HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SHB 2487

                    As Passed Legislature

Title:  An act relating to continuing adoption support payments.

Brief Description:  Continuing adoption support payments.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Tokuda, Buck, Veloria, Carrell, Lambert, Mason, Romero, Honeyford, Dickerson, Murray, Boldt, Hymes, Chopp, Sheldon, Costa, Conway, Cooke and Kessler).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Children & Family Services:  1/25/96, 2/1/96 [DPS];

Appropriations:  2/3/96 [DPS(CFS)].

  Floor Activity:

Passed House:  2/8/96, 97-0.

Passed Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Cooke, Chairman; Lambert, Vice Chairman; Stevens, Vice Chairman; Tokuda, Ranking Minority Member; Brown, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Boldt; Buck; Carrell; Dickerson; Patterson and Sterk.

Staff:  David Knutson (786-7146).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  The substitute bill by Committee on Children & Family Services be substituted therefor and the substitute do pass.  Signed by 27 members:  Representatives Huff, Chairman; Clements, Vice Chairman; Pelesky, Vice Chairman; H. Sommers, Ranking Minority Member; Valle, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Beeksma; Brumsickle; Carlson; Chappell; Cooke; Crouse; Dellwo; Dyer; Foreman; Grant; Hargrove; Hickel; Kessler; Lambert; Linville; McMorris; Poulsen; Reams; Rust; Sehlin; Sheahan and Talcott.

Staff:  Beth Redfield (786-7130).

Background:  The Department of Social and Health Services provides continuing payments or lump sum payments of adoption support to families who adopt hard to place children.  The secretary of the department is authorized to set the amount of a payment or the initial amount of continuing payments.

Summary of Bill:  Continuing adoption support payments may be set at an amount sufficient to ensure timely adoptions of children in foster care.  Adoption support payments made on or after July 1, 1996, will be set at a level designed to facilitate timely adoptions.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.  New fiscal note requested on February 1, 1996.

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

Testimony For:  (Children & Family Services) Children living in foster care who are legally free for adoption should be placed in adoptive homes as soon as possible.  Adoption support payments should be set at a level appropriate to facilitate adoptions for children with special needs who are living in foster care.  Passage of this legislation will reduce foster care caseloads.

(Appropriations) This legislation will remove the barriers to adopting children with special needs.

Testimony Against:  (Children & Family Services) The Department of Social and Health Services is unsure of the cost of this proposal.  If it applies to the current caseload, it could have a significant fiscal impact. 

(Appropriations) None.

Testified:  (Children & Family Services) (Pro) Teresita Frisbee, Foster Parents Washington Assembly; Patty Scheler, adoptive and foster parent; Vicky McKinney, adoptive parent; Delinda McCann, foster parent; Ann Waller, adoptive parent; Rebecca Perlsiy, Children's Home Society; Paola Maranan, Children's Alliance; Tina Dwiggen, Coalition of Parents of Children with Disabilities; Judy Chinn, United Grandparents Raising Grandchildren; Kathy Parr, parent; and (with concerns) Lois Chowen, Department of Social and Health Services.

(Appropriations) Laurie Lippold, Children's Home Society.