Senate Bill 544 (2025) — Foster care payments
SB 544
Florida Bills
Florida Senate - 2025 SB By Senator Gruters 22-00343-25 2025544__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled
An act relating to foster care payments; amending s. 2 39.5085, F.S.; authorizing certain payments to relatives or nonrelatives who have a child placed with them in out-of-home care and who obtain a child-5 specific level I foster license within a specified timeframe; making technical changes; providing applicability; providing an effective date. 8
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10
Section 1. Paragraph
(
d) of subsection (2) of
section 12 39.5085, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 13 39.5085 Relative Caregiver Program.— 14 (2) 15 (d)1. Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child placed with them in out-of-home care and who have obtained licensure as a child-specific level I foster license placement, regardless of whether a court has found the child to be dependent, shall receive a monthly payment in accordance with s. 409.145(3) from the date the child is placed in out-of-home care with his or her relatives or with nonrelatives until the child achieves permanency as determined by the court pursuant to s. 39.621. 23 2.
Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child who has been found to be dependent placed with them in out-of-home care and who have not obtained a child-specific level I foster license shall receive a monthly payment at a rate equal to the rate established in s. 409.145(3) for licensed foster parents, 28 regardless of whether the relatives or nonrelatives have Florida Senate - 2025 SB 544 22-00343-25 2025544__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. obtained a child-specific level I foster license, from the date the child is found to be dependent or from the date the child is placed with them in out-of-home care, whichever is later, for a period of no more than months or until the child achieves permanency as determined by the court pursuant to s. 39.621, 34 whichever occurs first.
Relatives or nonrelatives who obtain a child-specific level I foster license within the 6-month period after the date of placement shall receive retroactive payment at a rate equal to the rate established in s. 409.145(3) for licensed foster parents for any month in which the relatives or nonrelatives did not receive a monthly payment because a court had not yet found the child to be dependent. 41 3.
Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child who has been found to be dependent placed with them in out-of-home care and who have not obtained a child-specific level I foster license within months from the date of such placement shall receive a monthly payment in an amount determined by department rule from 46 months after the date the child is found to be dependent or from months after the child is placed with them in out-of-home care, whichever is later, until the relatives or nonrelatives obtain a child-specific level I foster license or until the child achieves permanency as determined by the court pursuant to s. 39.621, whichever occurs first.
The monthly payment amount paid to relatives or nonrelatives pursuant to this subparagraph must be less than the monthly payment amount provided to a participant enrolled in the Guardianship Assistance Program pursuant to s. 39.6225. 56 4.
Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child placed in their care by permanent guardianship pursuant to s. 39.6221, in Florida Senate - 2025 SB 544 22-00343-25 2025544__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. a permanent placement with a fit and willing relative pursuant to s. 39.6231, or under former s. 39.622 if the placement was made before July 1, 2006, and who are not enrolled in the Guardianship Assistance Program pursuant to s. 39.6225 shall receive a monthly payment in an amount determined by department rule which must be less than the monthly payment amount provided to a participant enrolled in the Guardianship Assistance Program under s. 39.6225. 66
Section 2. The amendments made by this act to s. 39.5085, 67 Florida Statutes, apply to relatives or nonrelatives who have a child placed with them in out-of-home care on or after July 1, 69 2025. 70