HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 1173

                    As Passed Legislature

Title:  An act relating to adoption support.

Brief Description:  Modifying adoption support provisions.

Sponsors:  Representatives Cooke and Brown; by request of Department of Social and Health Services.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Children & Family Services:  1/26/95, 1/27/95 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  2/22/95, 98-0.

Senate Amended.

House Refused to Concur.

Conference Committee Report Adopted.

Passed Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Cooke, Chair; Lambert, Vice Chair; Stevens, Vice Chair; Thibaudeau, Ranking Minority Member; Brown, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Boldt; Buck; Carrell; Padden; Patterson and Tokuda.

Staff:  David Knutson (786-7146).

Background:  The adoption support program provides for the adoption of hard to place children  living in, or likely to be placed in foster care or institutions.  The program provides adoptive parents with either continuing payments or lump sum payments of adoption support.  The secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services is required to annually review the need to continue adoption support payments to parents and adjust the payment to reflect changes in the medical condition, prognosis, and other changes in the needs of the adoptive child. 

Adoptive parents receiving adoption support payments from the Department of Social and Health Services are required to submit a copy of their federal income tax return, within two weeks of filing it, to the secretary of the department of social and health services.

Summary of Bill:  The secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services will, at least once every 5 years, review the need to continue adoption support payments or lump sum payments to adoptive parents through the adoption support program.  Adoptive parents receiving adoption support payments will submit copies of their federal income tax return if requested by the secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services.

The Department of Social and Health Services will study the cost, program impact, and appropriateness of extending exceptional cost foster care rates to the adoption support program for special needs children.  The department will submit the study to the Legislature no later than September 1, 1995.  Notification requirements when a parent's legal rights will be terminated are increased to 30 days prior to court action.  The conditions under which an adoption can be overturned are narrowed.  Adoptions will not be delayed or denied on the basis of the race, color, or national origin of the adoptive parent or the adoptee.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Annual reviews of children receiving adoption support payments are not necessary for most children served by the program.  The Department of Social and Health Services should not intrude in the lives of families unless it is specifically warranted.

Testimony Against: None. 

Testified:  Dick Anderson, Department of Social and Health Services (pro).