S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5536
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. JACKSON -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Children and Families
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to increasing sala-
   ries for foster care direct care workers; and making an  appropriation
   therefor
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  Legislative  findings.  The  legislature  finds  that  the
 COVID-19  pandemic  has had a profound impact on the child welfare work-
 force within the foster care system. Direct care workers have  continued
 to  come  to  work  every day throughout the pandemic, care for our most
 vulnerable children, and are part of our  essential  workforce.    While
 other essential workers have been recognized or provided enhanced salary
 payments,  direct  care  workers  in  the child welfare system have not.
 Moreover, the agencies that employ the foster care workforce  have  been
 historically  underfunded  and  as a result the compensation provided to
 workers does not provide a living wage.
   Therefore, the legislature proposes salaries for direct  care  workers
 be increased starting with the 2025-2026 rate year and continued for the
 following  two  years.  This  investment will help stabilize the current
 turnover and vacancy rates within the direct care workforce  which  will
 have  a  positive  and  beneficial impact on children in the foster care
 system.
   § 2. Section 398-a of the social services law is amended by  adding  a
 new subdivision 2-d to read as follows:
   (2-D)  PAYMENTS MADE DIRECTLY BY SOCIAL SERVICE DISTRICTS TO VOLUNTARY
 FOSTER CARE AGENCIES TO INCREASE EMPLOYEE SALARIES DURING  EACH  OF  THE
 TWO  THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-
 SIX--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, AND TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN--TWO THOU-
 SAND TWENTY-EIGHT RATE YEARS SHALL BE  SUPPORTED  BY  INCREASED  FUNDING
 AVAILABLE  THROUGH  THE  FOSTER CARE BLOCK GRANT. SUCH PAYMENTS SHALL BE

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06707-01-5
              

 A. 5536                             2
 
 USED TO INCREASE THE SALARIES OF FOSTER CARE AGENCY  EMPLOYEES,  INCLUD-
 ING,  BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DIRECT CARE STAFF, CASEWORKERS, AND CASE PLAN-
 NERS, AS WELL AS THE SALARIES OF SUCH WORKERS'  SUPERVISORS  WORKING  IN
 SUCH FOSTER CARE AGENCIES.
   §  3.  The  sum of seventeen million dollars ($17,000,000), or so much
 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the state  insur-
 ance fund out of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to
 the credit of the state purpose account, not otherwise appropriated, and
 made  immediately available for the purposes of increases in salaries of
 foster care agency employees, including, but not limited to, direct care
 staff, caseworkers, and case planners, as well as the salaries  of  such
 workers'  supervisors  working in such foster care agencies. Such moneys
 shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers
 certified or approved by the department of social services in the manner
 prescribed by law.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.