03/27/2008 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES

HB 358-NEEDY CHILDREN: EDUC./ SOCIAL WORKERS                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:54:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WILSON announced that the  final order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 358,  "An Act relating  to continuing  the public                                                               
education of a  homeless student, to the purpose  of certain laws                                                               
as  they relate  to children,  to the  determination of  costs of                                                               
maintenance  of  certain children  in  foster  care, and  to  the                                                               
salaries and benefits  of certain social workers  employed by the                                                               
state; and providing for an effective date."                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:54:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LES  GARA, Alaska  State Legislature,   introduced                                                               
HB 358 as  the sponsor.  He informed the  committee that the bill                                                               
was an  attempt to address  some of the solvable  problems within                                                               
the  state's  foster  care  system.   Two  thousand  of  Alaska's                                                               
children are  in foster care.    Alaska, like many  states, has a                                                               
shortage  of  social  workers  which results  in  delays  in  the                                                               
investigation of abuse cases.   There are also delays when foster                                                               
parents  need   help,  or  need   to  contact  the   state,  thus                                                               
contributing to the shortage of  foster families.  He opined that                                                               
the  shortage of  foster families  can not  be addressed  without                                                               
first  providing  more  social  workers;  HB  358  authorizes  an                                                               
increase in  salary for social  workers.  Moreover,  the shortage                                                               
of  social workers  includes vacancies  for funded  positions and                                                               
additional  positions that  need to  be  added to  the Office  of                                                               
Children's  Services   (OCS),  Department  of  Health   &  Social                                                               
Services (DHSS).   Furthermore,  the Foster  Parent Base  Rate is                                                               
not updated  on a timely  basis and  the bill requires  an annual                                                               
adjustment of  the reimbursement rate.   Another problem  is that                                                               
foster  children who  must move  between schools  experience more                                                               
academic and social  losses.  Representative Gara  noted that the                                                               
bill provides additional support  to fund transportation in order                                                               
to keep  permanently placed foster  children in their  schools of                                                               
origin,  and requires  schools to  transfer their  records within                                                               
ten days when there is a  change in schools.  Representative Gara                                                               
summarized that the bill solves these four problems.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:59:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WILSON stated that HB 358 would be held.