SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 2487

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

        Human Services & Corrections, February 23, 1996

Title:  An act relating to continuing adoption support payments.

Brief Description:  Continuing adoption support payments.

Sponsors:  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:  Human Services & Corrections:  2/21/96, 2/23/96 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES & CORRECTIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Hargrove, Chair; Franklin, Vice Chair; Kohl, Long, Prentice, Schow, Smith, Strannigan, Thibaudeau and Zarelli.

Staff:  Richard Rodger (786-7461)

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, are set at a level designed to facilitate timely adoptions.

Appropriation:  None.

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

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

Testimony For:  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.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Representative Kip Tokuda; Representative Buck; Vicky McKinney, adoptive parent; Jocie DeVries, adoptive parent; Ed Holen, Development Disabilities Council; Dick Anderson, DSHS/DCFS; Laurie Lippold Children's Home Society.