Bill would let college students in foster care keep their previous placements for breaks

Delegate Mike Griffith presented House Bill 8-09, proposing an exemption to placement caps so that young people who leave foster placements to attend higher education or vocational training can return to the same out-of-home placement during scheduled breaks.

"When I go away to school that bed gets filled. So therefore when I come back from college I'm placed in a random setting," Griffith said, describing the bill as intended to avoid forcing foster youth to choose between pursuing postsecondary education and retaining a stable home.

Supporters including Steve Acerno of The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region and Theresa Hessler of the Maryland Association of Resources for Families and Youth testified about individual cases where students gave up placement stability to accept a college seat, and advocated for preserving a home base during academic breaks. Acerno said the bill helps ensure a "home base, a foundation of support, love, and nurturing that will sustain them during their college experience."

Sponsor and witnesses said the exemption would require mutual agreement between the youth and the placement and would not be automatic; fiscal impacts were described as negligible because providers are compensated for days the student is present. The Department of Human Services provided technical comments in written testimony and has been in ongoing discussions with sponsors about regulation and implementation details, the sponsor said.

No committee vote was recorded in the hearing. Lawmakers asked about safety oversight and department discretion; sponsor said he was coordinating with DHS to draft technical amendments that preserve department authority to ensure safety while codifying the exemption's intent.

Why it matters: advocates said the change reduces a barrier to higher education for young people in foster care by preserving a known, supportive placement as a fallback while students attend campus.