State Seal2 copy            Bill Number: S.B. 1824

            Alston Floor Amendment

            Reference to: printed bill

            Amendment drafted by: Leg Council

 

 

FLOOR AMENDMENT EXPLANATION

 

Increases the kinship foster care stipend from $75 to $250.

Increases the child care assistance stipend for eligible families to 75% of the market rate.



 

Fifty-fifth Legislature                                                    Alston

First Regular Session                                                   S.B. 1824

 

ALSTON FLOOR AMENDMENT

SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B. 1824

(Reference to printed bill)

 


Page 1, between lines 25 and 26, insert:

"Sec. 2. Section 8-514.03, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2018, chapter 110, section 2, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE8-514.03. Kinship foster care; fingerprinting requirements; financial and nonfinancial services; stipend

A. The department shall establish kinship foster care services for a child who has been removed from the child's home and is in the custody of the department. The program shall promote the placement of the child with the child's relative or a person with a significant relationship with the child for kinship foster care.

B. A kinship foster care parent applicant who is not a licensed foster care parent shall be at least eighteen years of age.  The applicant and each member of the applicant's household who is at least eighteen years of age shall submit a full set of fingerprints to the department of child safety for the purpose of obtaining a state and federal criminal records check pursuant to section 41-1750 and Public Law 92-544. The department of public safety may exchange this fingerprint data with the federal bureau of investigation. The department of child safety shall determine if the applicant is able to meet the child's health and safety needs by conducting one or more home visits and interviewing the applicant.  The department of child safety may interview other household members, review the applicant's personal and professional references and conduct department of child safety central registry checks.

C. If the department determines that a kinship foster care placement is not in the best interest of the child, the department shall provide written notification to the applicant within fifteen business days. The notice shall include the specific reason for denial, the applicant's right to appeal and the process for reviewing the decision.

D. A kinship foster care parent may be eligible to receive the following financial services for the child:

1. Full foster care benefits, including payment if the kinship foster care parent becomes a licensed foster care home.

2. Temporary assistance for needy families cash assistance payments for a child only case and supplemental financial support.

E. The department shall establish procedures for child welfare workers to inform kinship foster care families about available financial and nonfinancial services and eligibility requirements and shall assist the families in completing the necessary application.

F. If a family declines to apply for financial services, the family shall sign a statement indicating that the family declined services.  The statement does not prevent the family from making application in the future.  The worker shall provide a copy of the statement to the family.

G. The department shall provide nonfinancial services for a kinship foster care parent through existing means or referral. Nonfinancial services may include:

1. Family assessment.

2. Case management.

3. Child day care.

4. Housing search and relocation.

5. Parenting skills training.

6. Supportive intervention and guidance counseling.

7. Transportation.

8. Emergency services.

9. Parent aid services.

10. Respite services.

11. Additional services that the department determines are necessary to meet the needs of the child and family.

H. The DEPARTMENT shall provide a kinship foster care parent with a stipend of $250 per month for each child placed with the foster care parent. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Repeal

Section 8-514.03, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2018, chapter 153, section 3, is repealed."

Renumber to conform

Page 19, between lines 40 and 41, insert:

"Sec. 15. Section 46-803, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE46-803. Eligibility for child care assistance

A. The department shall provide child care assistance to eligible families who are attempting to achieve independence from the cash assistance program and who need child care assistance in support of and as specified in their personal responsibility agreement pursuant to chapters 1 and 2 of this title.

B. The department shall provide child care assistance to eligible families who are transitioning off cash assistance due to increased earnings or child support income in order to accept or maintain employment. Eligible families must request this assistance within six months after the cash assistance case closure.  Child care assistance may be provided for up to twenty-four months after the case closure and shall cease after a time period specified in rule by the department once the family income exceeds one hundred sixty-five percent of the federal poverty level but remains below eighty-five percent of the state median income. If the family income exceeds eighty-five percent of the state median income, child care assistance shall cease on notification by the department.

C. The department shall provide child care assistance to eligible families who are diverted from cash assistance pursuant to section 46-298 in order to obtain or maintain employment. Child care assistance may be provided for up to twenty-four months after the case closure and shall cease after a time period specified in rule by the department once the family income exceeds one hundred sixty-five percent of the federal poverty level but remains below eighty-five percent of the state median income. If the family income exceeds eighty-five percent of the state median income, child care assistance shall cease on notification by the department.

D. The department may provide child care assistance to support eligible families with incomes of one hundred sixty-five percent or less of the federal poverty level at the time of application to accept or maintain employment. Child care assistance shall cease after a time period specified in rule by the department once the family income exceeds one hundred sixty-five percent of the federal poverty level but remains below eighty-five percent of the state median income.  If the family income exceeds eighty-five percent of the state median income, child care assistance shall cease on notification by the department. Priority for this child care assistance shall be given to families with incomes of one hundred percent or less of the federal poverty level.

E. The department may provide child care assistance to families referred by the department of child safety and to children in foster care pursuant to title 8, chapter 4 to support child protection.  Notwithstanding any other law, the payment rates for child care assistance  for these children shall be at least seventy-five percent of the market rate.

F. The department may provide child care assistance to special circumstance families whose incomes are one hundred sixty-five percent or less of the federal poverty level at the time of application and who are unable to provide child care for a portion of a twenty-four-hour day due to a crisis situation of domestic violence or homelessness, or a physical, mental, emotional or medical condition, participation in a drug treatment or drug rehabilitation program or court-ordered community restitution.  Child care assistance shall cease after a time period specified in rule by the department once the family income exceeds one hundred sixty-five percent of the federal poverty level but remains below eighty-five percent of the state median income. If the family income exceeds eighty-five percent of the state median income, child care assistance shall cease on notification by the department. Priority for this child care assistance shall be given to families with incomes of one hundred percent or less of the federal poverty level.

G. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the department may reduce maximum income eligibility levels for child care assistance in order to manage within appropriated and available monies. The department shall notify the joint legislative budget committee of any change in maximum income eligibility levels for child care assistance within fifteen days after implementing the change.

H. In lieu of the employment activity required in subsection B, C or D of this section, the department may allow eligible families with teenaged custodial parents under twenty years of age to complete a high school diploma or its equivalent or engage in remedial education activities reasonably related to employment goals.

I. The department may provide supplemental child care assistance for department-approved education and training activities if the eligible parent, legal guardian or caretaker relative is working at least a monthly average of twenty hours per week and the education and training are reasonably related to employment goals. The eligible parent, legal guardian or caretaker relative must demonstrate satisfactory progress in the education or training activity.

J. The department shall establish waiting lists for child care assistance and prioritize child care assistance for different eligibility categories in order to manage within appropriated and available monies.  Priority of children on the waiting list shall start with those families at one hundred percent of the federal poverty level and continue with each successive ten percent increase in the federal poverty level until the maximum allowable federal poverty level of one hundred sixty-five percent.  Priority shall be given regardless of time spent on the waiting list.

K. The department shall establish criteria for denying, reducing or terminating child care assistance that include:

1. Whether there is a parent, legal guardian or caretaker relative available to care for the child.

2. Financial or programmatic eligibility changes or ineligibility.

3. Failure to cooperate with the requirements of the department to determine or redetermine eligibility.

4. Hours of child care need that fall within the child's compulsory academic school hours.

5. Reasonably accessible and available publicly funded early childhood education programs.

6. Whether an otherwise eligible family has been sanctioned and cash assistance has been terminated pursuant to chapter 2 of this title.

7. Other circumstances of a similar nature.

8. Whether sufficient monies exist for the assistance.

L. Families receiving child care assistance under subsection D or F of this section are also subject to the following requirements for that child care assistance:

1. Each child is limited to not more than sixty cumulative months of child care assistance.  The department may provide an extension if the family can prove that the family is making efforts to improve skills and move towards self-sufficiency.

2. Families are limited to not more than six children receiving child care assistance.

3. Copayments shall be imposed for all children receiving child care assistance.  Copayments for each child may be higher for the first child in child care than for additional children in child care.

M. The department shall review each case not more than once a year to evaluate eligibility for child care assistance.

N. The department shall report on December 31 and June 30 of each year to the joint legislative budget committee the total number of families who applied for child care assistance and the total number of families who were denied assistance under this section because the parents, legal guardians or caretaker relatives who applied for assistance were not citizens or legal residents of the United States or were not otherwise lawfully present in the United States.

O. This section shall be enforced without regard to race, religion, gender, ethnicity or national origin.

P. The department shall refer all child care subsidy recipients to child support enforcement and to local workforce services and provide information on the earned income tax credit."END_STATUTE

Renumber to conform

Amend title to conform


 

 

LELA ALSTON

 

1824Floor ALSTON

05/25/2021

01:37 PM

C: MH