HOMELESS OR RUNAWAY YOUTH H.B. 4085 (S-1) & 4086 (S-1):

SUMMARY OF BILL

REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bills 4085 and 4086 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor: Representative Lori Stone

House Committee: Families, Children and Seniors

Senate Committee: Housing and Human Services

CONTENT

House Bill 4085 (S-1) would amend the child care licensing Act to require a child caring institution to obtain parental or guardian consent within 72 hours to continue providing services to a homeless or runaway youth.

House Bill 4086 (S-1) would amend the child care licensing Act to define "homeless youth" and modify the definition of "minor child".

MCL 722.111 et al. (H.B. 4085)

722.111 (H.B. 4086)

BRIEF RATIONALE

Currently, child caring institutions must secure permission from a parent or guardian of a homeless or runaway youth within 24 hours; without this permission, the institution must notify Child Protective Services (CPS). According to testimony before the Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services, 24 hours is often not enough time to reach a parent or guardian and many youths opt to find other shelter rather than entering the CPS system. It has been suggested that institutions be allowed more time to contact guardians and provide services.

PREVIOUS LEGISLATION

(This section does not provide a comprehensive account of previous legislative efforts on this subject matter.)

House Bill 4085 and 4086 are similar to House Bill 4576 and 6140, respectively, of the 2021-2022 Legislative Session.

Legislative Analyst: Eleni Lionas

FISCAL IMPACT

The bills would result in an uncertain but likely fiscal cost to State and local units of government. Funding for care for youth served within a child caring institution comes from a variety of Federal, State, and local sources depending on variables related to how the youth came into care and underlying income. The number of youths who would be newly served by a child caring institution as defined by the bills is not known. To the extent there were additional homeless or runaway youths who were not under court jurisdiction or State custody receiving services in child caring institutions, there would be increased costs to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and local units of government. The specific allocation of costs would depend on the youth s underlying legal and funding status.

Date Completed: 11-7-23 Fiscal Analyst: Humphrey Akujobi

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.