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Senate Engrossed |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-third Legislature Second Regular Session 2018
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CHAPTER 144
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SENATE BILL 1071 |
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AN ACT
amending sections 8‑144 and 8‑164, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to adoption.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 8-144, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
8-144. Subsidy agreement; duration; amount; periodic review; confidentiality
A. The family entering into subsidized adoption and the department shall sign a subsidy agreement which shall contain that contains a provision for periodic review as provided in subsection C of this section before the final decree of adoption is issued, except as provided in subsection B of this section. Adoption subsidies may commence with the adoption placement or after the adoption decree, and will vary with the needs due to the special circumstances of the adopted child as well as the availability of other resources.
B. The adoption subsidy may continue through the age of twenty‑one if the individual is enrolled in and regularly attending school unless the person has received a high school diploma or certificate of equivalency. The subsidy may be for special services only or for money payments, and either for a limited period or for a long term, or for any combination thereof. The amount of the subsidy shall not exceed the payments allowable under foster family care. A special service subsidy shall not exceed the reasonable fee for the service rendered in accordance with costs and procedures for authorization of services as determined by the department.
C. There shall be a periodic review which shall take place at least once a year as defined by the department to determine the appropriateness and reasonableness of all subsidies and to ascertain the need for continuing or adjusting the subsidy.
D. Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, an application may be made and granted on behalf of a child adopted pursuant to the laws of this state at any time for a new or increased adoption subsidy on documentation of an undiagnosed condition that existed before the finalization of the adoption.
E. All records regarding subsidized adoption shall be confidential and may be disclosed only in accordance with the rules of the department.
Sec. 2. Section 8-164, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
8-164. Nonrecurring expenses; limitation
A. The amount of nonrecurring adoption expenses paid by the department shall not exceed two thousand dollars for each eligible child adoption petition. Except if good cause exists as determined by the department, the department shall not pay nonrecurring adoption expenses for a child and all siblings or half‑siblings who are adopted by the same parent or parents and whose parental rights were terminated within sixty days of each other, unless the child and all the siblings or half‑siblings are on the same adoption petition.
B. The department shall not pay for nonrecurring adoption expenses which that are submitted more than nine months after the final decree of adoption, except as provided pursuant to section 8‑162, subsections C and D.
C. Nonrecurring adoption expenses that are not subject to reimbursement shall include, but are not limited to, family counseling received prior to before the final decree of adoption or one time onetime costs associated with physical remodeling, renovation and alteration of the adoptive parents' home or property.
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR APRIL 5, 2018.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE APRIL 5, 2018.