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HB26-1373 • 2026

Subsidy Limits in Assistance Programs for Children

The act specifies monthly subsidy payment reimbursement limits for the adoption assistance program and the relative guardianship assistance program that apply to contracts that take effect July 1, 202

Budget Children
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Rep. K. Brown, Rep. E. Sirota, Sen. J. Amabile, Sen. B. Kirkmeyer, Rep. R. Taggart, Sen. J. Bridges, Rep. L. Gilchrist
Last action
2026-05-27
Official status
Governor Signed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

HB26-1373: Limits on Adoption and Guardianship Subsidy Payments

This law sets monthly payment limits for adoption assistance and relative guardianship programs starting July 1, 2026, and stops reimbursement for services other than one-time adoption costs.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets maximum amounts the state will pay each month for adoption and relative guardianship contracts that start on or after July 1, 2026.
  • Stops payment reimbursement for any services except nonrecurring adoption expenses.
  • Requires the state Department of Human Services to create a standard notice explaining these changes to families.
  • Orders county departments to give this notice by June 15, 2026, to families currently receiving help.
  • Reduces funding from the general fund and cash funds for these programs in fiscal year 2025-26.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Families with children who receive adoption assistance or relative guardianship aid.
  • The state Department of Human Services, which must create new notices.
  • County departments of human or social services, which must send the notices to families.
  • State budget officials managing funds for these programs.

Terms To Know

Subsidy
Money given by the government to help pay for a service or program.
Relative guardianship assistance program
A state aid program that helps relatives who take legal care of children.
Nonrecurring adoption expenses
One-time costs for an adoption, such as court fees or travel, rather than ongoing monthly bills.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The text does not list the specific dollar amounts for the new monthly payment limits.
  • The source does not explain how families can appeal if their payments are reduced.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment stops contracts from being changed just because of new payment limits and requires the state to send a notice explaining these changes to families by June 15, 2026.

  • Contracts cannot be renegotiated only because of the reimbursement limit change described in subsection (1)(b)(IV)(A).
  • The State Department must create a standard letter that explains this payment change to families currently receiving services.
  • Counties are allowed to add their own local information to the standard notice before sending it out.
  • The amendment text does not explain what specific reimbursement limits were changed in subsection (1)(b)(IV)(A), only that a change exists.
  • The exact wording of the standardized notice is not included, so we do not know exactly how it will describe the changes.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-27 Governor

    Governor Signed

  2. 2026-05-22 Governor

    Sent to the Governor

  3. 2026-05-22 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. 2026-05-22 House

    Signed by the Speaker of the House

  5. 2026-04-17 House

    House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass

  6. 2026-04-16 Senate

    Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  7. 2026-04-15 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Floor

  8. 2026-04-14 Senate

    Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole

  9. 2026-04-13 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Appropriations

  10. 2026-04-11 House

    House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  11. 2026-04-10 House

    House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  12. 2026-04-09 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments

  13. 2026-04-08 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  14. 2026-04-07 House

    House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole

  15. 2026-04-02 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Appropriations

Official Summary Text

The act specifies monthly subsidy payment reimbursement limits for the adoption assistance program and the relative guardianship assistance program that apply to contracts that take effect July 1, 2026, or later, and prohibits reimbursement for services other than nonreoccuring adoption expenses. The act requires the state department of human services to create a standardized notice for families that describes the reimbursement change. The act requires the county departments of human or social services to provide the notice by June 15, 2026, to families currently receiving services.
The act reduces the state fiscal year 2025-26 appropriation to the department of human services for adoption and relative guardianship assistance made in the long bill as follows:
From the general fund, by $2,199,750; and
From cash funds, by $407,295.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)