SB 82 - FOSTER CARE LICENSING/STATE CUSTODY 1:36:05 PM VICE CHAIR THOMPSON announced that the first 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." [Before the committee was HCS CSSSSB 82(HSS).] 1:37:11 PM CELESTE HODGE, Staff, Senator Bettye Davis, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of the sponsor, Senator Davis, relayed that SSSB 82 would modify various provisions of Title 47 in order to prioritize the needs of children in state custody. Among other things, SSSB 82 seeks to ensure that older children in foster care achieve what she referred to as "permanency"; permanency for a child, she went on to explain, is best achieved through reunification with the child's parent, or, failing that, through adoption or guardianship. However, she added, if none of those options are available, permanency can still be achieved through what she referred to as, "another planned permanent living arrangement (APPLA)," and the bill, by providing guidelines for both the OCS and the court regarding when this APPLA option should be used, seeks to ensure that it is not chosen unnecessarily. MS. HODGE explained that in addition, SSSB 82 would allow for state custody to be resumed in instances where the parents of a previously-released child [age 16 or older] are unwilling or unable to care for the child; would create a statutory presumption that siblings be placed in the same home when possible and when doing so is in their best interest, and requires documentation in instances where such placement isn't possible; would provide guidelines for a child's early release from state custody, including proper-notification requirements and stipulations that such release be in the child's best interest; would statutorily stipulate that the application process for foster parents be streamlined; would provide a variance of applicable building code requirements for certain foster care homes under certain circumstances; and would conform the statutes addressing the retention of the court's jurisdiction over a child under the age of 21, to legislation passed in 2010. MS. HODGE, in conclusion, mentioned that SSSB 82 has a zero fiscal note. REPRESENTATIVE LYNN questioned whether the bill also contains provision for notifying necessarily-separated siblings of each other's whereabouts. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG, mentioning that he supports SSSB 82, expressed disfavor with Section 1's proposal to establish a short title for the bill in uncodified law, and questioned whether the sponsor would object to having that provision deleted. MS. HODGE suggested that others could better address that issue. 1:46:32 PM CHRISTY LAWTON, Director, Central Office, Office of Children's Services (OCS), Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), relayed that the OCS collaborated on SSSB 82, and finds that [its passage] would be in the best interests of the children the OCS serves. In response to questions, she said that deleting Section 1's proposed short title would not have any impact on OCS staff; that much of what's contained in SSSB 82 comports with the OCS's concept of best practices for children and families, and the OCS was already contemplating making changes to OCS policy reflective of some of the bill's proposed changes; that the adoption of SSSB 82 would enable Alaska to stay in compliance with federal law; and that the bill won't impact the OCS's ability to change its policies, most of which stem from federal guidelines. 1:49:36 PM AMANDA METIVIER, Statewide Coordinator, Facing Foster Care in Alaska (FFCA) - noting that she is an alumni of the foster care system, having "aged out" of foster care while living in Anchorage, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in social work - relayed that the FFCA supports SSSB 82, adding that it would do a number of things to improve the lives of children in foster care. To elaborate, she, too, noted that the bill would create a statutory presumption that siblings be placed in the same home when possible; regardless that federal law already requires this of states, siblings coming into the foster care system in Alaska are still being separated. With regard to the bill's proposal to provide a variance of applicable building code requirements for certain foster care homes under certain circumstances, she indicated that this would allow more foster children from rural areas of the state to stay in their communities. Referring, then, to the bill's proposal to provide guidelines regarding the aforementioned APPLA option, she characterized this as the most important provision of the bill, one that would help foster children obtain the permanency and support they need in order to be successful later on in life. VICE CHAIR THOMPSON, after ascertaining that no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on SSSB 82. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG observed that language in Section 3 of the bill addresses the resumption of state custody in instances where the person is completing an educational or vocational program. 1:59:24 PM REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA, Alaska State Legislature - in response to a question, and speaking as one of the joint prime sponsors of the House companion bill to SSSB 82 - acknowledged that deleting Section 1's proposed short title would be a policy call for the committee to make. MS. HODGE concurred. 2:00:31 PM REPRESENTATIVE KELLER moved to report HCS CSSSSB 82(HSS) out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HCS CSSSSB 82(HSS) was reported from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.