| Summary |
The bill creates the fostering success pilot program (pilot program)
in the department of human services (department). The pilot program is
a 2-part program, which includes:
•
The supplemental support for foster students program
(supplemental support program), which awards $2,000
scholarships annually to a foster care provider, kinship
foster care provider, or a non-certified kinship care
provider (provider) who cares for a youth in the legal
custody of a county department of human or social services
until the youth graduates from high school; and
•
The milestone incentives program (milestone program),
which awards $1,000 to a youth for successfully graduating
from high school.
On or before September 30, 2025, subject to available
appropriations, the department shall contract with a third-party
administrator (administrator) to develop, implement, and administer the
pilot program. The department shall contract with an administrator that
is:
•
A nonprofit organization;
•
Experienced working with students and families; and
•
Experienced administering student scholarship and grant
programs.
On or before December 31, 2025, subject to available
appropriations, the department shall establish a timeline for:
•
Announcing the pilot program;
•
Accepting applications from youth and their providers; and
•
Selecting youth and their providers to participate in the
pilot program.
The department shall select youth and provider participants in the
order of applications received. A youth and their provider selected to
participate in the pilot program must participate in the supplemental
support program and the milestone program.
The administrator may contract with one or more private entities
to develop and implement a system to establish scholarship accounts that
allows payment to qualifying vendors by electronic means from an online
portal.
The administrator shall:
•
Ensure that the scholarship account is accessible through an
online portal for the provider to facilitate payments to a
qualifying vendor for the supplemental support program;
•
Ensure the transfer of scholarship funds from the online
portal directly to a qualifying vendor without direct access
to scholarship funds by a provider; and
•
Distribute money to each scholarship account.
The administrator shall ensure that a youth has sole access to the
milestone program award funds. There are no restrictions on how the
youth may use the milestone program award funds.
On or before July 1, 2028, the administrator shall administer a
survey to youth and their providers to receive feedback on the pilot
program.
On or before October 31, 2028, the administrator shall report to the
department the following information:
•
The number of participants selected for the pilot program;
•
The amount of money awarded through the pilot program;
•
The survey results from youth and their providers; and
•
How the pilot program affected the youth's performance in
school.
On or before December 31, 2028, the department shall submit a
report summarizing the information collected from the survey to the
education committees of the house of representatives and senate, the
health and human services committees of the house of representatives and
senate, or their successor committees.
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