Senate Bill S6753A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6753--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. BRISPORT, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and  when  printed  to  be  committed to the Committee on Children and
   Families -- recommitted to the Committee on Children and  Families  in
   accordance  with  Senate  Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill
   amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
   tee
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the social services law, in relation to limitations on
   the number of cases handled by foster care workers
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Section 20-a of the social services law, as added by chap-
 ter 107 of the laws of 1971, is amended to read as follows:
   § 20-a. Local personnel; limitations on department's power.   Notwith-
 standing  any  inconsistent  provision  of  this chapter, the board, the
 commissioner or the department, acting singly or in  unison,  shall  not
 have  the  power,  directly  or  indirectly  to  prescribe the number of
 persons to be employed in any social  services  district  providing  the
 district  complies  with the minimum federal standards relating thereto;
 PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL  NOT  APPLY
 TO  THE REGULATIONS OF THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES ESTAB-
 LISHING CASELOAD STANDARDS FOR FOSTER CARE WORKERS PROMULGATED  PURSUANT
 TO  PARAGRAPH (A) OF SUBDIVISION NINE OF SECTION FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE
 OF THIS CHAPTER.
   § 2. Section 421 of the social services law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 9 to read as follows:
   9. PROMULGATE REGULATIONS IN CONSULTATION WITH LOCAL  SOCIAL  SERVICES
 DISTRICTS,  RELATING TO CASELOAD STANDARDS FOR FOSTER CARE WORKERS. SUCH
 STANDARDS SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (A) LIMITATIONS ON THE  NUMBER  OF  FOSTER  CARE  CASES  THAT  CAN  BE
 ASSIGNED  TO FOSTER CARE WORKERS, PROVIDED HOWEVER, TO THE EXTENT POSSI-
 BLE AND WITHIN AMOUNTS  APPROPRIATED  THEREFOR,  NO  MORE  THAN  SIXTEEN
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11227-02-6
              

 S. 6753--A                          2
 
 FOSTER  CARE  CASES  MAY  BE ASSIGNED TO A FOSTER CARE WORKER AT ANY ONE
 TIME; AND
   (B) GUIDANCE AS IT RELATES TO HOW SUCH FOSTER CARE CASES ARE ASSIGNED,
 TAKING  INTO CONSIDERATION THE FOSTER CARE WORKER'S CURRENT CASELOAD, AS
 WELL AS THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PARTICULAR CASES. NOTHING IN THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT THE OFFICE  FROM  PRESCRIBING  LOCAL
 SOCIAL  SERVICES DISTRICTS FROM ESTABLISHING CASELOAD STANDARDS THAT ARE
 LESS THAN WHAT IS REQUIRED IN THIS SUBDIVISION.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.