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Laws passed to steer foster-youth benefits into savings accounts and expand college aid access
Summary
Speakers said the legislature passed Senate Bill 5911, which requires DCYF to place representative-payee funds into ABLE accounts for extended foster youth rather than reimbursing the state, and Senate Bill 5963 to expand the Passport to Careers program, enabling financial aid promises for youth formerly in foster care.
Brienne Bogs and Julie Watts described two bills affecting youth who have been in foster care.
Brienne Bogs summarized Senate Bill 5911, saying it "requires the department to discontinue a long-standing practice of reimbursing the state for the cost of care for youth in extended foster care when the department is the representative payee for social security benefits" and that the law will instead require the department to place those dollars in ABLE accounts for the youth. She said the legislature provided funding to backfill the department’s lost reimbursements.
Julie Watts described Senate Bill 5963, which she said "relates to the Passport to Careers program" and allows the state to promise financial aid to youth who’ve spent time in foster care as early as age 13 for postsecondary education or career training programs.
Agency officials said these changes are intended to increase financial supports and future financial access for foster youth; budget backfill was provided for SB 5911 to offset departmental revenue loss. Implementation details and timelines were not finalized at the webinar; presenters said the conference budget is still under review by the governor and that implementation guidance will follow.
