Committee advances bill expanding caregiver checks, record sharing and extending care for special-education youth to age 22

SB 1311, an act concerning recommendations of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), was reported favorably to the floor by the Committee on Children on Feb. 25 following floor-style discussion and a roll-call vote.

The bill includes several changes: it would require criminal-background checks for relative and fictive caregivers used in emergency child placements; it would allow certain youths who previously left state care to reenter under procedures set in the bill; it directs the department to share records with other state agencies for limited purposes; it expands the definition of childcare facility to include certain congregate-care settings for individuals requiring special education until age 22; it directs DCF to create a foster-parent bill of rights and to update related policies; and it revises the interstate compact on the placement of children.

Committee discussion focused heavily on the age and reentry provisions. Representative Mastro Francesco asked several questions about the sections that reference reentry and age limits and said she was “a little confused” by language that appears in different sections of the bill. Senator Marr explained two distinct parts of the bill: one that permits youth in state care who are not in special education to request to leave between 18 and the period ending 120 days before their 21st birthday; and another provision that extends coverage for youth who require special education from age 21 to age 22. Marr said the extension to age 22 for individuals with special-education needs “allows access to federal funding” and that the committee had not identified a fiscal note at the hearing.

Representative Mastro Francesco pressed whether youth who leave could reenter and for how long; Marr clarified the bill’s language and the two distinct populations covered. The committee then voted by roll call to report SB 1311 favorably to the floor.

Actions recorded: motion for joint favorable to the floor (mover: Senator Maher; second: Representative Wheelander); outcome: approved. The committee designated sections describing ages and reentry; committee members requested clarification of distinct subsections during debate.

Votes at a glance: roll-call recorded yes votes from Representative Perez, Senator Maher, Representative Whitelander, Representative Dauphine, Representative Belton, Representative Comey, Representative Kitt, Senator Kushner, Representative Lanou, Representative Martinez, Representative Mastro Francesco, Representative McGee, Representative Pezzuto and others recorded on the roll; outcome: reported favorably to the floor.

The committee advanced SB 1311 to the floor; transcript questions from members centered on how the bill separates general reentry rights from the special-education extension to age 22 and on whether costs would be required in appropriations (Marr said not at this stage).