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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to independent living; requiring the

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Department of Children and Family Services to create a

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pilot program in Miami-Dade County to provide continued

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foster care until participants reach the age of 21 years;

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providing eligibility requirements; requiring that the

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circuit court select participants; prescribing services

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that will be continued; requiring the periodic assessment

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of participants in the program; requiring the department

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to submit a report to the court; requiring the selection

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of a cohort group for the purpose of comparing results;

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requiring reports to the Legislature; providing for

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expiration of the program; providing an appropriation;

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providing an effective date.

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

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     Section 1. Optional pilot program for continued foster care

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to age 21.--

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     (1) The Department of Children and Family Services shall

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develop an optional continued foster care pilot program in Miami-

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Dade County. The circuit court having jurisdiction over young

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adults who are prospective participants shall select participants

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for the program on its own authority or upon the recommendation

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of a young adult who wishes to participate, his or her case

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manager, or guardian ad litem. Each participant must be younger

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than 18 years of age at the time of entry into the program and

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must be or must have been in foster care. The department may

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accept up to 50 participants into the pilot program. A

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participant shall continue to receive all foster care services,

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remain under continued court jurisdiction, and remain in his or

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her current foster or group home placement or another licensed

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foster home arranged by the lead agency until he or she leaves

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the pilot program or reaches 21 years of age, whichever occurs

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first.

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     (2) The department or the lead agency must use the

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independent living assessment tool referred to in s.

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409.1451(4)(b)4., Florida Statutes, to assess each young adult no

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later than 1 month after he or she reaches 17 years of age to

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determine the young adult's specific needs and recommend

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appropriate services. The independent living assessment tool must

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be administered annually to determine the program's effectiveness

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or lack thereof. The department or lead agency must annually

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submit a report to the court as part of the judicial review.

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     (3) The Department of Children and Family Services shall

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select a cohort of up to 50 young adults who were formerly in

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foster care, who were not eligible for the Road-To-Independence

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Scholarship, and who live in a county similar to Miami-Dade

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County and shall compare this cohort to the participants in the

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pilot program by administering to them the same independent

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living assessment tool.

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     (4) The department shall prepare an annual report and

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submit it to the Legislature by January 31 of each year and shall

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submit a final report by December 1, 2012. The annual reports

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must compare the young adults in the pilot program to the cohort

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selected under subsection (3). The final report must include an

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analysis, including a fiscal analysis, and a recommendation of

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the benefits and drawbacks of duplicating the pilot program

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throughout the state.

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     (5) This section expires July 1, 2012.

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     Section 2. There is appropriated from the General Revenue

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Fund to the Department of Children and Family Services, District

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11, for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the sum of $500,000 to be used

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in implementing the pilot program created under section 1 of this

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act. The department may transfer funds appropriated in this

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section to the Agency for Health Care Administration to fund the

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Medicaid cost of this pilot program.

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     Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.