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House passes bill to narrow foster-care citizen-review board focus after subcommittee work
Summary
The Utah House passed Senate Bill 17 to limit Foster Care Citizen Review Board reviews to children in care longer than 12 months, aiming to focus resources on long-term cases; sponsor Rep. Mascaro said the change reflects extensive study and stakeholder consensus.
The Utah House voted to pass Senate Bill 17, which narrows the Foster Care Citizen Review Board's review focus to children who remain in state custody for more than 12 months. Representative Mascaro, sponsor on the House floor, said the change would "focus more precisely on those children that are going to be in the system 12 months or longer and really need the additional" attention.
Supporters said the bill targets resources toward teenagers and other children unlikely to return home or be adopted within a year. Mascaro described the measure as the product of broad interagency work over the summer, involving juvenile courts, the Division of Child and Family Services, the foster-care review board, Utah Children, appellate judges, guardians ad litem and the attorney general.
Opponents did not prevail in floor debate. The Speaker announced the result: "Senate bill 17, having received 64 yes votes, 10 no votes, passes this body," and the bill was signed and referred to the Senate for final processing.
The sponsor said the bill was intended to reduce burdens on families during the first year of court involvement while directing additional oversight to children who remain in care longer. Mascaro also said the changes align with recommendations from a task force on transitioning youth to adulthood.
The House recorded no further amendments on the floor; the bill now moves to the Senate for signature by the president and any additional action required there.
