S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8470--B
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 3, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. MONTGOMERY, HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered print-
   ed,  and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and
   Families -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered  reprinted  as
   amended  and  recommitted  to  said committee -- committee discharged,
   bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
   committee
 AN  ACT to amend the family court act, in relation to the placement of a
   former foster care youth during a certain state of emergency
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision (e) of section 1055 of the family court act, as
 amended  by  chapter  342  of  the  laws  of 2010, is amended to read as
 follows:
   (e) No placement may be made or continued under  this  section  beyond
 the  child's  eighteenth  birthday  without his or her consent and in no
 event past his or her twenty-first birthday. However,  a  former  foster
 care  youth  under  the  age of twenty-one who was previously discharged
 from foster care due to a failure to consent to continuation  of  place-
 ment  may  make  a motion pursuant to section one thousand ninety-one of
 this act to return to the custody of the local  commissioner  of  social
 services  or  other  officer,  board or department authorized to receive
 children as public charges. In such motion, the youth  must  consent  to
 enrollment  in  and attendance at a vocational or educational program in
 accordance with paragraph two of subdivision (a) of section one thousand
 ninety-one of this act. PROVIDED, HOWEVER,  THAT  DURING  THE  STATE  OF
 EMERGENCY  DECLARED  PURSUANT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 202 OF 2020 IN RESPONSE
 TO THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC, A FORMER FOSTER CARE YOUTH
 MAY REQUEST TO RETURN TO THE CUSTODY OF THE LOCAL COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL
 SERVICES OR OTHER OFFICER, BOARD OR  DEPARTMENT  AUTHORIZED  TO  RECEIVE
 CHILDREN  AS  PUBLIC CHARGES WITHOUT MAKING A MOTION PURSUANT TO SECTION
 ONE THOUSAND NINETY-ONE OF THIS ACT AND ANY REQUIREMENT TO ENROLL IN AND
 ATTEND A VOCATIONAL OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM SHALL BE WAIVED FOR THE DURA-
 TION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY; PROVIDED FURTHER, HOWEVER, THAT DURING A
 STATE OF EMERGENCY, THE LOCAL COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SERVICES  OR  OTHER
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              
             
                          
                                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD16556-08-0
 S. 8470--B                          2
 
 OFFICER,  BOARD  OR  DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZED TO RECEIVE CHILDREN AS PUBLIC
 CHARGES SHALL BE AUTHORIZED TO  PLACE  SUCH  FORMER  FOSTER  CARE  YOUTH
 REQUESTING  TO  RETURN  TO  FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT; AND PROVIDED FURTHER,
 HOWEVER,  THAT  THE LOCAL COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SERVICES OR OTHER OFFI-
 CER, BOARD OR DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZED TO RECEIVE CHILDREN AS PUBLIC CHARG-
 ES SHALL, WHEN DETERMINING WHETHER TO RETURN  SUCH  FORMER  FOSTER  CARE
 YOUTH  TO FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT, TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE FACTORS THE
 COURT WOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION UPON MAKING SUCH A DETERMINATION  TO
 RETURN A CHILD TO FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE THOUSAND
 NINETY-ONE OF THIS ACT.
   § 2. The opening paragraph of section 1091 of the family court act, as
 added by chapter 342 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
   A  motion  to return a former foster care youth under the age of twen-
 ty-one, who was discharged from foster care due to a failure to  consent
 to  continuation  of placement, to the custody of the local commissioner
 of social services or other officer, board or department  authorized  to
 receive  children  as  public charges, may be made by such former foster
 care youth, or by a local social services official upon the  consent  of
 such  former foster care youth, if there is a compelling reason for such
 former foster care youth to return to  foster  care;  provided  however,
 that  the  court  shall  not  entertain a motion filed after twenty-four
 months from the date of the first final discharge that  occurred  on  or
 after  the  former  foster  care  youth's  eighteenth birthday; PROVIDED
 FURTHER, HOWEVER, THAT DURING THE STATE OF EMERGENCY  DECLARED  PURSUANT
 TO  EXECUTIVE  ORDER  202  OF  2020 IN RESPONSE TO THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS
 (COVID-19) PANDEMIC, A FORMER FOSTER CARE YOUTH  SHALL  BE  ENTITLED  TO
 RETURN  TO  THE  CUSTODY OF THE LOCAL COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SERVICES OR
 OTHER OFFICER, BOARD OR DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZED  TO  RECEIVE  CHILDREN  AS
 PUBLIC  CHARGES WITHOUT MAKING A MOTION PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION AND ANY
 REQUIREMENT TO ENROLL AND ATTEND AN EDUCATIONAL  OR  VOCATIONAL  PROGRAM
 SHALL BE WAIVED FOR THE DURATION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.