health and Human Services; SJ 2