Transcript Highlights:

• . fosters. fosters.
• </c> support of foster youth, I am a foster. support of foster youth, I am a foster.
• While in foster care, I abusive homes.
• We agree that every foster youth deserves a safe, loving home with safe, loving adults.
• </c> foster care. foster care.

Bills: HF3877 , HF3714 , HF3750 , HF3024

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> those in foster care. those in foster care.
• </c> advocate, and a foster. advocate, and a foster.
• So fosters deserve the Foster Youth Bill of Rights.
• Foster advocates to you by fosters.
• We agree that every foster youth deserves a safe, loving home with safe, loving adults.

Transcript Highlights:

• About 30% live in licensed foster homes, so there's community foster beds, and then we have about 21%
• take children 0 to 5. 13 to 17 is 31% of our out-of-home population, and only 4% of our foster homes
• It's 65 homes in the entire. of our foster homes will take children 13 to 17 it's 65 homes in the entire
• And so you have children in foster homes...
• And we don't know if that foster home just put, you know, The Little Mermaid on... ...a foster home.

Committees: House Government , House House Government Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• Children who can't be placed in foster homes may wind up in group homes, and Children who can't be placed
• in foster homes may wind up in group homes, and in troubled ones like Greylock they often fail to thrive
• , a delay before being registered in school, respite homes when their foster families go on vacation
• I asked for two things when I was put into my foster home.
• The worst of it occurred in a foster home in which I was eventually removed.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities held a hybrid hearing on a series of child welfare bills focused on DCF, foster care, mandated reporting, educational records, and family support. Chair Kennedy and Chair Livingstone opened with accessibility and testimony rules, then heard testimony on bills including S.127 on expanding mandated reporters, S.107/H.235 on a Foster Children’s Bill of Rights, S.106/H.228 on transferring foster care review from DCF to the Office of the Child Advocate, H.258/S.125 on an electronic backpack for foster children’s educational records, H.205 on kinship foster care background checks, H.246/H.266 on minimizing trauma in care and protection cases, and S.159 on support for families after sudden unexpected infant death. Supporters of the mandated reporter bill, led by Sen. Feeney and Foxborough advocates, described a local model that trains all adults who work with children and argued the state should scale that approach statewide to improve recognition and reporting of abuse. Testimony on the foster care bills emphasized the need for clearer rights, better notice to children and attorneys, stronger remedies, and independent oversight. Advocates, youth with lived experience, and legal organizations described placement instability, delayed notifications, abuse in care, poor educational continuity, and the need for rights around safety, family contact, culture, language, and access to records. Several witnesses urged that the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights include enforceable court remedies, not just reporting requirements. On the oversight bill, supporters argued DCF should not review its own foster care system and pointed to poor outcomes, high placement instability, and recent investigative reporting as evidence for moving review responsibilities to the Office of the Child Advocate. On the electronic backpack bill, testimony focused on the need for real-time data sharing and a centralized system so schools can receive foster students’ records quickly and support continuity. On the trauma-minimization bill, Rep. Miskin framed the proposal as a set of practical changes to reduce harm during removals and court involvement. On the SUID bill, Sen. Lovely said families should be given information about available grief and support resources after an infant death. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• The child will stay with the foster care home, and they'll have a hearing within 10 days.
• So, if kids are ending up in an office building because we don't have enough foster homes, why did we
• It just seems like that's a great well to go to for the number of foster kids to foster homes because
• We do monitor placement stability to make sure that kids aren't being bounced from foster home to foster
• They had been in their foster home for a long time, and they were trying to get custody, but then they

Transcript Highlights:

• foster apparently that should say foster foster home<00:45:31.760><c> home</c><00:45:32.000><c> and<
• </c> cats be allowed to be in a foster home. cats be allowed to be in a foster home.
• </c> chance of survival being in a foster chance of survival being in a foster home. home. home.
• </c> pregnant dog that was in a foster home. pregnant dog that was in a foster home.
• So if a home into a foster home or not.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• to home to home to home.
• From bouncing from home to home to home to home, literally all your belongings tossed in a black trash
• There's ambiguity as to whether you have to try to preserve that placement in the foster home as opposed
• As we've seen the drop in foster care placements in out-of-home care in the last decade, the number of
• Second, the law streamlines the process for transferring foster homes between FFAs, helping ensure children

Committee: House Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, DCF places about 1,000 children each year into comprehensive foster care homes, which are
• these CFC contracts back to DCF, placing a greater burden on DCF's already strained foster home network
• It might be more strict vetting of foster home, foster potential foster home families, and a lot of that's
• I grew up in foster care, and I wasn't in group homes, but I went through multiple foster placements
• Children are in foster homes, children are in group homes, children are in DYS, and they're sitting there

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

Summary: The committee hearing covered a wide range of child welfare, family support, and human services bills. Testimony strongly supported a guaranteed cash stipend for young adults aging out of foster care (S.161), with the Attorney General’s Office, youth advocates, and foster care providers describing high rates of homelessness and poverty after exit from care. Providers also urged action on a resolve to study the foster care liability insurance crisis (H.197/S.1280), saying premiums and coverage losses are forcing program cutbacks and could reduce foster care capacity statewide. Another major topic was a direct care worker medication administration program registry (H.237/S.162), which supporters said would help recruit and train workers, especially bilingual staff, to address workforce shortages in human services. Several bills focused on child protection and child welfare system practices. Supporters of H.267/S.145 called for advance notice to children’s attorneys when placements or other major events change, arguing that timely communication is essential to prevent unnecessary disruption and improve advocacy. Testimony also backed legislation to formally recognize and strengthen children’s advocacy centers and the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance (H.233/S.112), with prosecutors and CAC leaders describing the trauma-informed model as a longstanding, effective response to child abuse and trafficking. A bill to establish a Massachusetts children’s cabinet (S.115) drew support from advocates who said cross-agency coordination is needed to align policy and funding for children’s well-being. The committee also heard testimony on bills addressing safety, equity, and family support. Senator Lovely and survivors supported S.152, which would create a civil cause of action for sexual abuse by adults in positions of authority or trust, with witnesses describing grooming and power imbalances in schools and youth-serving settings. H.274, a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness, was supported by advocates who said it would add anti-discrimination protections and voting and privacy rights amid rising criminalization of homelessness. H.272/S.171 to protect maternal health received support from Rep. Montaño, MLRI, and a physician, who said the bills would make cash assistance available earlier in pregnancy and remove the medical-verification barrier. H.4216 on equitable hair care for children in state custody was supported by social workers and advocates who said hair care is tied to identity, dignity, and mental health. H.255 on empowering early educators drew testimony about barriers faced by renters and condo owners trying to open home-based child care programs. H.217, concerning resources and support for pregnant and parenting families, drew testimony from anti-abortion pregnancy resource center advocates. No votes were taken during the hearing, and several bills had no one signed up to testify or were deferred when witnesses were unavailable.

Transcript Highlights:

• to home to home to home. ...and trauma in different ways.
• There's ambiguity as to whether you have to try to preserve that placement in the foster home as opposed
• As we've seen the drop in foster care placements in out-of-home care in the last decade, the number of
• Foster children in the care of FFAs at the time could stay in their safe home placements.
• Second, the law streamlines the process for transferring foster homes between FFAs, helping ensure children

Summary: The hearing covered several child welfare, human services, tribal housing, child care, and long-term care bills. SB 1099 would clarify local governments’ authority to provide state or local public benefits to all residents under PRWORA; SB 1190 would regulate private youth transport services by requiring permits, background checks, training, and bans on blindfolds, hoods, restraints, and overnight pickups; SB 1322 would streamline tribal access to Community Care Expansion housing grants and better align the process with tribal sovereignty; SB 1109 would require an annual license renewal review for STRTPs with five or more Type A citations in a year; SB 1234 would require fentanyl testing in juvenile dependency cases when a court finds a risk of fentanyl use; SB 991 would require DSS to identify the specific type of abuse on its public licensing database; SB 1200 would redefine “infant” for family child care ratio purposes as under 18 months; and SB 1345 would strengthen foster youth rights regarding access to and dignified transport of personal belongings. The committee also approved a consent calendar including SB 534, SB 1410, and SB 1421. Testimony was largely in support of the measures, often from authors, advocates, county officials, and people with lived experience. Supporters of SB 1190 described traumatic youth transport practices and argued for basic safety standards. SB 1322 supporters said tribal grantees face unnecessary delays and collateral demands that conflict with sovereignty. SB 1109 drew support from county probation officers who cited repeated serious violations and public safety concerns at STRTPs, while the chair ultimately opposed the bill as duplicative of existing CDSS authority. SB 1234 drew emotional support from a grandparent who lost a child to fentanyl, but also opposition from the Drug Policy Alliance and a dependency attorney, who argued the bill was redundant, vague, and could create biased or unnecessary testing; amendments were accepted to narrow the standard. SB 991 supporters said the public needs more specific information about abuse findings, SB 1200 supporters said the change would expand infant care capacity and help working families, and SB 1345 supporters said foster youth deserve dignity rather than having belongings packed in trash bags. Votes were taken after quorum was established. SB 991, SB 1200, SB 1345, SB 1190, SB 1234, SB 1322, and SB 1099 were all reported out of committee, most on unanimous or near-unanimous votes; SB 1234 passed 6-0 as amended to Appropriations, and SB 1099 later had a vote change recorded, ending 5-1. SB 1109 did not advance after the motion failed for lack of a second, and it was held in committee. The committee then adjourned and transitioned into an oversight hearing reviewing the outcomes of AB 2247 (placement stability and notice protections for foster youth) and AB 2496, with presenters discussing how the earlier foster youth placement law has changed practice and the importance of dignity, notice, and youth voice in placement decisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• in foster care or in the home of a relative.
• in foster care or in the home of a relative.
• in foster care or the home of a relative.
• This allows a state to be able to. placed outside the home and foster care of the home of a relative.
• The RFA was largely designed for licensing foster parents in traditional foster homes and does not fully

Committee: House Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• in foster care or the home of a relative.
• The RFA was largely designed for licensing foster parents in traditional foster homes and does not fully
• The bill would also include non-related extended family members and tribally approved foster homes in
• She'd recently been placed into a foster home, and I asked her how she was doing.
• She'd recently been placed into a foster home, and I asked her how she was doing.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Human Services heard testimony on a series of bills affecting disability services, child welfare, foster youth, domestic violence survivors, guaranteed income pilots, crisis response, and child care providers. AB 1575 would update the Lanterman Act to use person-first language and broaden respite services to allow safe community access; supporters said it would improve dignity and consistency in services, and there was no opposition. AB 2470 would create a statewide one-stop reentry program for survivors of intimate partner violence to replace documents, repair credit, and access housing supports, while also giving CalWORKs emergency housing funds more flexibility; the Little Hoover Commission backed the bill based on its prior recommendations. AB 2510 would clarify and expand CalWORKs family reunification aid so parents can keep receiving support during reunification even if not all children are removed, and supporters said it would reduce barriers and better align with reunification goals. AB 2585 would expand guaranteed income pilot funding to rural and underserved counties, with testimony emphasizing the need for geographic diversity and data from places like the Central Valley. AB 1932, the Crisis Act 2.0, would continue and strengthen community-based mental health crisis response programs; testimony from family members and advocates strongly favored non-law-enforcement responses, and the bill drew broad support. AB 1925 would direct a feasibility study on a statewide permanent disability certification process to reduce repeated verification burdens; the committee approved it 4-0 and sent it to Appropriations. AB 2189 would fund a statewide special education parent action network to train and connect parents for systemic advocacy; after some opposition over the use of state funds for advocacy, it passed as amended and was referred to Education. AB 2684 would allow out-of-state nonminor dependents to do monthly social worker visits virtually, with in-person visits still required quarterly; it passed to Judiciary. AB 1967 would improve pathways for older youth experiencing homelessness or failed adoptions to enter or reenter foster care, and it passed to Appropriations. AB 2126 would create a targeted background-check exemption for certain former foster youth hired as peer partners, and it passed as amended to Public Safety. AB 2379 would require DSS to notify family child care providers of Fourth Amendment rights and provide multilingual know-your-rights training regarding immigration enforcement; it passed to Judiciary after some members questioned whether DSS was the right agency to administer the training.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't have enough foster homes.
• The other problem we have is we have some homes, Christian homes, that don't fit the criteria to be foster
• The Christian group homes will take children in, foster group home foster children in.
• There is a crisis in the foster care system, with, as we've said, too many children and too few homes
• So it seems to me that if there was an association of foster homes, An association of foster homes in

Summary: The committee first continued the public hearing on House Bill 2897, which would expand optometrists’ authority to perform certain office-based procedures. Supporters, including an optometrist from rural Missouri, argued the bill would improve access to care in counties without resident ophthalmologists, reduce wait times and travel burdens, and better align scope of practice with optometry training. Opponents, including representatives of osteopathic physicians, raised concerns about patient safety, the lack of live-human-eye training in Missouri, and whether the bill would actually direct services to rural areas. The hearing then closed on HB 2897 without a vote. The committee next heard House Bill 2353 on interior designers’ licensure and sign-and-seal authority. The sponsor and supporters said the bill modernizes the profession, moves oversight under the state’s architecture/engineering board, and would let licensed interior designers stamp their own non-structural work after education, testing, and experience requirements. Supporters emphasized workforce retention, consumer savings, and that interior designers are trained in fire/life safety, ADA, and code compliance. Opponents from engineering groups said they were still negotiating language but objected to provisions that could be read to require interior designers for broad categories of buildings or blur boundaries with architecture and engineering; they asked for clearer scope language and continued collaboration. No final action was taken. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2241, which would create a framework for certain faith-based residential child care facilities to operate outside the standard foster care licensing system under a new oversight board. The sponsor said the bill is intended to address a shortage of foster placements while allowing Christian homes to maintain their religious mission, with background checks, inspections, and reporting still required. Supporters from Christian child care agencies said the bill would preserve religious freedom and expand placement capacity. Opponents, including child advocacy and child abuse prevention groups and several legislators, argued the proposal would create a separate, less accountable system for vulnerable children, weaken state oversight, and risk repeating past abuse scandals; they said existing licensing rules already allow faith-based providers to participate. The discussion was extensive, but no vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't have enough foster homes.
• We don't have enough foster homes.
• This, the Christian group homes won't take children in, foster group home, foster children in.
• So do Muslim children in foster care deserve to be placed in homes, too? Any home?
• home. horrendous abuse at the age of five years old when I lived in my first foster home.

Summary: The committee continued a public hearing on House Bill 2897, which would expand optometrists’ scope of practice. Supporters, including Dr. Kelly Deering, said optometrists are trained to perform the listed office-based procedures, that rural Missouri lacks access to ophthalmologists, and that the bill would reduce wait times, travel burdens, and costs while helping retain students and practitioners in the state. Opponents, including representatives of the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, argued the bill does not guarantee rural access and said the procedures should remain within the medical/surgical training of physicians. Members also questioned training on live human eyes and how suspicious lesions would be handled. No vote was taken, and the hearing on HB 2897 was closed. The committee then heard House Bill 2353, which would create a licensing and sign-and-seal framework for interior designers and move oversight to the board that includes architects, engineers, land surveyors, and landscape architects. Sponsor Rep. Sherri Gallick and supporters said the bill modernizes regulation, recognizes accredited education and NCIDQ testing, and would let licensed interior designers take responsibility for non-structural interior design work without hiring an architect to stamp plans. Opponents from the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers and others said they were still negotiating but remained concerned about scope-of-practice language, especially phrases like “all interior design of buildings” and “publicly occupied buildings,” which they said could create overlap with architecture and engineering or unintended obligations for public entities. Testimony also focused on whether unlicensed interior designers would still be allowed to work under carve-outs. No final action was taken. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2241, which would create a separate framework for certain faith-based residential child care facilities to operate without a state license while registering with the state and meeting background-check, reporting, and oversight requirements. Sponsor Rep. Jamie Gregg and MACA representatives said the bill is intended to expand foster placement capacity for children in need while preserving the religious mission of Christian homes, and they cited federal and state initiatives encouraging partnerships with faith-based providers. Opponents argued the bill would create a two-tier system, weaken state licensing protections, and risk placing vulnerable children in facilities without the same direct oversight, inspections, and reunification safeguards as licensed foster homes. Members raised concerns about abuse history at some faith-based homes, the role of the proposed board, and whether religious practices or other mission-based rules would conflict with child welfare standards. The hearing continued with additional testimony; no vote was reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• You have safe foster homes as well.
• They have six foster homes, safe homes, and four safe foster homes right now.
• They have six foster homes, safe homes, and four safe foster homes right now.
• homes, those safe foster homes.
• foster homes.

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs received three presentations and took no bill votes. The Department of Children and Families gave an extensive update on human trafficking prevention and services, describing Florida’s statutory framework, hotline and investigation data, placement options such as safe houses and safe foster homes, new adult safe house certification rules, expanded screening tools for vulnerable adults, and prevention efforts including youth-led outreach and training. Members asked about whether current funding is sufficient, how DCF addresses grooming and re-victimization in residential settings, and how long youth typically remain in safe-house placements; DCF said funding is only one part of the support system, that families and youth receive prevention resources even when allegations are not substantiated, and that placement length varies by child. OPPAGA then presented its 2024 annual report on commercial sexual exploitation of children. The report found that verified CSE victims slightly declined in 2023, with Broward, Miami-Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, and Escambia among the highest-prevalence counties. Most verified victims were community youth rather than children already in care, though dependent youth had higher rates of prior maltreatment. OPPAGA also reported continued concerns about limited placement capacity, especially for less restrictive Tier 1 safe houses, and service gaps such as the need for survivor mentors. Its recommendations focused on expanding placement options, improving data collection, and strengthening collaboration to support survivor mentors. Finally, DCF presented the Step into Success pilot program for current and former foster youth ages 16 to 26. The program combines workforce education, professional development, and paid internships with mentor support; the first cohort launched in 2024 with 15 participants, all of whom secured placements, and the department reported strong satisfaction and early outcomes. Committee members asked about scalability, costs, and whether the model could be moved beyond DCF-run operations into community-based providers. DCF said the program was designed to be scalable, currently costs about $500,000 annually for the pilot, and could be expanded statewide with additional funding and partner support. The committee adjourned after the presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our foster child is 11 years old today. Our foster child is 11 years old today.
• Yet Isaiah was still sent home on an extended home visit.
• My wife, Nicole, and I opened our home to foster children because we believed Idaho's responsibility
• My wife, Nicole, and I opened our home to foster children because we believed Idaho's responsibility
• My son entered foster care.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• home in Washington for at least three years, provided personal care services for the former foster youth
• provides personal care to in the home are the former foster youth who lived with the individual prior
• And what this would do would allow that foster home to also now become the adult placement for that child
• If that foster home provider who has cared for them, often for years, is unable to get an adult family
• statute will give vulnerable adults existing foster care the option to remain in their homes.

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee heard several Department of Social and Health Services-related bills. Senate Bill 6024, sponsored by Senator Gildon, would streamline oversight of community residential service providers by limiting DSHS to one annual routine review per subject area when possible, requiring better document sharing within the department, and preserving investigations tied to complaints, incidents, mortality reviews, and other legally required oversight. Supporters said the bill would reduce duplicative audits and paperwork so providers can spend more time on direct client services. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6063, an agency-request bill sponsored by Senator Bateman and supported by DSHS Secretary Angela Ramirez, to update statutes to reflect DSHS’s recent reorganization into the Home and Community Living Administration and the Behavioral Health and Habilitation Administration. Testimony described the measure as a technical cleanup with no fiscal impact. In addition, Senate Bill 6036, sponsored by Senator Kaufman, would exempt certain former foster parents and kinship caregivers from adult family home licensure when they continue caring for a former foster youth who is now an adult and the only unrelated adult in the home. DSHS supported the bill as a narrow way to preserve continuity and stability for vulnerable young adults. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 5681, sponsored by Senator Cortez, as amended in a proposed substitute. The bill would lower the age for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access employment and community inclusion services from 21 to 20, and rename community access as community inclusion. Senator Cortez and multiple advocates, educators, and service providers argued that earlier access would reduce service gaps, support transition from school to work, and help young adults maintain employment. Staff explained that the substitute changed the eligibility age from the original bill’s 19 to 20. No final action was taken; the chair closed the hearings and announced upcoming executive sessions on previously heard bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we can see here that foster care placements with relatives are more stable than those in homes of
• ...because the children knew my family and knew my home, it made their time in foster care less scary
• True safety for me was found in my first foster home with Jeie Jackson.
• foster home and quickly placed in a safe foster home and quickly after<01:35:27.280><c> removal</c>
• </c> my first foster home with jeie Jackson my first foster home with jeie Jackson she<01:35:58.600><

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> of foster home. of foster home.
• </c> were not to be sent to foster homes. were not to be sent to foster homes.
• </c> always been foster homes. always been foster homes.
• And do these these these foster<00:12:18.000><c> homes</c> foster homes foster homes ever<00:12:20.280
• </c><00:14:45.839><c> home</c> the purpose of a foster home the purpose of a foster home is<00:14:48.160

Committee: House Environment and Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• In my last year of foster care, I bounced around many different places, including group homes, youth
• In my last year of foster care, I bounced around many different places, including group homes, youth
• This made me homeless until they eventually homed me with someone who was working to become a foster
• The child continues to thrive in his current relative foster home.
• The next sentence relative foster home.

Bills: HF3665 , HF3002 , HF4217 , HF4125 , HF4174

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• , and talked to other foster parents.
• in foster homes, residential programs, and transition age youth.
• Foster children and youth in transition to home-based care and permanency.
• These include children who are removed from their home due to abuse and neglect and are in foster care
• Our children's residential programs, in particular, which include both foster family agency homes as