SR 622: Joint Study Committee on Evaluating Escalating Costs in Georgia's Foster Care System; create

Senate Resolution 622

By: Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Hatchett of the 50th, Parent of the 44th, Payne of the 54th, Brass of the 6th and others

ADOPTED

A RESOLUTION

Creating the Joint Study Committee on Evaluating Escalating Costs in Georgia's Foster Care System; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the Georgia Department of Human Services, through its Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), is the state agency designated to care for Georgia's foster children and child welfare services populations; and

WHEREAS, DFCS has custody of nearly 10,000 foster children; and

WHEREAS, out of home care services provided by DFCS include transportation and behavioral aides for foster children; and

WHEREAS, out of home care services totaled $141,309,251 in FY25 and are projected to exceed $164,728,091 in FY26, having increased 159 percent since 2022; and

WHEREAS, the rapid escalation of costs jeopardizes the sustainability of existing programs from a state funding perspective; and

WHEREAS, the cost of out of home services is impacted by many variables, including judicial orders and the needs of each individual child; and

WHEREAS, the functioning of Georgia's foster care system in the best interests of foster children requires an appropriate use of all available provider networks and available funding sources; and

WHEREAS, a study committee would be beneficial to examine the existing framework of the delivery of out of home care services, wrap-around services, and all related costs to determine future availability of resources and leverage efficiencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for foster children.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF

GEORGIA:

(1) Creation of joint study committee. There is created the Joint Study Committee on Evaluating Escalating Costs in Georgia's Foster Care System.

(2) Members and officers.

(A) The committee shall be composed of 20 members.

(B) The Governor shall appoint one member who has served as a special assistant attorney general and represented the state in dependency proceedings within the last six months;

(C) The President of the Senate shall appoint six members of the Senate as members of the committee, one of whom shall be a representative of a Georgia licensed child placing agency serving as a statewide service provider. The President of the Senate shall designate one of such members as cochairperson;

(D) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint six members of the House of Representatives as members of the committee, one of whom shall be a representative of a Georgia licensed child caring institution serving as a statewide service provider. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate one of such members as cochairperson; and

(E) The committee shall include additional members as follows:

(i) The Commissioner of the Department of Human Services or his or her designee;

(ii) The Commissioner of the Department of Community Health or his or her designee;

(iii) The Commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice or his or her designee;

(iv) The Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities or his or her designee;

(v) The President of the Council of Juvenile Court Judges or his or her designee;

(vi) The President of the Council of Superior Court Judges or his or her designee; and

(vii) The Executive Director of Together Georgia or his or her designee from among its alliance of children and family services providers.

(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.

(4) Meetings. The cochairpersons shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.

(5) Allowances, expenses, and funding.

(A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

(B) Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members, or state employees shall receive no compensation for their services on the committee, but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they are reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees.

(C) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state officials, or state employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance authorized for state employees.

(D) The allowances and expenses authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the Senate and the House of Representatives; except that funds for the reimbursement of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative members, and state employees shall come from funds appropriated to or otherwise available to their respective agencies.

(6) Report.

(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the cochairpersons shall file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for proposed legislation, the cochairpersons shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. A report so approved shall be signed by the cochairpersons of the committee and filed with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(D) In the absence of an approved report, the cochairpersons may file with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives copies of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.

(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.