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BILL # SB 1530 |
TITLE: kinship foster care; stipend |
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SPONSOR: Alston |
STATUS: Senate Engrossed |
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PREPARED BY: Alexis Sammon |
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SB 1530 would increase the monthly kinship foster care stipend from $75 to $300 for each child placed in an unlicensed kinship care setting.
Estimated Impact
The Executive estimates the bill will result in a General Fund increase of $19.8 million, $19.4 million to provide the increased subsidy to current recipients and $396,000 in forecasted population growth costs. The JLBC Staff believes this estimate is reasonable.
Kinship settings, where care is provided by a family member or adult who has a significant relationship with the child, are a common placement type for foster youth. In FY 2021, the kinship stipend program provided for payments for 6,334 children in unlicensed homes. The department expects that this number will continue to rise through FY 2023 to reach an average of 6,782 children in unlicensed kinship care settings who will qualify for the increased stipend. Participants in the kinship stipend program currently receive an average of $75 per month. The bill would increase the stipend to $300 per month, or $3,600 per year.
At $3,600 per year per child, the projected cost for 6,782 recipients is $24.4 million. The Executive Budget request calls for an additional $396,000 for further caseload increases throughout the year, which would account for an additional 110 children. This brings the total cost of the stipend increase to $24.8 million to serve 6,892 children in FY 2023. Given the $5 million General Fund appropriation from FY 2022, this will cost an additional $19.8 million in General Fund monies in FY 2023.
Local Government Impact
None
2/24/22