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Republicans press oversight on behavioral-health grants; foster youth benefits bill falls short
Summary
Reporters asked Republican leaders about a state auditor finding on behavioral-health capacity grants and a stalled bipartisan foster-youth benefits bill; leaders said they would add provisos and follow-up oversight and continue working on the foster-youth issue over the summer.
Reporters asked Republican leaders about oversight of behavioral-health community capacity grants after a state auditor's report, and about a bipartisan bill to make foster youth eligible for federal benefits. Leaders said they had discussed tighter provisos and monitoring for grants and that lawmakers would continue studying the foster-youth issue.
When asked about the auditor's November report finding the Department of Commerce did not always ensure grants went to qualified applicants, an official answering the question said the House capital budget included about $130 million for capacity grants and that lawmakers had discussed burn-rate concerns and adding provisos and interim reviews to track compliance. The official said some predevelopment and design work has already begun and that the legislature would look backwards and forwards to ensure money is being invested as intended.
On foster youth benefits, Senate Republican caucus chair Judy Warnec said a bipartisan effort to deliver federal benefits to qualifying foster youth stalled because agencies had difficulty implementing distribution mechanics. Warnec said the number of missed federal dollars was not yet known, that lawmakers plan further study, and that she intends to keep pursuing the issue over the summer.
