Revises provisions relating to adoption assistance programs. (BDR 38-355)

Existing federal law requires each child welfare agency to calculate savings realized from expanded eligibility for children under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, known as “adoption savings,” and reinvest an equal amount in the state's child welfare system. (42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(D)) Existing law requires the Division of Child and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human Services to provide a categorical grant to each agency which provides child welfare services in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties) for each fiscal year for its adoption assistance program. Existing law requires the Division to base the amount of such a categorical grant on the estimated cost of the projected growth in the adoption assistance program. (NRS 432B.219) Under existing law, any money remaining from such a categorical grant that has not been used or committed for expenditure by the agency by the end of the fiscal year reverts to the State General Fund in most cases. However, existing law provides that the portion of such money remaining at the end of a fiscal year that is identified as adoption savings does not revert until the end of the immediately following fiscal year. Existing law authorizes the agency which provides child welfare services that received the categorical grant to use that money for any costs of providing child welfare services without restriction during that fiscal year. (NRS 432B.219) Section 1 of this bill instead provides that money awarded through such a categorical grant never reverts to the State General Fund, regardless of whether the money is identified as adoption savings. Additionally, section 1 requires an agency which provides child welfare services to continue to use such money for the costs of providing child welfare services in a manner consistent with the requirements and restrictions imposed by federal law. Section 2 of this bill defines “Division” for the purposes of sections 3, 4 and 5 of this bill to refer to the Division of Child and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human Services. Sections 3 and 4 appropriate to the Division certain unexpended adoption savings for expenditure in accordance with federal law to provide child welfare services. Section 5 requires the Division and other agencies which provide child welfare services in this State to study and develop a plan for reinvesting unexpended adoption savings.