SB 996: Dependent Children

GENERAL BILL by Rodriguez

Dependent Children; Requiring the Department of Children and Families and each community-based care lead agency to coordinate with certain organizations and meet at least quarterly for a specified purpose; requiring the department and each community-based care lead agency to make certain information available on their respective websites; requiring a caregiver to provide a weekly cash allowance to each child in his or her care beginning when the child attains a certain age; prohibiting a caregiver from withholding a child’s allowance as punishment, etc.

Current Bill Version Posted: 12/22/2025 02:24 PM

• Senate Committee References (3)

  1. Fiscal Policy (FP)
  2. Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (CF)
  3. Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services (AHS)

• Related Bills (3)

  Bill Number Subject Filed By Last Action and Location	Relationship Learn more about bill relationships
  H 395 (c1) by Human Services Subcommittee Dependent Children Last Action: 2/26/2026 S Received	Compare
  H 763 (c1) by Health Care Budget Subcommittee Child Welfare Last Action: 2/24/2026 H 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)	Compare
  S 560 (c3) by Garcia Child Welfare Last Action: 3/4/2026 H In Messages	Compare

• Analyses (2)

  Links in this section are PDF documents.

  • Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Pre-Meeting)   2/2/2026
  • Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Post-Meeting)   2/3/2026

• Committee Votes (1)

  Links in this section are PDF documents.

  Date	Version	Committee	Result
  2/3/2026 1:00 PM	S 996	Children, Families, and Elder Affairs	4 Yeas - 0 Nays

• Citations - Statute (2)

  The page numbers, when listed, for citations are constantly under review. The journals or printed bills of the respective chambers should be consulted as the official documents of the Legislature.
  
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  39.4085	Goals for dependent children; responsibilities; education; Office of the Children’s Ombudsman.	Page 2 (pdf)
  409.145	Care of children; “reasonable and prudent parent” standard.	Page 3 (pdf)

• Bill History

  S = Senate, H = House

  12/22/2025	S	• Filed
  1/7/2026	S	• Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Fiscal Policy
  1/13/2026	S	• Introduced
  1/29/2026	S	• On Committee agenda-- Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 02/03/26, 1:00 pm, 301 Senate Building
  2/3/2026	S	• Favorable by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; YEAS 4 NAYS 0 • Now in Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services