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Committee backs pilot to pay kinship caregivers $500 monthly, housed at Aging and Long-Term Services
Summary
The committee approved House Bill 252 to create a three-year kinship caregiver pilot in the Aging and Long-Term Services Department that would pair foundation funding with state staff support and offer $500 monthly stipends to caregivers in target counties.
The Senate Finance Committee voted 9-2 to give a favorable recommendation to House Bill 252, a three-year pilot that would create a kinship caregiver support program in the Department of Aging and Long-Term Services and provide a $500 monthly stipend to qualifying grandparents or kin who are raising children outside the formal foster-care system.
Representative Herrera, who presented the bill, said the program will hire staff inside the Department of Aging to help caregivers navigate federal, state and local resources, determine whether to pursue custody arrangements, provide legal assistance, deliver monthly training and conduct home visits. Private foundations would provide the stipend money and form memoranda of understanding with the department to identify and enroll families in participating communities.
The pilot targets five to seven counties and would serve about 50 families per participating community, the sponsor said, with an evaluation component built into the program. Committee testimony noted that many children living with grandparents do not qualify for foster-care subsidies because the child has not been through an abuse adjudication; the pilot aims to fill that gap.
During questioning, senators confirmed that the pilot is separate from CYFD foster-care payments and that the Department of Aging would provide staffing while foundations supply direct financial support to families. The committee record shows existing budget language already provides $4 million to Aging and Long-Term Services to coordinate the pilot, a committee member said during the hearing.
On the motion for a do-pass recommendation, Senator Padilla moved and Senator Trujillo seconded. Roll-call votes recorded: Yes — Senators Campos, Gonzales, Lanier, Padilla, Steinborn, Tobias, Trujillo, Shandoh and Munoz; No — Senators Brandt and Woods. The committee recorded a 9-2 do-pass recommendation.
Representative Herrera said the pilot seeks to aid kin caregivers who are already raising children without state foster supports and that a $500 monthly stipend, while modest, could be a "game changer for a lot of these grandparents."
