Committee advances House File 1918 to move child welfare duties to DCYF, extend EBT contract terms and alter foster-care timelines

House File 1918, an agency bill for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, was presented to the Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee and re‑referred to the Judiciary Committee after a committee vote.

Representative Hansen, Vice Chair, described the bill as "an agency bill for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families" and gave an overview of the four articles, saying the measure includes an economic assistance provision to "provide an exemption to the 5 year limit on state contracts for the state's EBT contract" and several child‑welfare and foster‑care technical updates.

The bill's key operational changes described during the hearing included: (1) a provision to allow a state EBT (electronic benefits transfer) contract to extend beyond the current five‑year statutory term (allowing an initial five‑year term plus an extension up to ten years); (2) updates to the Great Start compensation…