GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

S	1 

SENATE BILL 271

Short Title:  Minority/Handicapped Adoption Funds.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Sands; Basnight, Blackmon, Block, Carpenter, Conder, Cooper, Daniel, Forrester, Hunt, Johnson, Lee, Martin of Guilford, Odom, Plexico, Seymour, Simpson, Smith, Soles, Walker, Ward, and Warren.
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Referred to:  Appropriations.
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March 25, 1991

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO REIMBURSE LICENSED PRIVATE ADOPTION AGENCIES THAT MAKE HARD-TO-PLACE CHILDREN'S ADOPTIONS POSSIBLE.
Whereas, in 1991, there are thousands of prospective adoptive couples in North Carolina and thousands of hard-to-place children, those who are members of minorities, handicapped, or 6 years of age or older, who are living without the benefits of permanent, loving families; and
Whereas, when hard-to-place children are placed with permanent, loving families, society as well as the children and their families benefit, not only in terms of institutional costs saved but also in terms of societal gains reaped when these children become productive citizens; and
Whereas, many of these prospective adoptive families cannot afford the special costs associated with adopting these special children; and
Whereas, the licensed private adoption agencies in North Carolina that make the adoption of so many of these children possible cannot afford to absorb the special costs associated with placing these special children in permanent families, such as counseling, medical, and legal costs; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Effective July 1, 1991, the Department of Human Resources shall reimburse each licensed private adoption agency for costs actually incurred in placing a hard-to-place child, one who is the member of a minority, handicapped, or 6 years of age or older, with a permanent, adoptive family.  Costs that may be reimbursed pursuant to this act are administrative, counseling, medical, and legal costs incurred by the agency. The maximum amount to be paid to any one agency in any one fiscal year for placing any one child is $5,000.
Sec. 2.  The Social Services Commission shall adopt rules to implement this act, including rules that define hard-to-place children.
Sec. 3.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources, the sum of $1,000,000 for the 1991-92 fiscal year and the sum of $1,000,000 for the 1992-93 fiscal year, to establish a fund to implement this act.
Sec. 4.  This fund shall become part of the Department of Human Resources' continuation budget and shall be known as the James E. Ezzell, Jr. Memorial Fund.
Sec. 5.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1991.