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Senate unanimously passes bill to reserve foster youths’ income for their needs
Summary
Senate Bill 18 passed unanimously on final reading (36-0, 1 excused). Sponsor Senator Irwin said the bill would stop the state from taking certain income belonging to children in foster care and instead reserve it for those youths’ needs while in care and after aging out.
The Michigan Senate on final passage approved Senate Bill 18, a measure to change how income belonging to children in foster care is handled, by a recorded vote of 36-0 with one senator excused.
Senator Irwin, sponsor of SB18, told colleagues the bill “rights a long standing wrong in our state foster care system.” He said the current practice takes income that belongs to foster youth — for example, Social Security survivor benefits — and places it in state coffers to support foster services. “I think that the income of these foster care kids is their income, and it should be reserved for their needs,” Irwin said on the floor.
Irwin said the bill aims to reserve that income for each child for needs during care or to help when they age out, noting that many youth face financial cliffs after leaving foster care and lack family supports that reduce their risk of homelessness or criminal-justice involvement.
The secretary announced the final tally for SB18 as 36 ayes, 0 noes and 1 excused; the chair declared the bill passed. No floor amendments were pending when the bill reached final passage. The transcript does not include the bill's statutory text or a detailed implementation timetable; sponsors and committee reports should be consulted for specifics on how the Department of Health and Human Services would hold or administer reserved funds.
Senator Irwin asked that his remarks be printed in the journal.
