Bill > SB191

This bill addresses the placement of Children in Need of Assistance (CINA) in unlicensed settings, defining an unlicensed setting as a placement that is not licensed, which can include hotels, motels, shelters for runaway or homeless children, and overnight stays in department offices. The bill generally prohibits placing a CINA in an unlicensed setting and using state funds to support such placements, with limited exceptions. To place a child in an unlicensed setting, the agency responsible must provide clear and convincing evidence that they have made extensive efforts to reunify the family, exhausted all resources to find a kinship caregiver, confirmed no licensed family-based care is available that meets the child's needs, and either employed all incentives to obtain a licensed placement or the unlicensed setting is a reasonable accommodation. Any placement in an unlicensed setting is limited to 10 calendar days unless specifically authorized by the Secretary of Human Services. The bill does not apply to children for whom the juvenile court has determined that reunification is not in the child's best interests, and it includes specific exclusions, such as voluntary placements with parents or kinship caregivers in the process of becoming licensed. The legislation is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

Justice

Judicial Proceedings (Senate)

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0191?ys=2025RS