H259 - 2023 Appropriations Act. (SL 2023-134)

Overview: Section 9J.5 of S.L. 2023-134 requires that funds appropriated by the act from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for the child welfare postsecondary support program be used to continue providing assistance with the cost of attendance as defined in federal law (20 U.S.C. 1087ll) for the needs of (i) foster youth aging out of the foster care system, (ii) foster youth who exit foster care to a permanent home through the Guardianship Assistance Program, or (iii) special needs children adopted from foster care after the age of 12. These funds must be allocated by the State Education Assistance Authority.

This section also allocates $50,000 of the funds appropriated from the General Fund to DHHS for each year of the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium to the State Education Assistance Authority (SEAA). The SEAA must only use these funds to perform the administrative functions necessary to manage and distribute the scholarships under the section.

Additionally, this section requires that $339,493 of the funds appropriated from the General Fund to DHHS for each year of the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium be used to contract with an organization to administer the child welfare education program inclusive of case management services.

The funds appropriated in the act to DHHS for the child welfare postsecondary support program must only be used for students attending in State public institutions of higher education.

This section became effective July 1, 2023.