Bill Text: NY S08470 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Authorizes former foster care youth who have been discharged from foster care to return to foster care placement during the COVID-19 state of emergency without requiring such children to file a motion authorizing their return to foster care placement and places a temporary moratorium on aging out of foster care during a state of emergency.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-07-21 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO RULES [S08470 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S08470-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         8470--B

                    IN SENATE

                                      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:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision (e) of section 1055 of the family court act, as
     2  amended  by  chapter  342  of  the  laws  of 2010, is amended to read as
     3  follows:
     4    (e) No placement may be made or continued under  this  section  beyond
     5  the  child's  eighteenth  birthday  without his or her consent and in no
     6  event past his or her twenty-first birthday. However,  a  former  foster
     7  care  youth  under  the  age of twenty-one who was previously discharged
     8  from foster care due to a failure to consent to continuation  of  place-
     9  ment  may  make  a motion pursuant to section one thousand ninety-one of
    10  this act to return to the custody of the local  commissioner  of  social
    11  services  or  other  officer,  board or department authorized to receive
    12  children as public charges. In such motion, the youth  must  consent  to
    13  enrollment  in  and attendance at a vocational or educational program in
    14  accordance with paragraph two of subdivision (a) of section one thousand
    15  ninety-one of this act. Provided, however,  that  during  the  state  of
    16  emergency  declared  pursuant to Executive Order 202 of 2020 in response
    17  to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a former foster care youth
    18  may request to return to the custody of the local commissioner of social
    19  services or other officer, board or  department  authorized  to  receive
    20  children  as  public charges without making a motion pursuant to section
    21  one thousand ninety-one of this act and any requirement to enroll in and
    22  attend a vocational or educational program shall be waived for the dura-
    23  tion of the state of emergency; provided further, however, that during a
    24  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

     1  officer,  board  or  department authorized to receive children as public
     2  charges shall be authorized to  place  such  former  foster  care  youth
     3  requesting  to  return  to  foster care placement; and provided further,
     4  however,  that  the local commissioner of social services or other offi-
     5  cer, board or department authorized to receive children as public charg-
     6  es shall, when determining whether to return  such  former  foster  care
     7  youth  to foster care placement, take into consideration the factors the
     8  court would take into consideration upon making such a determination  to
     9  return a child to foster care placement pursuant to section one thousand
    10  ninety-one of this act.
    11    § 2. The opening paragraph of section 1091 of the family court act, as
    12  added by chapter 342 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
    13    A  motion  to return a former foster care youth under the age of twen-
    14  ty-one, who was discharged from foster care due to a failure to  consent
    15  to  continuation  of placement, to the custody of the local commissioner
    16  of social services or other officer, board or department  authorized  to
    17  receive  children  as  public charges, may be made by such former foster
    18  care youth, or by a local social services official upon the  consent  of
    19  such  former foster care youth, if there is a compelling reason for such
    20  former foster care youth to return to  foster  care;  provided  however,
    21  that  the  court  shall  not  entertain a motion filed after twenty-four
    22  months from the date of the first final discharge that  occurred  on  or
    23  after  the  former  foster  care  youth's  eighteenth birthday; provided
    24  further, however, that during the state of emergency  declared  pursuant
    25  to  Executive  Order  202  of  2020 in response to the novel coronavirus
    26  (COVID-19) pandemic, a former foster care youth  shall  be  entitled  to
    27  return  to  the  custody of the local commissioner of social services or
    28  other officer, board or department authorized  to  receive  children  as
    29  public  charges without making a motion pursuant to this section and any
    30  requirement to enroll and attend an educational  or  vocational  program
    31  shall be waived for the duration of the state of emergency.
    32    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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