Senate takes up broad foster-care bill; amendments added on NDAs, liability and child protections

The Senate considered a comprehensive substitute for Senate Bill 43, a multi-part foster-care bill that the sponsor said aims to address placements, legal representation for older youth, and system capacity for children with severe behavioral challenges. Senators debated multiple floor amendments, and several were adopted before the chamber returned to the substitute.

Sponsor’s description: The sponsor, identified as the senator from Callaway, said the bill has three main components: (1) provide placement options for children with severe behavioral challenges so they are not housed in hotels, businesses or hospitals; (2) create a right to counsel so older youth (the sponsor described age 14 and older) can receive appointed legal representation aimed at accelerating permanency; and (3) a pilot to create a Child and Family Representation office under the Supreme Court to support circuits with resources, training and funding for children's representation. The sponsor said the state is currently spending millions to place children out-of-state and that roughly 200 children were being housed in settings such as hotels.

Amendment on nondisclosure agreements (NDAs): Senator Stone offered an amendment (labeled as his Senate Bill 590, “Trey’s law”) aimed at clarifying state law so nondisclosure agreements could not be used to bar evidence or silence survivors in civil…