BILL #    HB 2247	TITLE: forest products; processing; tax credit S/E Subject: DCS; records; data; access
SPONSOR:    Griffin	STATUS: As Amended by Senate HHS
PREPARED BY:    Nicole Lovato

Description

The bill directs DCS to give the Arizona Supreme Court and the Foster Care Review Boards (FCRBs) direct remote [online] access" to any automated case management system the department uses.  It also provides access to any dependency case files the FCRBs deem necessary to complete their review.

Estimated Impact

We anticipate the bill to have a cost to modify DCS’ current automated case management system, Guardian.  DCS states the bill would cost about $750,000 - $1 million in total funding.  We cannot independently confirm the DCS estimate but believe the cost could vary widely depending on how DCS chooses to provide access.

Arizona Department of Administration has not yet provided an estimate of the programming costs.

Analysis

Established in 1978, the FCRB is in the Dependent Children's Services Division of the Arizona Supreme Court.  The FCRB reviews and coordinates activities of local boards that advise the juvenile court regarding progress made toward permanent placement of children have been placed in out-of-home care by the DCS.

While direct access to an automated case management system is not in statute, the FCRB had access to the previous automated case management system.  Since Guardian was launched, the FCRB does not have access to the system.

DCS states the cost of instituting the programming changes required by the bill would be $750,000 - $1 million for 2,500 additional programming hours. DCS would receive matching federal funding for such changes; this match rate may vary but would be at least 50%.

Local Government Impact

None

4/1/21