Bill combines extended foster care funding and jail-based behavioral health allocations

Senate Bill 281, presented by Senator Rochelle Wynne, would support extended foster-care services and jail-based behavioral health programs. The sponsor said the bill originally focused on extending foster-care services in rural areas and then incorporated funding measures coordinated with the executive budget. The hearing discussed a $2.5 million transfer from the Fund for Resilient Nevada (opioid settlement funds) to the Division of Child and Family Services for Clark and Washoe counties to support rural extended foster-care programming and related wraparound services such as Lifeset operated by Youth Villages.

The bill also includes a conceptual amendment that would appropriate $15,100,000 from state general fund to the Division of Public and Behavioral Health for allocation to Clark County ($8.1 million) and Washoe County ($7.0 million) for jail-based behavioral health programs that had previously been funded by ARPA dollars. Sponsor and county representatives said the jail-based programs are important for continuity of care, helping people maintain medication and supports when returning from competency restoration or incarceration.

Supporters included Youth Villages, Clark County and Washoe County representatives, who said the funding is essential to continue existing successful programs and support older foster youth. Clark and Washoe county witnesses reported they could not continue programs without continued funding. No opposition testimony was offered and the committee closed the hearing without taking a recorded committee vote.