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Committee hears testimony on preserving foster-youth federal benefits; counties seek state backfill
Summary
Senate File 4635 would require federal benefits intended for foster youth to be placed in trust accounts for the youth rather than diverted to county budgets. Foster advocates urged passage; counties offered conditional support only with state funding to offset local budget impacts. The committee laid the bill over for further drafting.
Senate File 4635, which would prevent counties from redirecting federal benefits provided for foster youth and instead place eligible funds into trust accounts for the young beneficiaries, drew emotional testimony from people who lived in care and from advocacy groups on April 8.
Advocate accounts and rationale: Multiple foster youth and advocates described how Social Security survivor benefits and other federal payments intended for youth were used to offset county costs. Testifiers said that preserves neither the child’s interest nor federal intent and urged the Legislature to require preservation of funds in a trust for the youth as sole beneficiary.
Counties’ position and conditions: Representatives of the Association of Minnesota Counties and county social-service administrators expressed conditional support but said a transition would impose administrative and fiscal burdens on counties. They asked for state appropriations to backfill the funds counties currently use to support placements and sought clarity on implementation, reporting and potential effects on other program eligibility.
Committee action and next steps: Committee members thanked advocates for sustained engagement, discussed implementation details and agreed to continue negotiations; SF 4635 was laid over for further work and was not recommended for immediate passage at this hearing.
