A 5434: Requires the office of children and family services to provide luggage to youth in foster care; provides that such luggage shall be distributed to social services districts for distribution to foster care youth; requires the office of children and family services to submit an annual report to the governor and the legislature about the distribution of luggage to foster care youth.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5434 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring the office of children and family services to provide luggage to youth in foster care The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 2 398-f to read as follows: 3 § 398-f. Duty to provide luggage to foster children. 1. Definitions. 4 For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the 5 following meanings: 6 (a) "Demographic information" means race or ethnicity, gender, commu- 7 nity district, primary language, and any other category the office of 8 children and family services deems relevant. 9 (b) "Foster care agency" means the voluntary agency contracted by 10 social services districts to provide foster care. 11 (c) "Luggage" means a durable suitcase, duffel bag, backpack, or simi- 12 lar reusable container that is new or is in new-like condition, and is 13 designed to hold an individual's personal belongings and is not a 14 disposable bag, trash bag, or cardboard box. 15 2. Foster youth luggage. The office of children and family services 16 shall procure, distribute, and supply luggage to foster care youth who 17 do not have appropriate luggage of their own and who are: (a) entering 18 foster care; (b) moving from one foster care placement to another; (c) 19 exiting foster care; (d) moving to college; or (e) in any other situ- 20 ation where luggage is needed. If any foster care youth reports that 21 their luggage has been lost, stolen, or damaged, the office of children 22 and family services shall provide replacement luggage at their 23 discretion. Any luggage provided by the office of children and family 24 services may not be reclaimed or retained by the office of children and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07383-01-5 
 A. 5434 2 1 family services, social services districts, foster care agencies, or the 2 child's foster parent. 3 3. Partnership with social services districts. The office of children 4 and family services shall distribute new luggage to social services 5 districts based on the number of foster children in each locality. Each 6 social services district shall distribute new luggage to children within 7 the office of children and family services' care and custody or care and 8 guardianship, as well as to any voluntary agencies within their juris- 9 dictions with whom they contract for the provision of foster care 10 services. 11 4. Foster youth luggage reporting. No later than December first of 12 each year, the office of children and family services shall submit a 13 report to the governor and the legislature detailing the provision of 14 luggage to foster care youth. Such report shall include, but need not be 15 limited to, the following information: 16 (a) The total number of foster care youth given luggage, in total and 17 disaggregated by demographic information; 18 (b) To the extent there are foster care youth utilizing disposable 19 bags, trash bags, or cardboard boxes in place of luggage to transport 20 their belongings, the number of such foster care youth utilizing such 21 disposable bags, trash bags, or cardboard boxes, in total and disaggre- 22 gated by demographic information, and the reason such youth are utiliz- 23 ing such disposable bag, trash bag, or cardboard box; and 24 (c) The supply, cost, and inventory management procedures for the 25 office of children and family services' luggage supply. 26 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 27 it shall have become a law.