05/13/2021 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        HB 153-CHILD IN NEED OF AID; NOTICE OF PLACEMENT                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:30:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  BILL NO. 153,  "An Act relating to  the identification,                                                               
location,  and  notification of  specified  family  members of  a                                                               
child who is in state custody."                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:31:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SUE  STANCLIFF, Staff,  Representative Mike  Cronk, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of  Representative Cronk,  prime sponsor,                                                               
stated that HB 153 would  ensure extended family members or close                                                               
family friends  are contacted as  potential foster parents.   She                                                               
said the bill's main provision  would make sure that a supervisor                                                               
signs  off that  the  required due  diligence  search for  family                                                               
members has occurred.   If not, she continued,  the social worker                                                               
is  directed   to  complete  that  search   to  the  supervisor's                                                               
satisfaction  in as  a timely  manner as  possible.   The further                                                               
noted that the bill requires the  search to be completed within a                                                               
30-day  time  limit,  but  also  recognizes  that  Alaska  is  an                                                               
expansive  state so  an extensive  search may  require additional                                                               
time.  The  bill allows for that levity, she  added, but requires                                                               
a supervisor to verify the progress.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS.  STANCLIFF  stated that  HB  153  would put  this  additional                                                               
protection into  statute since it  is not currently  addressed by                                                               
the Office  of Children's Service's  (OCS).  She said  the policy                                                               
is warranted  due to the  continuous high social  worker turnover                                                               
rate -  some social  workers are  very new  and may  not continue                                                               
beyond one  or two years.   Having a  supervisor sign off  that a                                                               
family  search has  been thoroughly  conducted  will ensure  that                                                               
children  are protected  and in  the best  foster home  possible.                                                               
When good  family placement  is available,  she added,  keeping a                                                               
child with his or  her family or as close to  home as possible is                                                               
often the  placement of the  child's best interest, which  is the                                                               
bill's intent.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:33:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY offered his support  for HB 153.  He asked                                                               
whether  OCS   has  had  any  disagreements   with  the  proposed                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. STANCLIFF responded that the  sponsor's understanding is that                                                               
OCS is already doing this to  the best of its ability and putting                                                               
this into statute will codify that OCS  is to do this.  If OCS is                                                               
not able  to do it, then  the supervisor would provide  a written                                                               
progress statement.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:35:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KURKA said he likes  the direction of the bill but                                                               
questions whether it needs to be  strengthened or cleaned up.  He                                                               
pointed out that for a  child the 30-day requirement, which could                                                               
be  extended  with a  supervisor's  approval,  represents a  long                                                               
time.  He  drew attention to the term "due  diligence" on page 1,                                                               
line 13, and asked whether there  is a standard or definition for                                                               
the term.  He stated he doesn't  want to pass a bill full of good                                                               
intent  but  without enough  teeth  to  meaningfully achieve  its                                                               
objective.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. STANCLIFF replied  that she doesn't have  a definitive answer                                                               
or response  to the  comments, but said  the department  tries to                                                               
adhere to  the timeframe.   She specified that this  is carryover                                                               
from  previous  legislation and  the  sponsor  took the  30  days                                                               
directly from  that previous work.   Regarding page 1,  lines 12-                                                               
14, she  stated that if  the department  is not able  to complete                                                               
the search  within the 30  days, the supervisor must  notify that                                                               
DHSS has done  its best to find the relatives  within that 30-day                                                               
period.  She noted that  completing the search isn't as difficult                                                               
in Bush  villages where everybody  knows everybody and  knows the                                                               
families,  but it  can  become very  challenging  in a  different                                                               
setting or if there is no living relative.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:39:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KURKA  stated he would like  to receive background                                                               
information on  the previous  legislative history  as well  as on                                                               
the standard for  due diligence.  He referred to  page 1, line 9,                                                               
regarding  notifying ["adult  family members  of the  child"] and                                                               
asked how family is defined.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. STANCLIFF answered that it is defined in statute.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:40:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY  asked whether the  sponsor has reached  out to                                                               
child welfare advocates  or folks in the field  who have assessed                                                               
this legislation.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS.  STANCLIFF replied  that the  sponsor  felt this  was a  very                                                               
simple bill and  has not heard from [child  welfare advocates] or                                                               
reached out to foster care but has spoken with the department.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY noted that in  2018 Alaska was the third lowest                                                               
in  non-relative placement,  although it  may have  improved with                                                               
the Tribal Child Welfare Compact.   She said she is interested in                                                               
a future  discussion with the  department about where that  is at                                                               
in context with HB 153.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:42:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS  asked whether the sponsor  has coordinated                                                               
with Facing  Foster Care, an  advocacy group for  foster families                                                               
in Anchorage.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. STANCLIFF  responded no  but said the  sponsor would  do that                                                               
with invited testimony.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ  recounted that  in 2018 House  Bill 151                                                               
was enacted, which required that  supervisors document in writing                                                               
in  the case  file whether  a search  had been  conducted for  an                                                               
appropriate placement  with an  adult family  member or  a family                                                               
friend.  She offered her  understanding that federal law requires                                                               
the 30-day timeframe, which is why  it wasn't put into House Bill                                                               
151 at  that time.   She encouraged the  sponsor to reach  out to                                                               
former Representative  Les Gara  and Amanda Metivier  with Facing                                                               
Foster Care  in Alaska  given they are  experts in  child welfare                                                               
law and  the history  of reform  over the  last decade  and could                                                               
help in the crafting and understanding the background.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. STANCLIFF  expressed her  thanks for  this information.   She                                                               
stated that AS 47.10.990 defines adult family members.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SNYDER  stated that  HB  153  was  held over  and  that                                                               
invited testimony would be heard at the bill's next hearing.