Senate Bill 741A would direct the Department of Human Services to report every even‑numbered year, beginning July 1, 2026, to the Legislature on compensation and related metrics for foster homes and certified provider homes. Sponsor testimony on May 1 framed the bill as a data and accountability measure to inform budget decisions on resource‑family recruitment and retention.

Senator Sarah Gelser Blouin said the bill’s goal is to provide lawmakers and budget writers with consistent information about how current reimbursement rates compare with a policy goal that had been discussed in an earlier draft: reimbursing resource families at 90% of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimated cost of raising a child, adjusted for inflation. The sponsor said the introduced‑version fiscal analysis showed a sizeable gap: roughly $68.4 million behind for the current biennium and $93.6 million behind for the following biennium to reach that benchmark in total funds.

The sponsor described typical monthly base payments then in place—between $958 and $1,022—and said the original, more ambitious proposal would have increased payments by an average of about $425 per month per child and increased certain shelter payments in the first 20 days by about $648. Committee members praised the proposal and asked that the data be used to prioritize budget resources; Vice Chair Scharf and others noted the proposal would feed information into the budget process rather than itself appropriate funds.

No external testimony was recorded in the transcript for this item; Representative Elmer volunteered to carry the measure to the floor when asked. The committee closed the public hearing with no recorded objections and no committee amendment in the transcript.