Rep. MCCABE proposes the following Amendment No. to H.5126 as introduced by Ways & Means
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| EXPLANATION: Instructs DSS on requirement to assign youth in group home placements based on anatomical sex |
Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 38, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, page 395, after line 15, by adding an appropriately numbered proviso to read:
/(DSS: Residential Group Care Assignment)
(A) Of the funds appropriated in this act for the Department of Social Services for group homes, any Residential Group Care Organization, including but not limited to group homes, residential treatment facilities, or foster care placements, that receives state funding shall assign youth to housing units, sleeping quarters, and other sex-specific facilities based strictly upon the individual's anatomical sex at birth as recognized on their original birth certificate.
(B) No state funds shall be expended to any Residential Group Care Organization that fails to comply with this provision. The department shall be responsible for monitoring compliance and enforcing this requirement, including through the suspension or termination of funding for noncompliant organizations.
(C) Any organization found to be in violation of this proviso shall be ineligible for state funding for a period of no less than one fiscal year following the determination of noncompliance.
(D) This proviso does not prohibit the placement of youth in single-occupancy accommodations or other arrangements deemed necessary for the safety and well-being of the youth, provided such accommodations do not violate the anatomical sex-based assignment requirement set forth in this section./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend totals and titles to conform.