Florida Senate - 2025 SB 544 By Senator Gruters 22-00343-25 2025544__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to foster care payments; amending s. 3 39.5085, F.S.; authorizing certain payments to 4 relatives or nonrelatives who have a child placed with 5 them in out-of-home care and who obtain a child 6 specific level I foster license within a specified 7 timeframe; making technical changes; providing 8 applicability; providing an effective date. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1.Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section 13 39.5085, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 14 39.5085Relative Caregiver Program. 15 (2) 16 (d)1.Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child placed 17 with them in out-of-home care and who have obtained licensure as 18 a child-specific level I foster license placement, regardless of 19 whether a court has found the child to be dependent, shall 20 receive a monthly payment in accordance with s. 409.145(3) from 21 the date the child is placed in out-of-home care with his or her 22 relatives or with nonrelatives until the child achieves 23 permanency as determined by the court pursuant to s. 39.621. 24 2.Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child who has been 25 found to be dependent placed with them in out-of-home care and 26 who have not obtained a child-specific level I foster license 27 shall receive a monthly payment at a rate equal to the rate 28 established in s. 409.145(3) for licensed foster parents, 29 regardless of whether the relatives or nonrelatives have 30 obtained a child-specific level I foster license, from the date 31 the child is found to be dependent or from the date the child is 32 placed with them in out-of-home care, whichever is later, for a 33 period of no more than 6 months or until the child achieves 34 permanency as determined by the court pursuant to s. 39.621, 35 whichever occurs first. Relatives or nonrelatives who obtain a 36 child-specific level I foster license within the 6-month period 37 after the date of placement shall receive retroactive payment at 38 a rate equal to the rate established in s. 409.145(3) for 39 licensed foster parents for any month in which the relatives or 40 nonrelatives did not receive a monthly payment because a court 41 had not yet found the child to be dependent. 42 3.Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child who has been 43 found to be dependent placed with them in out-of-home care and 44 who have not obtained a child-specific level I foster license 45 within 6 months from the date of such placement shall receive a 46 monthly payment in an amount determined by department rule from 47 6 months after the date the child is found to be dependent or 48 from 6 months after the child is placed with them in out-of-home 49 care, whichever is later, until the relatives or nonrelatives 50 obtain a child-specific level I foster license or until the 51 child achieves permanency as determined by the court pursuant to 52 s. 39.621, whichever occurs first. The monthly payment amount 53 paid to relatives or nonrelatives pursuant to this subparagraph 54 must be less than the monthly payment amount provided to a 55 participant enrolled in the Guardianship Assistance Program 56 pursuant to s. 39.6225. 57 4.Relatives or nonrelatives who have a child placed in 58 their care by permanent guardianship pursuant to s. 39.6221, in 59 a permanent placement with a fit and willing relative pursuant 60 to s. 39.6231, or under former s. 39.622 if the placement was 61 made before July 1, 2006, and who are not enrolled in the 62 Guardianship Assistance Program pursuant to s. 39.6225 shall 63 receive a monthly payment in an amount determined by department 64 rule which must be less than the monthly payment amount provided 65 to a participant enrolled in the Guardianship Assistance Program 66 under s. 39.6225. 67 Section 2.The amendments made by this act to s. 39.5085, 68 Florida Statutes, apply to relatives or nonrelatives who have a 69 child placed with them in out-of-home care on or after July 1, 70 2025. 71 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.