SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for CS for SB 730

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Cowin moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 33, line 1, through

15            page 37, line 7, delete those lines

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17  and insert:

18         Section 15.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section

19  409.145, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

20         409.145  Care of children.--

21         (3)

22         (b)  The services of the foster care program shall

23  continue for those individuals 18 to 21 years of age only for

24  the period of time the individual is continuously enrolled in

25  high school, in a program leading to a high school equivalency

26  diploma as defined in s. 229.814, or in a full-time career

27  education program. Services shall be terminated upon

28  completion of or withdrawal or permanent expulsion from high

29  school, the program leading to a high school equivalency

30  diploma, or the full-time career education program. In

31  addition, the department may, based upon the availability of

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for CS for SB 730

    Amendment No.    





 1  funds, provide assistance to those individuals who leave

 2  foster care when they attain 18 years of age and subsequently

 3  request assistance prior to their 21st birthday. The following

 4  are examples of assistance that may be provided: referrals for

 5  employment, services for educational or vocational

 6  development, and housing assistance.

 7         Section 16.  Subsection (3) of section 409.1671,

 8  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

 9         409.1671  Foster care and related services;

10  privatization.--

11         (3)(a)  In order to help ensure a seamless child

12  protection system, the department shall ensure that contracts

13  entered into with community-based agencies pursuant to this

14  section include provisions for a case-transfer process to

15  determine the date that the community-based agency will

16  initiate the appropriate services for a child and family. This

17  case-transfer process must clearly identify the closure of the

18  protective investigation and the initiation of service

19  provision. At the point of case transfer, as well as at the

20  conclusion of an investigation, the department must provide a

21  complete summary of the findings of the investigation to the

22  community-based agency.

23         (b)  The contracts must also ensure that each

24  community-based agency shall furnish regular status reports of

25  its cases to the department as specified in the contract. A

26  provider may not discontinue services without prior written

27  notification to the department. After discontinuing services

28  to a child or a child and family, the community-based agency

29  must provide a written case summary, including its assessment

30  of the child and family, to the department.

31         (c)  The annual contract between the department and

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for CS for SB 730

    Amendment No.    





 1  community-based agencies must include provisions that specify

 2  the procedures to be used by the parties to resolve

 3  differences in interpreting the contract or to resolve

 4  disputes as to the adequacy of the parties' compliance with

 5  their respective obligations under the contract.

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 7  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

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 9

10  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

11  And the title is amended as follows:

12         On page 2, lines 20 and 21, delete those lines,

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14  and insert:

15         child abuse death review coordinators; amending

16         s. 409.145, F.S.; authorizing the Department of

17         Children and Family Services to provide

18         additional assistance for certain individuals

19         leaving foster care; amending s. 409.1671,

20         F.S.; deleting requirement that the

21         case-transfer process for contracts with

22         community-based agencies for provision of

23         foster care and related services identify

24         closure of protective investigations;

25         prescribing times when

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