FLORIDA'S CHILDREN WIN NEW PROTECTIONS UNDER RICH BILLS

Legislation Unanimously Endorsed Now Heads to Governor

TALLAHASSEE - The full legislature this week unanimously signed off on legislation sponsored by Senator Nan Rich (D-Weston), weaving a tighter safety net for the thousands of foster care children in Florida.

"Despite the severity of our budget crisis, despite the many cuts to numerous essential programs, I was heartened to see the unanimous support the Legislature mustered to protect these children who often go unseen and unheard," said Senator Rich. "This was the right thing to do for children who are too often caught in a system fraught with pitfalls hampering their ability to succeed."

The first piece of legislation, SB 1128, provides the state's disabled foster care children, a surrogate parent, appointed by a school district superintendent or dependency court, to oversee educational decisions and protect a child's rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. The measure was designed to help offset the high rate of foster children who drop out of high school (37 percent compared to 16 percent for non-foster care children) and to help expedite school enrollment - delayed in many cases because of the inability to locate school or immunization records as a result of the children’s transiency.

The second bill, HB 1409, creates through the Office of the Governor, The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, establishing a uniform set of regulations for children placed across state lines either for adoption or foster care. The new ICPC will standardize the process, as well as provide for a forum for review and reconsideration of decisions by states, and a mechanism for enforcement of the ICPC. It will ensure the placement of children with individuals who are safe, suitable, and able to provide proper care.

Both bills are now headed to the governor for signature.

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	Senator Rich Addressing Seniors at the Daniel Canter Senior Center
	Nan Rich with Gradutes of Weston University
	Senator Rich with the Final Graduting Class of Weston University 2010

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