Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the Legislature. LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they
are used for other purposes.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Padilla
LAST UPDATED
ORIGINAL DATE 3/3/2025
SHORT TITLE
CYFD Independent Program Performance
Audit
BILL
NUMBER Senate Bill 361
ANALYST Hernandez
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT*
(dollars in thousands)
Agency/Program
FY25 FY26 FY27
3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring or
Nonrecurring
Fund
Affected
CYFD
No fiscal
impact
No fiscal
impact
No fiscal
impact
No fiscal
impact
Parentheses ( ) indicate expenditure decreases.
*Amounts reflect most recent analysis of this legislation.
Sources of Information
LFC Files
Agency Analysis Received From
Office of the State Auditor (OSA) Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Senate Bill 361
Senate Bill 361 (SB361) requires the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to
undergo an independent, multi-year performance audit to determine the department’s capacity
and ability to function. CYFD must transmit annual performance audit and interim review
reports to the Governor, Legislative Finance Committee, and Legislative Health and Human
Services Committee.
This bill does not contain an effective date and, as a result, would go into effect 90 days after the
Legislature adjourns if enacted, or June 20, 2025.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
CYFD notes no fiscal implications.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
LFC conducted a LegisSTAT review of CYFD over the interim and found that there has been
little movement in terms of improving outcomes. Moreover, throughout the past ten years, LFC’s
Program Evaluation unit conducted numerous evaluations of CYFD. The most recent evaluations
focused on juvenile justice and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), both Senate Bill 361 – Page 2
of which provided several recommendations; the department has implemented very few of the
recommendations from these reports.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
On page 3, “interim” should be added prior to both “legislative finance committee” and
“legislative health and human services committee.”
AEH/hj/SL2