AB336: Bill Text

LRB-3369/1

EHS:skw

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Assembly BILL 336

June 22, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives Rozar, Allen, Armstrong, Behnke, Bodden, Brandtjen, Donovan, Edming, Green, Gundrum, Gustafson, Hurd, Krug, Macco, Magnafici, Maxey, Moses, Murphy, Nedweski, O'Connor, Penterman, Plumer, Rettinger, Schmidt, Schraa, Steffen, Summerfield, Tusler and Wichgers, cosponsored by Senators Quinn, Cabral-Guevara, Felzkowski, Feyen, Hutton, Jacque, Jagler, James, Knodl, Nass and Tomczyk. Referred to Committee on Children and Families.

AB336,1,2 An Act to create 20.437 (1) (be) and 49.170 of the statutes; relating to: a grant program for financial assistance for adoption and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Children and Families to administer a competitive grant program under which it awards a grant to one organization in each fiscal biennium for the purpose of providing financial assistance to prospective adoptive families. The bill appropriates $5,000,000 in the 2023-25 fiscal biennium for this grant program.

Under the bill, an organization is eligible for the grant if it operates a financial assistance program for prospective adoptive families. The bill requires DCF to impose conditions on the use of the grant, including that no more than 2.5 percent of it may be used for administrative expenses and awards are limited to $10,000 per family and may only be awarded to or on behalf of families in this state who are adopting children in this state. Under the bill, DCF must also require that the grant recipient place conditions on the financial assistance, including that only families that have reached a certain stage in the adoption process are eligible and that the grant recipient may reclaim financial assistance it has awarded if the financial assistance is used improperly or not used by a certain deadline.

Under the bill, DCF must require the grant recipient to submit to DCF a report describing how the grant was used, which DCF must then submit to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB336,1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB336,2 Section 2. 20.437 (1) (be) of the statutes is created to read:

AB336,2,5 20.437 (1) (be) Financial assistance for adoption grant program. Biennially, the amounts in the schedule for the grant program under s. 49.170.

AB336,3 Section 3. 49.170 of the statutes is created to read:

AB336,2,11 49.170 Financial assistance for adoption grant program. (1) The department shall administer a competitive grant program as provided under this section. Under the program, the department shall award a grant to an organization for the purpose of providing financial assistance to prospective adoptive families to help with adoption expenses.

AB336,2,15 (2) The department shall solicit and review applications for the grant program under this section and shall award a grant in an amount of no more than $5,000,000 to one organization in each fiscal biennium. An organization is eligible for the grant if it operates a financial assistance program for prospective adoptive families.

AB336,3,2 (3) The department shall impose all of the following conditions on use of a grant awarded under this section:

AB336,3,4 (a) No more than 2.5 percent of the grant may be used for administrative expenses.

AB336,3,6 (b) Financial assistance awarded from the grant may only be awarded to or on behalf of families in this state who are adopting children from this state.

AB336,3,8 (c) Awards of financial assistance from the grant are limited to $10,000 per adoptive family.

AB336,3,13 (d) The grant recipient must impose conditions on the financial assistance it awards from the grant, including that only families that have reached a certain stage in the adoption process are eligible and that the grant recipient may reclaim financial assistance it has awarded if the financial assistance is used improperly or if it is not used by a certain deadline.

AB336,3,17 (4) The department shall require the grant recipient, upon expenditure of the grant, to submit a report to the department describing how the grant was used. The department shall submit this report to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3).

AB336,4 Section 4 . Effective date.

AB336,3,20 (1) This act takes effect on the day after publication, or on the 2nd day after publication of the 2023 biennial budget act, whichever is later.

AB336,3,21 (End)