Senate Bill 24-008 Summary

• Establishes a new "kinship foster care home" certification category for relatives and kin caring for children, with eligibility for the same foster care reimbursement and supports as traditional foster care homes.

• Creates a "non-certified kinship care" option for kin who choose not to pursue certification, eligible for 30% of foster care rates (increasing to 50% by fiscal year 2026-27).

• Requires courts to advise relatives of differences between certified kinship foster care and non-certified kinship care, including financial assistance, custody requirements, and long-term support options before transferring temporary legal custody.

• Authorizes provisional six-month kinship foster care home certification after successful fingerprint-based background checks, with payments beginning upon check completion.

• Appropriates $7,988,962 for fiscal year 2024-25 from general funds, Colorado long-term works reserve, local funds, and federal funds to implement kinship foster care support programs.