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Votes at a glance: Georgia Senate unanimously advances child-welfare and education measures, creates foster-care cost study
Summary
On Feb. 6 the Georgia Senate passed SB 383 (child fatality review changes), SB 431 (two-day enrollment for foster students), and adopted SR 622 (joint study committee on foster-care costs); all measures were adopted unanimously in recorded votes during the session.
The Georgia Senate on Feb. 6 recorded unanimous approvals for several measures addressing child welfare and education.
Senate Bill 383, an agency bill from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation amending child-fatality review procedures (including adding categories of infant death and extending certain reporting deadlines from 48 hours to seven days), was reported by the Senate Committee on Children and Families and passed on a recorded vote with ayes 48, nays 0.
Senate Bill 431, a measure to require enrollment of foster students within two school days and to provide the Department of Education authority to require corrective action for noncompliance, was presented as the result of a bipartisan study committee addressing issues when foster students change placements. The bill passed with ayes 49, nays 0.
Senate Resolution 622 creates a joint study committee to examine rising costs in Georgia’s foster care system and was adopted by the Senate (yeas 49, nays 0). The sponsor on the floor said the committee will work with the governor’s office and DHS to conduct a deeper review of drivers of the DHS deficit and program costs.
Each measure was recommended by the Children and Families Committee and moved through the rules calendar with committee reports and adoption of the previous question prior to recorded votes. The Senate gave recognition to committee members and highlighted bipartisan cooperation in producing unanimous outcomes.
No floor amendments were recorded during passage on Feb. 6; implementation steps and responsible agencies were noted in bill captions and committee reports. Further committee work and DFCS/Department of Education follow-up were indicated for implementation and corrective action in areas of education enrollment and foster-care cost management.
