A 6716: Relates to chemical testing for prospective foster parents; includes, but is not limited to drug and alcohol testing; authorizes office of children and family services to issue random chemical testing, including but not limited to, drug testing, to foster parents.
What A 6716 does, verified January 11, 2026
The bill proposes to amend the Social Services Law to require prospective foster parents to undergo chemical testing, including drug and alcohol testing, prior to receiving a license or certification. If the testing reveals a positive presence of drugs or alcohol, the application will be denied. The Office of Children and Family Services will also issue random chemical testing to existing foster parents. The changes will take effect immediately.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to children and families (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 6716
- What is the current status of A 6716?
- As of January 11, 2026, A 6716 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to children and families".
- Did A 6716 pass?
- Not yet. A 6716 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 6716, and where is it now?
- A 6716 was authored by Asm. James Pretlow. Its committee of record is Assembly Children & Families. It is filed under SOS, alongside 102 other New York SOS bills this session.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to children and families |
| Mar. 10, 2025 | referred to children and families |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, March 10, 2025 · 233 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6716 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY March 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to chemical testing for prospective foster care parents The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 378 of the social services law is amended by adding 2 a new subdivision 6 to read as follows: 3 6. (a) No such license or certificate shall be awarded to a prospec- 4 tive foster parent prior to chemical testing, including, but not limited 5 to, drug and alcohol testing. Notwithstanding any other provision of law 6 to the contrary, an application for certification or licensure or 7 approval of a prospective foster parent shall be denied where such chem- 8 ical testing reveals a positive presence of drugs or alcohol in such 9 prospective foster parent. 10 (b) The office of children and family services shall issue random 11 chemical testing to foster parents, including, but not limited to, drug 12 testing. 13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07738-01-5
Text of A 6716 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions