S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8084
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 5, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in  relation  to  reporting  of
   youth  placed  in  foster  care  settings  and  recruitment  of foster
   parents; and to amend a chapter of  the  laws  of  2023  amending  the
   social  services  law  relating to reporting of youth placed in foster
   care settings and recruitment of foster parents, as proposed in legis-
   lative bills numbers S. 5897 and A. 2176, in relation  to  the  effec-
   tiveness thereof
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision (l) of section 17 of the social  services  law,
 as  added  by a chapter of the laws of 2023 amending the social services
 law relating to reporting of youth placed in foster  care  settings  and
 recruitment  of foster parents, as proposed in legislative bills numbers
 S. 5897 and A. 2176, is amended to read as follows:
   (l) [submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the
 temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of  the  assembly
 and  the minority leader of the senate] MAKE INFORMATION PUBLICLY AVAIL-
 ABLE ON ITS WEBSITE beginning December thirty-first, two thousand [twen-
 ty-four] TWENTY-THREE, and biannually thereafter, regarding youth placed
 in foster care settings and the  recruitment  of  foster  parents.  Such
 report  shall be made publicly available online and shall provide infor-
 mation, as required pursuant to this subdivision,  aggregated  by  local
 social  services districts and foster care settings. For the purposes of
 this subdivision, foster care settings shall include, but not be limited
 to, foster boarding homes, approved relative homes, group  homes,  group
 residences,  agency  operated  boarding  homes,  supervised  independent
 living arrangements, [therapeutic foster care]  and  child  care  insti-
 tutions.  The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following
 information:
   (i) the total number of youth placed in a foster care setting  at  the
 time of the report, as well as a comparison to the total number of youth
 in care since the previous report was submitted;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD03463-02-4
 S. 8084                             2
 
   (ii)  TO  THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, the reasons why such youth have been
 placed in a foster care setting, with the  total  number  of  youth  per
 category  at  the  time of the report. Such reasons [shall] MAY include,
 but not be limited to, voluntary placement  pursuant  to  section  three
 hundred  fifty-eight-a of this chapter, a termination of parental rights
 pursuant to section three hundred eighty-four-b of this chapter,  place-
 ments  pursuant  to  articles  ten and ten-C of the family court act, or
 pursuant to a contract,  grant  or  other  agreement  with  the  federal
 government;
   (iii) to the extent such information is available, the total number of
 youth  placed  in a foster care setting [at the time of the report] that
 are in need of or receiving specialized  EDUCATIONAL  services[,  either
 due  to  a  mental  health  illness or another disorder that may require
 additional supports  and  services,  including  specialized  educational
 services];
   (iv)  to  the  extent  such information is [available] APPLICABLE, how
 many youth [at the time of the report] have been previously placed in  a
 foster care setting in the state;
   (v)  the  total number of foster families that are currently certified
 in the state at the time of the  report  and  whether  that  number  has
 increased or decreased since the previous report was submitted;
   (vi)  TO  THE  EXTENT SUCH INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE, how many children
 and/or families have received preventive services through a local social
 services district, and of those children and/or families, how many youth
 [were successfully kept out of] SUBSEQUENTLY ENTERED foster care [due to
 such services] within the last calendar year for the initial report, and
 then since the previous report was submitted for all subsequent reports;
   (vii) the total number of placement options that have  been  certified
 as  a  qualified residential treatment program, as defined by [42 USCS §
 672] SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SECTION FOUR HUNDRED NINE-H  OF  THIS  CHAPTER;
 and
   (viii)  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  the  efforts the state has taken to ASSIST
 LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES  TO  recruit  and
 retain foster parents in the state.
   §  2.   Section 3 of a chapter of the laws of 2023 amending the social
 services law relating to  reporting  of  youth  placed  in  foster  care
 settings  and  recruitment of foster parents, as proposed in legislative
 bills numbers S. 5897 and A. 2176, is amended to read as follows:
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately AND SHALL  EXPIRE  AND  BE
 DEEMED REPEALED DECEMBER 31, 2025.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 section one of this act shall take effect on the same date  and  in  the
 same  manner  as  a  chapter  of  the  laws of 2023, amending the social
 services law relating to  reporting  of  youth  placed  in  foster  care
 settings  and  recruitment of foster parents, as proposed in legislative
 bills numbers S. 5897 and A. 2176, takes effect.