Legislature(2009 - 2010)BUTROVICH 205
04/06/2009 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB2 | |
| SB139 | |
| SB27 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 2 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 139 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 27 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 27-FOSTER CARE AGE LIMIT/TUITION WAIVER
2:25:32 PM
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of SB 27. [CSSB 27, version
E was before the committee having been adopted at the 3/11/09
hearing.]
TOM OBERMEYER, staff to Senator Davis, said this bill provides
waivers of tuition and fees combined with other assistance to
help foster or out-of-home care children to enjoy the
opportunity and benefits of higher education afforded to others.
The University of Alaska (UA) has increased from 5 to 10
students statewide who were in foster care for tuition waivers,
but that isn't nearly enough. This bill attempts to provide many
more foster kids to go to college, it extends a court order age
to 21 for a child committed to the custody of the department, it
significantly changes "foster care" to "out-of-home care" for
purposes of a transition to an independent living program, and
adds a monetary stipend for children in the transition program
for a specified period of time up to one year. In the past these
youth who "aged out" of foster care were given financial
assistance for housing up to two months.
At ease from 2:27 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
2:30:51 PM
MIKE LESSMAN, Manager, Community Relations and Legislative
Contact, Office of Children's Services (OCS), Department of
Health and Social Services (DHSS), said there are three fiscal
notes, because three components of the OCS budget would be
impacted. First, this extends the age a child can be in state
custody to 21; so the department would be paying for an
additional year for some youth. Another financial impact is
found in Section 12, the provision that provides for monetary
living expense stipend. And third, the state automated child
welfare system, ORCA, would require programming changes to
accommodate age changes.
CHAIR DAVIS said he might want to just run through the fiscal
notes.
2:34:46 PM
MR. LESSMAN explained that this is new territory for the OCS,
and these figures are basically their best guess.
SENATOR DYSON asked if he could say what the department's
position is.
MR. LESSMAN replied that the department is neutral.
SENATOR DYSON asked if he is correct that the cost would be
about $2.5 million per year.
MR. LESSMAN replied that in FY2010 the monetary stipend portion
alone is about $5 million. The foster care age increase to 21 is
about $725,000.
2:37:10 PM
CHAIR DAVIS said this is a positive way to spend the state's
money. The fiscal note represents all of the children who could
conceivably be served, but not all will take advantage of this
program. She noted that she heard no objections other than
monetary.
MR. LESSMAN explained that the premise behind the department's
neutral position is a simple matter of priorities. He said OCS
recently got its results of the federal review that said they
really need to concentrate on timeliness of investigations,
keeping children in their homes if it is safe to do so, and
doing more home visits. Families need to be reunified more
quickly and safely. So their priorities are on the front end of
the system.
2:40:02 PM
SENATOR DYSON said he'd like to see a copy of the audit results.
MR. LESSMAN said it is on the OCS web site.
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report CS for SB 27 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There
being no objection, CSSB 27(HSS) moved from committee.
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