Federal

FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

We support the following proposed federal legislations:

The Kinship Caregiver Support Act (H.R. 2188 / S. 661)

This bipartisan proposal allows states to use federal IV-E funding to support relatives who become legal guardians of children they've been caring for as foster parents.

The Adoption Equality Act of 2007 (S. 1462 / H.R. 4091)

This bill allows all special needs children in foster care to receive federal adoption assistance payments.

Medicaid Foster Care Coverage Act of 2007 (H.R. 1376)

Children aging out of foster care lose their access to health care as well as their home. Although some states have opted to extend Medicaid to age 21 for all children who age out of foster care, this legislation will make Medicaid available to all foster youth aging out of care.

ASSESSMENT OF THESE BILLS COMING SOON

The Invest in Kids Act (H.R. 5466) - focused on providing and funding additional prevention and early intervention services to prevent abuse and neglect.

The Partnership for Children and Families Act (H.R. 4207) - addresses IV-E income eligibility restrictions that prevent some abused and neglected children from being eligible for federal foster care support. It also addresses adoption assistance availability for all special needs children, and also provides for state reinvestment of certain foster care savings into other child welfare services.

Interstate Compact on Placement of Children - Adoption of the revision to this Compact by sufficient states would add an enforcement mechanism to the current Compact. We are not so sure that creation of an additional bureaucracy is the most efficient or cost effective approach to promoting interstate cooperation. More on this in the fall.