California » Legislation & Policies » Legislation

The Fostering Connections Resource Center gratefully acknowledges the National Conference of State Legislatures for sharing its tracking information about pending and enacted legislation. Please visit NCSL for additional information.

Enacted Legislation in California

Fostering Connections to Success Act

Bill: AB 12; Status: Enacted

Summary: Requires the department to amend its foster care state plan to extend care to specified individuals up to 21 years of age. Requires the court to ensure that the child's transitional case plan is reviewed periodically and includes a plan for the child to meet one or more criteria that would allow the child to remain a nonminor dependent, and to ensure that the child has been informed of his or her right to seek the termination of dependency jurisdiction. Extends the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) to include children under 21 years of age who turned 16 years of age before the adoption assistance agreement became effective.

Sponsored by Assembly Members Beall and Bass, with principal co-author, Senator Liu

Adoption Assistance

Bill: AB 154, Chapter 222; Status: Enacted

Summary: States the intent of the Legislature to conform state statutes with the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 and to expend savings resulting from changes in eligibility for adoption assistance on services, including, but not limited to, postadoption assistance. Requires that the State Department of Social Services or a licensed adoption agency inform prospective adoptive families of their potential eligibility for a federal and state tax credit.

Adoption Services

Bill: AB 295, Chapter 427; Status: Enacted

Summary: Extends the availability of funds appropriated for adoption activities to specified counties to to provide preadoption and postadoption services to ensure the successful adoption of children and youth who have been in foster care 18 months or more, are at least nine years of age, and are placed in an unrelated foster home or in a group home.

State Adoption Services

Bill: AB 665, Chapter 250; Status: Enacted

Summary: Makes a change to provisions of existing law under which the State Department of Social Services may provide state adoption services and which requires the state to reinvest adoption incentive payments for placement of older children into the child welfare system in order to provide adoption services for older children.

Indian Tribes Foster Care and Adoptions Program

Bill: AB 770, Chap. 124; Status: Enacted

Summary: Maximizes the opportunities for Indian tribes to operate foster care programs for Indian children pursuant to the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008; rquires the Department of Social Services to modify the state foster care plan to that end.

Sponsored by Assembly Members Torres and Ammiano

Dependent Children & Relative Caregivers

Bill: AB 938, Chapter 261; Status: Enacted

Summary: Requires a social worker, when a child is removed from the home, to immediately begin conducting an investigation in order to identify and locate all grandparents, adult siblings, and other adult relative of the child, in order to provide those persons with specified information, including that the child has been removed from the custody of his or her parents or guardians and an explanation of various options to participate in placement of the child.

Sponsored by Assembly Judiciary Committee

Child Welfare Services for Foster Care & Adoption

Bill: SB 597, Chapter 339; Status: Enacted

Summary: Makes amendments necessary to be consistent with the requirements set forth in the federal Fostering Connections Act. These include requiring the State Department of Social Services to exercise diligence to identify and provide notice to all adult grandparents and close relatives of the child; requiring the Department, in consultation with pediatricians, health care experts, and experts in and recipients of child welfare services to develop a plan for the ongoing oversight and coordination of health care services for a child in a foster care placement; and requiring the department or licensed adoption agency to provide information regarding the federal adoption tax credit for any individual who is adopting or considering adopting a child in foster care.

Older Youth

Bill: AB 12; Status: Enacted

Summary: Requires the department to amend its foster care state plan to extend care to specified individuals up to 21 years of age. Requires the court to ensure that the child's transitional case plan is reviewed periodically and includes a plan for the child to meet one or more criteria that would allow the child to remain a nonminor dependent, and to ensure that the child has been informed of his or her right to seek the termination of dependency jurisdiction. Extends the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) to include children under 21 years of age who turned 16 years of age before the adoption assistance agreement became effective.

Sponsored by Assembly Members Beall and Bass, with principal co-author, Senator Liu

Pending Legislation in California

Income Tax Credit for Adoption Costs

Bill: AB 47; Status: Pending

Summary: Amends the Personal Income Tax Law to increase the credit limitation to a new maximum amount with respect to the adoption of a minor child who is over a specified age or who was living in a group home or residential treatment facility for a specified period prior to the time the adoption was completed. Creates additional incentives for prospective adoptive parents to adopt older foster youth by removing monetary barriers that might otherwise hinder the adoption of these older foster youth

Sibling Placement in Foster Care

Bill: AB 743; Status: Pending

Summary: Amends existing law that requires a social worker who takes a minor into custody to place the minor together within any siblings or half-siblings who are detained or to include a statement as to why that placement would not be appropriate. Requires the worker to make reasonable efforts to place the minor and his or her siblings or half siblings together or to include a statement why the placement would be contrary to the safety or well being of any of the siblings.

Children in Foster Care: School Proximity

Bill: AB 1067; Status: Pending

Summary: Revises provisions of existing law related to the educational stability of children in foster care. Establishes that the child welfare and educational agencies shall determine the appropriateness of the child's educational stability plan, i.e. remaining in his or her school of origin, transportation to school, etc.

Family Connections Grants

Bill: AB 1402; Status: Pending

Summary: Requires the Department of Social Services to support one or more California-based applications for a federal matching grant for the purpose of helping children who are in, or at risk of entering, foster care reconnect with family members.

Medi-Cal for Foster Children

Bill: SB 114; Status: Pending

Summary: Establishes that independent foster care adolescents, on their 18th birthday, to be deemed eligible for medical benefits and automatically enrolled in benefits without requiring a new application and without an interruption in coverage.

Sibling Placement in Foster Care

Bill: AB 743; Status: Pending-Carryover

Summary: Amends existing law that requires a social worker who takes a minor into custody to place the minor together within any siblings or half-siblings who are detained or to include a statement as to why that placement would not be appropriate. Requires the worker to make reasonable efforts to place the minor and his or her siblings or half siblings together or to include a statement why the placement would be contrary to the safety or well being of any of the siblings.