Amendment S-5200 to SF 473

Filed April 21, 2026 in the Senate by

In plain words

AI summary This amendment extends the bill's effective date to 2026 and expands its protections to include approved kinship caregivers. It also adds a rule that religious organizations contracted to provide foster care or adoption services cannot be required to provide those services in a way that is inconsistent with their sincerely held religious beliefs.¹

What it changes

1. Page 1, line 1, by striking “2025” and inserting “2026”
2. Page 1, line 5, after “licensee” by inserting “or approved kinship caregiver”
3. Page 1, by striking lines 9 and 10 and inserting: “(2) Preclude a person from being licensed as an individual licensee or approved as an approved kinship caregiver based on the person’s”
4. Page 1, line 16, after “b.” by inserting “(1)”
5. Page 1, by striking lines 18 and 19 and inserting “licensee or an approved kinship caregiver from being considered as a possible placement for a child based on the person’s sincerely”
6. Page 1, line 22, by striking “c.” and inserting “(2)”
7. Page 1, line 22, by striking “subsection shall not be interpreted to” and inserting “paragraph shall not”
8. Page 1, line 29, by striking “child foster care provider” and inserting “individual licensee or approved kinship caregiver”
9. Page 1, line 32, by striking “d.” and inserting “c.”
10. Page 1, line 32, by striking “child foster care provider” and inserting “individual licensee or approved kinship caregiver”
11. Page 1, lines 34 and 35, by striking “child foster care provider” and inserting “individual licensee or approved kinship caregiver”
12. Page 2, line 5, by striking “e.” and inserting “d.”
13. Page 2, line 24, by striking “based, in whole or in part,” and inserting “based”
14. Page 2, line 30, after “b.” by inserting “(1)”
15. Page 2, line 33, by striking “based, in whole or in part,” and inserting “based”
16. Page 3, line 1, by striking “c.” and inserting “(2)”
17. Page 3, line 1, by striking “subsection shall not be -1- SF 473.3992.H (1) 91 md 1/ 2 interpreted to” and inserting “paragraph shall not”
18. Page 3, line 10, by striking “d.” and inserting “c.”
19. Page 3, line 17, by striking “e.” and inserting “d.”
20. Page 3, after line 19 by inserting: “Sec. ___. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES —— CHILD FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION SERVICES —— DEPARTMENT REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.
21. The department of health and human services shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to amend the department’s rules relating to child foster care and adoption recruitment, retention, training, and support services to provide, unless otherwise provided by federal law or regulation, that an entity that holds itself out to the public as a religious organization as defined in section 13C.1, and that has a contract, subcontract, or other agreement with the department or an agent of the department to provide child foster care or adoption services, shall not be required to provide the contracted, subcontracted, or other agreed upon services in a manner inconsistent with the religious organization’s sincerely held religious beliefs.
22. a. This section shall not prohibit the department from determining the best interests of a child in the provision of child foster care, as that term is defined in section 237.1, or adoption services to the child. b. This section shall not relieve the department of the department’s duty to determine the best interests of a child in the provision of child foster care or adoption services to the child.”
23. Title page, by striking lines 2 and 3 and inserting “beliefs of certain entities for purposes of child foster care and adoption.”
24. By renumbering as necessary. -2- SF 473.3992.H (1) 91 md 2/ 2

Official amendment (PDF) · In the Bill Book