SB 17: "An Act relating to tuition waivers for a child who was in foster care; relating to eligibility for foster care and subsidy payments for a hard-to-place child; and changing the definition of 'child' to include persons under 23 years of age in foster care."
00 SENATE BILL NO. 17 01 "An Act relating to tuition waivers for a child who was in foster care; relating to 02 eligibility for foster care and subsidy payments for a hard-to-place child; and changing 03 the definition of 'child' to include persons under 23 years of age in foster care." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 14.43 is amended by adding a new section to read: 06 Article 3A. Free Tuition for a Person Who Was in Foster Care. 07 Sec. 14.43.086. Free tuition and fees for a person who was in foster care. A 08 person who was in the custody of the state under AS 47.10 or AS 47.14 and placed in 09 foster care is entitled to a waiver of undergraduate tuition and fees if the person enrolls 10 as a student in good standing in a state-supported educational institution in this state. 11 * Sec. 2. AS 25.23.210 is amended to read: 12 Sec. 25.23.210. Amount and duration of subsidy payments. The monthly 13 payment and the length of time for which a subsidy for a hard-to-place child is granted 14 are left to the discretion of the commissioner and may vary from a small monthly sum
01 to an amount not exceeding the existing rate for foster care until the child reaches 23 02 years of age [THE AGE OF MAJORITY], if the need continues to exist. Subsidies 03 shall be paid from the same public funds and in the same manner as foster care 04 payments. On request of the person caring for the child, the department shall review 05 whether the amount of the subsidy is appropriate. 06 * Sec. 3. AS 47.10.990(3) is amended to read: 07 (3) "child" means a person who is 08 (A) under 18 years of age; 09 (B) [AND A PERSON] 19 years of age if that person was 10 under 18 years of age at the time that a proceeding under this chapter was 11 commenced; and 12 (C) under 23 years of age if that person is living in a foster 13 home; 14 * Sec. 4. AS 47.14.990 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 15 (13) "child" means a person under 18 years of age and a person under 16 23 years of age if the person is living in a foster home. 17 * Sec. 5. AS 47.18.310 is amended to read: 18 Sec. 47.18.310. Program design. The department, in coordination with local 19 public and private agencies, shall design the program as a continuation of the training 20 efforts related to independent living skills that were initiated when the state foster care 21 recipients were identified as being likely to remain in state foster care until reaching 22 23 years of age [THE AGE OF 18]. The program design must require that program 23 participants are directly involved in identifying the program activities that will prepare 24 them for independent living.