Avella, Hevesi Bill Expanding Protections For Foster Children Passes Legislature (Queens Gazette)
Queens Gazette, August 30, 2017
Avella, Hevesi Bill Expanding Protections For Foster Children Passes Legislature
“As the New York State Legislature’s 2017 Legislative Session came to an end in June, a piece of legislation (S4833-A/A7554-A), introduced by NYS Senator Tony Avella (S.D. 11) and Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (A.D. 28), to amend the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP) to expand the definition of “relative guardian” to include additional adults with close relationships to the foster child unanimously passed both the Senate and Assembly. This legislation was first introduced in the NYS Legislature in March and instantly received overwhelming support through memorandums of support from Lawyers for Children, Citizens Committee for Children, the New York City Bar, the New York State Bar Association, New York State Kinship Navigator, the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, the New York City A.S.F.A. Coalition, and the Committee on Children and the Law. This legislation makes two changes to fill significant gaps in the definition of individuals eligible to be appointed as kinship guardians of children in foster care.”
