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Foster care bill passes House, prompting anticipation of how Senate might view $16 million cost

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates passed a broad-ranging foster care bill that also comes with a $16 million price tag.

In a tight budget year, delegates were already talking about not only defending the policy choice as the bill now goes to the Senate but also the spending priority.

Mick Bates

“It has a significant financial piece. This is the first big nut we’re going to send across to the Senate,” said Delegate Mick Bates, D-Raleigh.

“We’ve done good work here, but the job is not done. We need to defend our policy but also to defend our decision.”

The House of Delegates passed the bill 96-1 with three absences. The lone no vote was from Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, who had asked about the cost.

The bill enumerates certain rights for foster families.

It spells out more clearly what guardians ad litem, the people who officially speak on behalf of children, are required to do prior to the adjudication of the process.

That aspect is meant to provide more assurance to foster families that guardians ad litem are truly speaking with children and hearing them out.

And it increases the per diem for foster families while also establishing an equivalent rate for kinship families — those who have taken in a child but who haven’t gone through certification.

The increased per diem for kinship families was a committee amendment and created a significant price that hadn’t been considered previously.

Under the bill, families fostering through DHHR would be paid at least $900 per month per child placed in their home, or about $30 a day — an increase of about $300 per month. The reimbursement rate for kinship families would be raised to an equivalent amount.

The state’s share of the cost was estimated to be about $16.9 million. An additional $14 million in federal funding is anticipated.

With a flat budget proposed by Gov. Jim Justice, no one has specified yet how the state would come up with this additional amount.

Delegate Jeffrey Pack, R-Raleigh, said in an interview that money could be found through the priorities in the current budget.

“I don’t think it’s going to be an increased line item,” he said. “I think we’re just going to find money within the current confines of the budget without additional spending.”

Pack pushed for increased financial support for kinship families such as grandparents raising children whose homes have been disrupted by drug addiction.

He said he is proud of the bill.

“Terribly pleased. This is a fabulous bill. We’ve worked for months and months and months on it. It passed through three committees, and the funding remained intact. I’m anxious for it to go to the Senate and see what they do with it,” said Pack, vice chairman of the House Health Committee.

Delegate Lisa Zukoff, D-Marshall, had expressed concern earlier in the session about whether the bill would pass through the three committees to which it had been assigned.

On Tuesday morning, Zukoff said he is pleased the bill was set to pass overwhelmingly.

“I’m so excited about this. I really think there’s not a bill in this Legislature this session than us addressing the foster care crisis in this state,” Zukoff said.

More than 7,000 children are in state custody. About 450 of those are out of state, mostly in group residential homes or long-term psychiatric facilities.

More and more extended families are taking in children.

Zukoff said it’s important to provide funding to “family members who step up to the plate but who might not have the resources to take care of these children. We know being in a home is ultimately what’s best for a child. We were concerned the kinship families might be left out of this.

“So this is an important bill that addresses all aspects of our foster care crisis. And it’s been done in a bipartisan fashion, so I’m really excited about this bill.”

Jason Barrett

The bill drew praise from both sides of the aisle on the House floor prior to its passage.

“Our foster families in West Virginia are truly angels among us,” said Delegate Jason Barrett, D-Berkeley.

“Great emphasis has been placed on the projected cost of this bill, but we must acknowledge that this is an investment.”

Daryl Cowles

Delegate Daryl Cowles, R-Morgan, said he has taken foster children into his home. He said the bill would be broadly appreciated as a legislative priority.

“Foster parents want to be supported, they want to be recognized, they want to be included – and I think it is important to say that in the code,” Cowles said.





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