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DCF commissioner urges passage of multi-part agency bill to fix fingerprints, extend care and revise interstate placement rules
Summary
Commissioner Jody Hild Lilly told the Childrens Committee that Raised Bill 1311 would correct background-check language for emergency placements, create a court pathway to claim federal Title IV-E funds for some young adults who leave and later reenter care, clarify record-sharing rules and update Connecticuts interstate placement law.
Hartford — The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families told the legislatures Childrens Committee the departments agency bill (Raised Bill 1311) would correct statutory language on emergency placements, make it easier to claim federal Title IV-E reimbursements for some young adults, clarify record-sharing, extend certain licensed placements for students eligible for special education and move Connecticut toward adopting a revised interstate compact for placing children across state lines.
The measure would amend multiple statutes the department says have caused operational problems. "So essentially, it's a technical fix," Commissioner Jody Hild Lilly said, describing a change to the emergency-placement language that DCF says is necessary to retain FBI background-check information used for relatives and fictive-kin caregivers.
Why it matters: DCF said the change is required to keep access to federal criminal-history data the agency needs when emergency placements are used. The bill also would create a court decree process to allow DCF to reclaim Title IV-E funds for some young people who leave care at 18 and later return, and would allow youth placed in certain DCF-licensed facilities to remain there to age 22 if they are eligible for special education.
Most important facts: Commissioner Lilly said the IV-E change could let the department recover about $1 million annually based on prior patterns of about 20 to 30 youth who leave care and later seek to reenter under services-post-majority status. She said DCF licenses roughly "about a hundred" facilities, and that a portion of those placements are affected by the 2023 education law changes that extended special-education entitlement to age 22.
Staff and counsel at DCF described administrative consequences and cross-agency needs. Susan Hamilton, general counsel for DCF, told lawmakers the interstate compact on placement of children (ICPC) work differs from custody and jurisdiction questions governed by the UCCJEA, but that adopting the revised ICPC language would give Connecticut a seat at the table when new compact rules are written. Laurie Francis Gini, interstate-compact manager, explained the ICPCs role in licensing out-of-state caregivers and ensuring timely home-study and background checks.
What lawmakers asked: Several members pressed DCF on dispute-resolution and the limits of state authority when another jurisdiction takes a different view in a cross-border case. DCF staff said the revised compact includes a dispute-resolution process and that joining the revision early gives Connecticut influence over the implementing rules.
Background: The bill bundles several agency-requested changes under a single departmental proposal. DCF staff emphasized this is a department-initiated bill and asked for favorable action so the agency can implement operational and federal-reimbursement improvements.
Looking ahead: Committee members asked for follow-up materials, including more detail on the proposed court process for post-majority claims and the departments expected fiscal changes. DCF said staff would provide additional documentation to the committee officers.
