CA AB1950

Amends Section 224.2 to authorize Indian child's tribe to participate by telephone or other remote appearance options in child welfare proceedings where the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) may apply, with method determined by court based on capacity and tribal capacity, and prohibits fees for remote access.

Establishes the Cal-ICWA County Accountability System Evaluation (CASE) Program administered by the State Department of Social Services to measure each county's compliance with federal ICWA and California ICWA in dependency cases involving Indian children.

Requires the department to convene a stakeholder workgroup by April 1, 2023, including tribal leaders and other experts, to develop the case review system by April 1, 2024, with stipends provided to stakeholders and tribal subject matter experts.

Requires counties to report annual expenditures and days of foster care maintenance payments for Indian children to the department beginning July 1, 2024, and authorizes reimbursement to counties based on proportionate share of program funding starting in fiscal year 2024–25, except for counties found substantially out of compliance for two consecutive years.

Requires the department to issue a public report by July 1, 2029, detailing fiscal savings, key conclusions, and benefits of the program, with implementation contingent on Budget Act appropriation.