04/22/2003 03:49 PM House FIN

 SENATE BILL NO. 123 am                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
      An Act  relating  to adoptions  and  guardianships  that                                                                  
      include a  subsidy  payment by  the  state; eliminating                                                                   
      annual review  of the subsidy  paid by  the state  after                                                                  
      adoption of  a hard-to-place  child  has occurred  or  a                                                                  
      court has appointed a legal guardian for a hard- to-                                                                      
     place child; and providing for an effective date.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
 JOANNE GIBBENS,  PROGRAM  ADMINISTRATOR, DIVISION  OF  FAMILY                                                                  
 AND  YOUTH  SERVICES,   DEPARTMENT  OF   HEALTH  AND   SOCIAL                                                                  
 SERVICES, advised that SB 123 differs from the House  version                                                                  
 HB 166 in two ways:                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
   ·    SB 123 adds guardianships to the title in addition                                                                      
        to adoptions;                                                                                                           
   ·    SB 123 does put into law the requirement that upon                                                                      
        the  request of the person  caring for the child,  the                                                                  
        Department  "shall"  review  whether  the  subsidy  is                                                                  
        appropriate  or  not.    Elimination   of  the  annual                                                                  
        review  of the subsidy amount  does not eliminate  the                                                                  
        right  of the adoptive parent  or guardian to ask  for                                                                  
        a review of the subsidy amount.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
 Representative  Croft  asked   if  that  distinction  was   a                                                                  
 difference between using  the language "shall" and/or  "may".                                                                  
 Ms. Gibbens  noted that  the language  was added  on Page  1,                                                                  
 Line 12.    Representative  Croft understood  that  from  her                                                                  
 testimony.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
 Representative  Foster  MOVED  to  report  SB  123am  out  of                                                                  
 Committee  with  individual  recommendations  and  with   the                                                                  
 attached fiscal note.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
 There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
 SB 123am  was  reported  out of  Committee  with "individual                                                                   
 recommendations" and  with fiscal note  #1 by the Department                                                                   
 of Health and Social Services.