1997-01-30                     Senate Journal                      Page 0180
SB 73                                                                        
SENATE BILL NO. 73 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                               
BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled:                                          
                                                                               
                                                                               

1997-01-30                     Senate Journal                      Page 0181
SB 73                                                                        
An Act relating to the citizen review board and                               
panels for permanency planning for children in state                           
foster care; extending the termination date of the                             
Citizens Foster Care Review Board; and providing                               
for an effective date.                                                         
                                                                               
was read the first time and referred to the Labor and Commerce,                
Health, Education and Social Services and Finance Committees.                  
                                                                               
Fiscal note published today from Department of Administration.                 
Zero fiscal note published today from Department of Health and                 
Social Services.                                                               
                                                                               
Governors transmittal letter dated January 30:                                 
                                                                               
Dear President Miller:                                                         
                                                                               
One of the services provided for abused, neglected or delinquent               
youths in the states custody is placement in foster care.  It is               
essential these placements receive periodic review to ensure the               
childrens needs are being met.  However, the statutory mandate to              
conduct regular citizen reviews statewide is not currently carried out,        
primarily because of lack of funding and a burdensome and                      
duplicative review structure.  This bill, as part of my package of             
bills introduced today based on the recommendations of the                     
Governors Conference on Youth and Justice, restructures the foster             
care review system to improve the foster care program for our                  
children.                                                                      
                                                                               
Existing law specifies that local foster care review panels be                 
established statewide, each composed of five volunteer citizen                 
members.  The costs of recruiting and training the volunteers and              
then conducting the reviews far exceed the level of funding                    
appropriated to date.  The result is that review panels have only              
existed in the Anchorage area and, even then, cover only a fraction            
of the total number of children in foster care.                                
                                                                               
                                                                               

1997-01-30                     Senate Journal                      Page 0182
SB 73                                                                        
At the same time, to comply with federal law, the Department of                
Health and Social Services (DHSS) reviews foster care cases using              
panels consisting of at least two department members and one citizen           
volunteer member.                                                              
                                                                               
Under this bill, the newly named Citizens Foster Care Review Board             
housed within the Department of Administration is reduced from ten             
members to nine, with five being public members.  The statewide                
board will appoint and train citizens for the local review panels, each        
consisting of three public members and two members from the                    
DHSS.  The panel will be chaired by one of the public members,                 
but the department will schedule the reviews, provide notification to          
necessary participants, and draft the panel reports.                           
                                                                               
This new structure will meet both the federal and state requirements           
within one foster care review system, thereby avoiding the current             
wasteful duplication of services.  The cost of operating the review            
panels will also be greatly reduced by relying on the staff support            
from the DHSS.                                                                 
                                                                               
Most importantly, this new system will enable the establishment of             
citizen review panels statewide.  This means the state can follow              
through on its responsibility to oversee the foster care program and           
provide the quality of services our children in need deserve.                  
                                                                               
						Sincerely,                                                               
						/s/                                                                      
						Tony Knowles                                                             
						Governor