03/22/2012 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

           SB 82-FOSTER CARE LICENSING/STATE CUSTODY                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:32:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced that the  final order of business would be                                                               
CS FOR  SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR  SENATE BILL NO. 82(JUD),  "An Act                                                               
relating to the procedures and  jurisdiction of the Department of                                                               
Health and  Social Services for the  care of children who  are in                                                               
state  custody;  relating  to  court  jurisdiction  and  findings                                                               
pertaining to  children who are  in state custody;  and modifying                                                               
the licensing requirements for foster care."                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:32:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BETTYE DAVIS,  Alaska State  Legislature, said  that her                                                               
staff member,  Celeste Hodge, would explain  the proposed changes                                                               
and compromises.   She said that she would also  be available for                                                               
any questions.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:33:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DICK  moved to adopt the  proposed House committee                                                               
substitute   (HCS)   for  CSSSSB82(JUD),   Version   27-LS0500\R,                                                               
Lauckhaupt\Mischel,  3/6/12,  as  the working  document.    There                                                               
being  no  objection,  Version  R  was  adopted  as  the  working                                                               
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:33:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CELESTE  HODGE,   Staff,  Senator  Bettye  Davis,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  directed  attention  to  the  proposed  changes  in                                                               
Version R.   She stated that  there were no changes  in Section 1                                                               
or Section  2.   She explained  that there was  a new  Section 3,                                                               
identifying page 3, lines 11 -  17, and read from the Explanation                                                               
of Changes [Included in members' packets]:                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     amends  provisions  for  extensions  of  state  custody                                                                    
     orders  to distinguish  among  circumstance of  release                                                                    
     and need for  out of home care.   The proposed changes,                                                                    
     page 3, line 11-17  were developed in consultation with                                                                    
     the  Department of  Law and  the  Office of  Children's                                                                    
     Services  and  delineate   statutorily  the  situations                                                                    
     under  which a  youth may  reenter state  custody after                                                                    
     being released.  This delineation  was needed to ensure                                                                    
     proper applications of the  reentry provision passed in                                                                    
     2010.  Specifically, the  proposed changes enable youth                                                                    
     to  reenter  state custody  if  they  were released  to                                                                    
     their parents' custody  between ages 16 -  18 but those                                                                    
     parents are unable or unwilling  to care for the child.                                                                    
     Page  3,  lines  19-27,  this  language  was  added  to                                                                    
     clarify the conditions that must  be met for a youth to                                                                    
     reenter state custody.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HODGE stated  that Section  4 was  renumbered to  Section 5,                                                               
Section 5 was  renumbered to Section 6, Section  6 was renumbered                                                               
to Section 7, and Section 7 was renumbered to Section 8.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:35:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked  if the majority of  the changes were                                                               
on page 3, lines 19-24.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:36:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. HODGE  clarified that all the  changes were on page  3, lines                                                               
11-17 and 19-27.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:36:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER, in response to Senator  Davis, said that he was not                                                               
going to submit an amendment.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:36:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DAVIS  announced that all  the contributing  parties were                                                               
in agreement to pass Version R.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:37:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER,  directing attention  to page 3,  line 6,  asked to                                                               
clarify that this was a resumption of custody.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:37:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TRACY  SPARTZ-CAMPBELL, Deputy  Director, Central  Office, Office                                                               
of  Children's Services  (OCS), Department  of Health  and Social                                                               
Services, stated  that OCS was  in agreement with the  changes in                                                               
Version R.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:38:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON  asked if  OCS  agreed  with the  proposed                                                               
bill, as well as the changes in Version R.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. SPARTZ-CAMPBELL  confirmed that OCS agreed  with the totality                                                               
of proposed Version R.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:38:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AMANDA  METIVIER, Statewide  Coordinator, Facing  Foster Care  in                                                               
Alaska, testified that  Facing Foster Care supported SB  82.  She                                                               
reviewed  that the  proposed  bill would:    define siblings  and                                                               
request their  placement together;  restrict the use  of "another                                                               
planned  permanent  living  arrangement" as  a  permanency  goal;                                                               
loosen  the licensing  standard  for rural  communities so  young                                                               
children could stay  in the community, rather than  move to urban                                                               
areas; and  allow for  re-entry to foster  care after  an earlier                                                               
release of custody.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:42:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER closed public testimony.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:42:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DICK  moved to report HCS  CSSSSB82 (JUD), Version                                                               
27-LS0500\R,  Luckhaupt/Mischel, 3/6/12,  out  of committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There being no  objection, HCS CSSSSB82 (HSS)  was forwarded from                                                               
the House Health and Social Services Standing Committee.