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Whereas, The system for providing protective services for children in

this state is bifurcated, with services being provided both by county

agencies and the division of child and family services of the department of

human resources; and

Whereas, There are disparities between the payments made to

providers of those services by the county agencies and the division; and

Whereas, Because of such disparities and because the county agencies

and the division contract with different providers of foster care, the

placement of a child in foster care is frequently disrupted to place the child

with a different provider of foster care; and

Whereas, Frequently changing the placement of children in foster care

is not in the best interests of those children; and

Whereas, On November 19, 1997, Congress enacted the Adoption and

Safe Families Act of 1997, which, as a condition to the receipt of federal

money, requires a plan for the permanent placement of a child in foster care

to be established no later than 12 months after a child has been placed in

foster care; and

Whereas, To comply with this federal law requires diligent effort on

the part of the county agencies and the division from the time that a child

first enters the system for providing protective services; and

Whereas, The bifurcated system for providing protective services to

children in this state does not uniformly provide the continuity in care and

services that are necessary to establish a plan for the permanent placement

of those children within the time frame required by federal law; now,

therefore,

Section 1. 1. A county that is required to provide protective services

provision of protective services to the child;

(b) For a child to be in the joint custody of the county and the division

of child and family services;

(c) For continuity in the placement of a child in foster care;

(d) That the rate of payment by the county for foster care and shelter

care must be equal to the rate of payment by the division of child and

family services for foster care and shelter care;

(e) For continuity in the management of a case for the provision of

protective services to a child; and

(f) For services designed to carry out a plan for the permanent

placement of a child established pursuant to NRS 432B.590 or the

Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, Public Law 105-89.

2. Notwithstanding any specific statute to the contrary, for the purpose

of a pilot program established pursuant to an agreement entered into

pursuant to this section, the division of child and family services may

deviate from the rate of payment for foster care approved by the legislature.

Sec. 2. On or before November 30, 2000, the division of child and

family services of the department of human resources shall submit a report

to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for transmittal to the

appropriate legislative committee. The report must include the following

information for each agreement entered into pursuant to section 1 of this

act:

1. The number of children involved in the pilot project established

pursuant to the agreement;

2. A description of the services provided to those children that

includes:

(a) The name of the agency that provided the services; and

(b) The costs incurred by the agency that provided the services;

3. If available, the disposition of the cases of those children; and

4. An analysis of the benefits, if any, to the children involved in the

pilot project and to the families of those children.

Sec. 3. This act becomes effective on July 1, 1999, and expires by

limitation on June 30, 2001.