HB1674: establishing the office of foster care oversight in the department of health and human services.

HB 1674-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2020 SESSION

20-2644

05/10

HOUSE BILL 1674-FN

AN ACT establishing the office of foster care oversight in the department of health and human services.

SPONSORS: Rep. Adjutant, Graf. 17

COMMITTEE: Children and Family Law

ANALYSIS

This bill establishes an office of foster care oversight in the department of health and human services.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

20-2644

05/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty

AN ACT establishing the office of foster care oversight in the department of health and human services.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Paragraph; Department of Health and Human Service; Office of Foster Care Oversight. Amend RSA 126-A:4 by inserting after paragraph V the following new paragraph:

VI. The department shall establish an office of foster care oversight to provide oversight and assistance to child protection service workers, foster care providers, and children in foster care. The office shall collaborate with the university system of New Hampshire to develop a model of best practices for the state foster care system and establish and maintain a statewide reporting system to collect and analyze data relating to the state foster care system. On or before November 1, 2021, and each November 1 thereafter, the office shall provide an annual report of its findings and recommendations to the commissioner of the department of health and human services, the director of the office of the child advocate, the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the senate president.

2 University System of New Hampshire; Collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services; Office of Foster Care Oversight. The university system of New Hampshire and the department of health and human services shall enter into a memorandum of understanding or other agreement regarding the collaboration between the university system and the department in the establishment and operation of the office of foster care oversight described in section 1 of this act.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

20-2644

Revised 12/20/19

HB 1674-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT establishing the office of foster care oversight in the department of health and human services.

FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

Appropriation

$0

$0

$0

$0

Revenue

$0

$0

$0

$0

Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Funding Source:

[ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other

METHODOLOGY:

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish an Office of Foster Care Oversight, which would coordinate with the University of New Hampshire to establish best practices for the foster care system as well as establish and maintain a statewide reporting system to collect and analyze data relating to the foster care system. The Department states that because the bill contains relatively few details regarding the role of the proposed office and how it would interact with/differ from the existing ombudsman and Office of the Child Advocate, its cost cannot be estimated at the present time. Nonetheless, the Department anticipates that the bill may require multiple additional positions to oversee the hundreds of children in foster care and the hundreds of foster homes in the state, with labor grades and salary details to be determined.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Health and Human Services