A 748: Establishes the kinship legal network program in the office of children and family services to provide legal services to kinship caregivers.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 748 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the kinship legal network program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 501-i 2 to read as follows: 3 § 501-i. Kinship legal network program. 1. There is hereby created 4 within the office of children and family services a kinship legal 5 network program. Such program shall be comprised of not-for-profit legal 6 services organizations and not-for-profit agencies serving kinship care- 7 givers, as defined by subdivision twenty-two of section three hundred 8 seventy-one of the social services law. 9 2. The kinship legal network program shall: 10 (a) provide legal representation to kinship caregivers in matters 11 including, but not limited to: 12 (i) custody and guardianship; 13 (ii) child support; 14 (iii) abuse and neglect; 15 (iv) adoption; 16 (v) eligibility for public benefits, including, but not limited to, 17 public assistance and supplemental nutrition assistance program bene- 18 fits; and 19 (vi) foster care certification; and 20 (b) establish and coordinate a statewide kinship information and 21 referral network. 22 3. (a) The office of children and family services shall provide grants 23 of not less than eight million dollars annually to eligible not-for-pro- 24 fit legal services organizations and not-for-profit agencies serving EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01348-01-5 
 A. 748 2 1 kinship caregivers to provide kinship legal network services pursuant to 2 subdivision two of this section. 3 (b) Each not-for-profit legal organization shall be awarded no more 4 than fifteen percent of the funding provided pursuant to paragraph (a) 5 of this subdivision to coordinate and support the kinship legal network 6 program through the following activities: 7 (i) data collection; 8 (ii) assisting in preparing the report required pursuant to subdivi- 9 sion four of this section; 10 (iii) task force meetings; and 11 (iv) technical assistance. 12 4. The commissioner of children and family services, on or before 13 October first, two thousand twenty-six, and biannually thereafter, shall 14 submit a report to the chair of the senate finance committee and the 15 chair of the assembly ways and means committee. Such report shall 16 include, but not be limited to: 17 (a) a review of the basis for selection of entities participating in 18 the kinship legal network program; 19 (b) the administrative method used to carry out the kinship legal 20 network program; 21 (c) the number of kinship caregivers assisted through the kinship 22 legal network program and whether their legal matter was resolved by 23 counsel and advice or representation at an administrative or court 24 proceeding, and the outcomes of such proceedings; and 25 (d) whether such outcomes were reached by settlement or administrative 26 or judicial decision. 27 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.