Family Law - Kinship Care
Sponsor: Gabriel Acevero (District 39)Committee: JudiciarySubject: Family LawStatus: Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Sep 4, 2026)
What this bill does
Official synopsis
Requiring a local department to consider a child's feelings or views about a prospective kinship caregiver in selecting a placement that is in the best interest of the child in an out-of-home placement; including a certain unrelated individual identified by a child as an option for a kinship caregiver; and requiring a local department to consider certain factors when determining whether to approve an individual as a kinship caregiver.
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Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.
Testimony (21)
MGA witness listFAV 17FavorableFWA 3Favorable with amendmentsUNF 1Unfavorable
| Position | Witness | Organization | Testimony |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAV | Stine, Jennifer | CASA of Baltimore County, Inc. | Oral |
| FAV | Philip, Diana | Coalition to Protect Maryland's Children | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Philip, Diana | Coalition to Protect Maryland's Children | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | LeMon, Erica | Maryland Legal Aid | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Plante, Cecilia | Maryland Legislative Coalition | Position only |
| FAV | Goldstein, Laura | Montgomery County Counseling Center | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Goldstein, Laura | Montgomery County Counseling Center | Position only |
| FAV | Edwards-Luce, Aubrey | Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts | Position only |
| FAV | Delegate Acevero, Delegate Aceverolegislator | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Delegate Acevero, Delegate Aceverolegislator | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Galloway, Vanessa | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Hessler, Thereselobbyist | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Hessler, Thereselobbyist | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Krone, Christinelobbyist | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Mason, Madeleine | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Perry, Richard | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Perry, Richard | Individual | Position only |
| UNF | Brown-Burnett, Gloria | Department of Human Services | Written (PDF) |
| FWA | Brown-Burnett, Gloria | Department of Human Services | Written (PDF) |
| FWA | Lichterman, Hayley | Maryland Office of the Public Defender | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FWA | Khalfani, Natasha | Office of the Public Defender Maryland | Written (PDF) |
Organizations on record
Department of Human ServicesFWA 1UNF 1
Maryland Legal AidFAV 1
Registered lobbyists who testified
FAVHessler, ThereseRegistered for: City of Gaithersburg; Elevate Recovery Centers; Evolve Kids Care; Evolve Life Centers; High Roller Technologies; Laila's Gift…
FAVHessler, ThereseRegistered for: City of Gaithersburg; Elevate Recovery Centers; Evolve Kids Care; Evolve Life Centers; High Roller Technologies; Laila's Gift…
FAVKrone, ChristineRegistered for: American Coatings Association; Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; City of Rockville; Coordinating Center for Home and Community Care, The, LLC (dba The Coordinating Center); Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work, Inc.; LifeSpan Network…