Bill Text: CA AB665 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: State adoption services: investment.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2009-10-11 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 250, Statutes of 2009. [AB665 Detail]

Download: California-2009-AB665-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 665	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 13, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 31, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Torrico

                        FEBRUARY 25, 2009

   An act to amend Section 16131.5 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, relating to children, and making an appropriation therefor.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 665, as amended, Torrico. State adoption services: investment.
   Existing law provides for child welfare services, which are public
social services directed toward, among other purposes, protecting
and promoting the welfare of all children, including those in foster
care placement.
   Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services may
provide state adoption services in a county that has not established
a county adoption agency. Existing law requires the state to reinvest
incentive payments, received through the implementation of specified
provisions of federal law, into the child welfare system, in order
to provide adoption services for older children.
   This bill would, instead, require the state to reinvest these 
adoption  incentive payments into the child welfare system, in
order to provide legal permanency outcomes for older children, as
specified.
   This bill would continuously appropriate the amount of the 
adoption  incentive payments to the State Department of Social
Services for allocation to counties, and the department for a county
in which the department serves as an adoption agency, based on
documented legal permanency outcomes for older children  in
  achieved by  each county for the purpose of
improving legal permanency outcomes for older children, as specified.

   Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 16131.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   16131.5.  (a) The state shall reinvest  adoption 
incentive payments received through the implementation of the federal
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of
2008 (Public Law 110-351)  for placement of older children,
as defined in that act,  into the child welfare system, in
order to provide legal permanency outcomes for  older 
children, including, but not limited to, adoption, guardianship, and
reunification of children whose reunification services were
previously terminated.
    (b) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the
amount of  adoption  incentive payments received pursuant to
subdivision (a) are hereby continuously appropriated without regard
to the fiscal year to the State Department of Social Services for
allocation to the counties, and the department for a county in which
the department serves as an adoption agency, based on documented 
increases in  legal permanency outcomes for older children
 in   achieved by  each county  , 
 as determined by the department, in consultation with counties
 , for the purposes specified in this section.
    (c) A county, or the department when it acts as the adoption
agency for a county, shall use  adoption  incentive payment
funds to improve  or sustain  legal permanency outcomes for
older children. A county shall reinvest savings that result from
successful legal permanency outcome efforts for older children into
activities that improve legal permanency outcomes for older children.

    (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to supplant funds
currently being spent on programs to provide legal permanency
outcomes.