What's happening
This bill establishes a Kinship Legal Network Program to provide legal support and resources for kinship caregivers in New York.
Why it matters
Expands access to critical legal support for kinship caregivers. , helping relatives who step in to care for children navigate complex issues like custody, guardianship, child support, and public benefits that they might otherwise struggle to resolve on their own.
Creates a new, coordinated statewide network. , making it easier for kinship families to find information, referrals, and consistent legal services—addressing gaps that often leave these caregivers isolated or confused by bureaucracy.
Provides dedicated and substantial funding. (minimum $8 million annually) to ensure not-for-profit legal organizations and agencies can sustain and grow support services, signaling a long-term investment in kinship care as a recognized and supported family structure.
Mandates regular reporting and accountability. , requiring biannual reviews on service delivery, outcomes, and selection processes, which can help improve the program’s effectiveness and ensure transparency in how public funds are used to support vulnerable children and families.
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Who cares
Kinship caregivers
The program would provide legal representation on custody, guardianship, child support, abuse and neglect, adoption, public benefits eligibility and foster care certification, plus a statewide information and referral network.
Nonprofit legal services organizations and kinship-serving agencies
Eligible organizations would receive grants from an annual funding pool of at least $8 million to provide kinship legal network services.
Office of Children and Family Services
The office would house the program, distribute grants and report on participating organizations, caregivers served and legal outcomes.
Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee chairs
They would receive program reports beginning October 1, 2026, and biannually thereafter to review program administration and results.
Headline styles
Support for Kin Caregivers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to children and families
- Referred to children and families
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
748
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the kinship legal network program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 501-i to read as follows:
§ 501-i. Kinship legal network program. 1. There is hereby created within the office of children and family services a kinship legal network program. Such program shall be comprised of not-for-profit legal services organizations and not-for-profit agencies serving kinship caregivers, as defined by subdivision twenty-two of section three hundred seventy-one of the social services law.
2. The kinship legal network program shall:
(a) provide legal representation to kinship caregivers in matters including, but not limited to:
(i) custody and guardianship;
(ii) child support;
(iii) abuse and neglect;
(iv) adoption;
(v) eligibility for public benefits, including, but not limited to, public assistance and supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits; and
(vi) foster care certification; and
(b) establish and coordinate a statewide kinship information and referral network.
3. (a) The office of children and family services shall provide grants of not less than eight million dollars annually to eligible not-for-profit legal services organizations and not-for-profit agencies serving
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01348-01-5
kinship caregivers to provide kinship legal network services pursuant to subdivision two of this section.
(b) Each not-for-profit legal organization shall be awarded no more than fifteen percent of the funding provided pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision to coordinate and support the kinship legal network program through the following activities:
(i) data collection;
(ii) assisting in preparing the report required pursuant to subdivision four of this section;
(iii) task force meetings; and
(iv) technical assistance.
4. The commissioner of children and family services, on or before October first, two thousand twenty-six, and biannually thereafter, shall submit a report to the chair of the senate finance committee and the chair of the assembly ways and means committee. Such report shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) a review of the basis for selection of entities participating in the kinship legal network program;
(b) the administrative method used to carry out the kinship legal network program;
(c) the number of kinship caregivers assisted through the kinship legal network program and whether their legal matter was resolved by counsel and advice or representation at an administrative or court proceeding, and the outcomes of such proceedings; and
(d) whether such outcomes were reached by settlement or administrative or judicial decision.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.