HF4459 Summary

• Child Care Appeals Process: Modifies appeal procedures for child care providers, changing notices from "mail" to "send" and allowing appeals to state agency instead of Department of Human Services Appeals Division for authorization denials, overpayments, and fraud disqualifications.

• Child Welfare Case Planning: Restructures out-of-home placement and child protective services case plan requirements, clarifying filing deadlines (30 days for protective supervision, within 30 days of petition for foster care placements).

• Kinship Assistance and Foster Care Payments: Updates Northstar kinship assistance provisions for successor relative custodians and clarifies payment procedures for foster youth aged 18-21, including protections against financial exploitation.

• Adoption and Permanency Proceedings: Streamlines adoption placement decisions and court review processes, requires written findings for permanent legal and physical custody transfers to relatives, and establishes procedures for relatives and foster parents to challenge adoption placements.

• Adoption Records and Birth Parent Access: Creates contact preference form process allowing birth parents to indicate willingness to contact, provides adopted persons aged 18+ access to original birth records, and requires disclosure statements inform adoptive and birth parents of these rights.