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Senate debates substitute for SB 97 to set framework for special-needs adoption assistance
Summary
Lawmakers spent substantial time debating substitute Senate Bill 97, which would make adopted children eligible for Medicaid under federal provisions and establish a supplemental adoption-assistance program tied to annual appropriations. Sponsors and the Division of Child and Family Services said the bill sets rules; some senators warned it grants excessive discretion and risks limiting parents' input.
Senators spent the better part of the session debating a first substitute to Senate Bill 97, a measure that would set statutory rules for adoption assistance for children with special needs and tie supplemental assistance to annual appropriations.
Sponsor Senator Hillier introduced the substitute and moved an amendment clarifying that special-needs children adopted through an agency who are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) would retain related benefits. The senator said the bill does not appropriate money; instead, it establishes a statutory framework and leaves funding decisions to the Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. “The governor asked for $1,700,000 of one-time money to take care of the need to date, and $2,300,000 for the funding for fiscal year 02/2002,” the sponsor said.
Senator Butters delivered an emotional…
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