Committee moves interstate-compact bill (HB 2557) favorably amid technical questions about assessments and kinship language

The Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care moved House Bill 2557 favorably for passage by voice vote on Feb. 4. HB 2557 enacts the revised 2007 interstate compact governing how states coordinate interstate placements and adoptions of children.

Jesse of the Reviser of Statutes Office summarized the bill as the updated interstate-compact language that governs interstate placement processes. He noted the compact's definition of "relative" preserves kinship placements (parent, stepparent, siblings, grandparent, aunt, uncle, first cousin or a nonrelative with significant ties) and applies the compact to placements with relatives granted lawful authority in the sending state. "The compact will apply to the interstate placement of a child, with a relative, who has been granted that lawful authority to receive that placement," Jesse said.

Committee members asked about fiscal impacts: the compact allows the interstate commission to levy an annual assessment on member states. Representative Powell asked whether there was any ballpark estimate; DCF testified it could absorb any expected assessment within its current budget and the committee recorded no separate fiscal-note request.

Representative Naber moved to pass HB 2557 favorably; Representative Pickert seconded. The committee took a voice vote, and the chair announced the bill was moved out favorably for passage. The record shows the motion and a voice vote; the transcript does not include an exact roll-call tally.

Next steps: HB 2557 was moved out of committee favorably and will proceed to the next stage of legislative consideration.