Requires the office of children and family services to provide luggage to youth in foster care, the official text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3781
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 30, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed 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:
 
   Section  1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
 398-f to read as follows:
   § 398-F. DUTY TO PROVIDE LUGGAGE TO FOSTER CHILDREN.  1.  DEFINITIONS.
 FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE
 FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A) "DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION" MEANS RACE OR ETHNICITY, GENDER,  COMMU-
 NITY  DISTRICT,  PRIMARY  LANGUAGE, AND ANY OTHER CATEGORY THE OFFICE OF
 CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES DEEMS RELEVANT.
   (B) "FOSTER CARE AGENCY" MEANS  THE  VOLUNTARY  AGENCY  CONTRACTED  BY
 SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS TO PROVIDE FOSTER CARE.
   (C) "LUGGAGE" MEANS A DURABLE SUITCASE, DUFFEL BAG, BACKPACK, OR SIMI-
 LAR  REUSABLE  CONTAINER THAT IS NEW OR IS IN NEW-LIKE CONDITION, AND IS
 DESIGNED TO HOLD AN  INDIVIDUAL'S  PERSONAL  BELONGINGS  AND  IS  NOT  A
 DISPOSABLE BAG, TRASH BAG, OR CARDBOARD BOX.
   2.  FOSTER  YOUTH  LUGGAGE. THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES
 SHALL PROCURE, DISTRIBUTE, AND SUPPLY LUGGAGE TO FOSTER CARE  YOUTH  WHO
 DO  NOT  HAVE APPROPRIATE LUGGAGE OF THEIR OWN AND WHO ARE: (A) ENTERING
 FOSTER CARE; (B) MOVING FROM ONE FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT TO  ANOTHER;  (C)
 EXITING  FOSTER  CARE;  (D) MOVING TO COLLEGE; OR (E) IN ANY OTHER SITU-
 ATION WHERE LUGGAGE IS NEEDED. IF ANY FOSTER  CARE  YOUTH  REPORTS  THAT
 THEIR  LUGGAGE HAS BEEN LOST, STOLEN, OR DAMAGED, THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN
 AND  FAMILY  SERVICES  SHALL  PROVIDE  REPLACEMENT  LUGGAGE   AT   THEIR
 DISCRETION.  ANY  LUGGAGE  PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY
 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
 S. 3781                             2
 
 FAMILY SERVICES, SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS, FOSTER CARE AGENCIES, OR THE
 CHILD'S FOSTER PARENT.
   3.  PARTNERSHIP WITH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS. THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN
 AND FAMILY SERVICES SHALL DISTRIBUTE  NEW  LUGGAGE  TO  SOCIAL  SERVICES
 DISTRICTS  BASED ON THE NUMBER OF FOSTER CHILDREN IN EACH LOCALITY. EACH
 SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT SHALL DISTRIBUTE NEW LUGGAGE TO CHILDREN WITHIN
 THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES' CARE AND CUSTODY OR CARE AND
 GUARDIANSHIP, AS WELL AS TO ANY VOLUNTARY AGENCIES WITHIN  THEIR  JURIS-
 DICTIONS  WITH  WHOM  THEY  CONTRACT  FOR  THE  PROVISION OF FOSTER CARE
 SERVICES.
   4. FOSTER YOUTH LUGGAGE REPORTING. NO LATER  THAN  DECEMBER  FIRST  OF
 EACH  YEAR,  THE  OFFICE  OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES SHALL SUBMIT A
 REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE DETAILING  THE  PROVISION  OF
 LUGGAGE TO FOSTER CARE YOUTH. SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NEED NOT BE
 LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
   (A)  THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FOSTER CARE YOUTH GIVEN LUGGAGE, IN TOTAL AND
 DISAGGREGATED BY DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION;
   (B) TO THE EXTENT THERE ARE FOSTER  CARE  YOUTH  UTILIZING  DISPOSABLE
 BAGS,  TRASH  BAGS,  OR CARDBOARD BOXES IN PLACE OF LUGGAGE TO TRANSPORT
 THEIR BELONGINGS, THE NUMBER OF SUCH FOSTER CARE  YOUTH  UTILIZING  SUCH
 DISPOSABLE  BAGS, TRASH BAGS, OR CARDBOARD BOXES, IN TOTAL AND DISAGGRE-
 GATED BY DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, AND THE REASON SUCH YOUTH ARE  UTILIZ-
 ING SUCH DISPOSABLE BAG, TRASH BAG, OR CARDBOARD BOX; AND
   (C)  THE  SUPPLY,  COST,  AND  INVENTORY MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES FOR THE
 OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES' LUGGAGE SUPPLY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.