Senate advances wide-ranging foster care bill after hours of amendments on immunity, counsel and caseworker ID

The Missouri Senate on March 3 amended and perfected a broad foster-care reform measure, Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 43, after hours of debate that produced a string of adopted amendments on child counsel, caseworker interactions with families, youth-related tax credits and limits on immunity for private service providers.

Sponsors and opponents said the underlying bill contains several provisions intended to improve services for children in state care, but senators pressed for changes on how legal representation is assigned, how private contractors are insulated from liability and how families are treated during department contacts.

Senator from Callaway moved the substitute back to the floor and, after several rounds of negotiated language, the chamber adopted multiple changes. The Senate accepted amendments to: (1) transfer a guardian ad litem (GAL) appointment to court-provided child counsel upon a child's 14th birthday except in narrowly defined "diminished capacity" cases or where those responsible for the child remain under Department of Corrections (DOC) jurisdiction; (2) require caseworkers to identify themselves verbally and present credentials when making contact at a private residence; (3) raise two youth-related tax credits from 50% to 70%; (4) raise the legal age for marriage to 18; and (5) add statutory language that limits but does not eliminate liability protections…