Senate Bill 0842

    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 842

    By Senator Campbell





    33-528A-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the subsidized adoption

  3         program for the special needs child; amending

  4         s. 409.166, F.S.; amending the definition of

  5         the term "special needs child"; providing an

  6         effective date.

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  8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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10         Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section

11  409.166, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

12         409.166  Special needs children; subsidized adoption

13  program.--

14         (2)  DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section, the term:

15         (a)  "Special needs child" means a child whose

16  permanent custody has been awarded to the department or to a

17  licensed child-placing agency and

18         1.  Who has established significant emotional ties with

19  his or her foster parents; or

20         2.  Is not likely to be adopted because he or she is:

21         a.  Eight years of age or older;

22         b.  Developmentally disabled;

23         c.  Significantly developmentally delayed due to the

24  mother's substance abuse while pregnant Mentally retarded;

25         d.c.  Physically or emotionally handicapped;

26         e.d.  Of black or racially mixed parentage; or

27         f.e.  A member of a sibling group of any age, provided

28  two or more members of a sibling group remain together for

29  purposes of adoption.

30         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

31  law.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 842
    33-528A-98




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  2                          SENATE SUMMARY

  3    Amends the definition of the term "special needs child,"
      as it applies to the provision of adoption subsidies, by
  4    replacing the term "mentally retarded" with the term
      "developmentally disabled" and adding those who are
  5    developmentally disabled because of the mothers'
      substance abuse.
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