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

Luggage for youth in foster care

Beginning 120 days after enactment, New York’s Office of Children and Family Services must supply foster youth who lack suitable luggage. Youth qualify when entering care, changing placements, leaving care, moving to college, or otherwise needing luggage. Luggage must be durable, reusable, and new or like new, such as a suitcase, duffel bag, or backpack. Disposable bags, trash bags, and cardboard boxes do not qualify. The office may replace luggage reported lost, stolen, or damaged, at its discretion. The office, districts, foster care agencies, and foster parents cannot take back or keep the youth’s luggage. The office must distribute new luggage to social services districts based on each locality’s foster-child population. Districts must distribute it to children in the office’s care and to contracted voluntary foster care agencies. By December 1 each year, the office must report to the Governor and Legislature on recipients and luggage supply, costs, and inventory procedures. Reports must also count youth using disposable bags or boxes and explain why they use them. Youth counts must be broken down by race or ethnicity, gender, community district, primary language, and other categories the office selects.