Legislative task force proposes foster care legislation

MADISON — A legislative task force is proposing a package of bills designed to help foster-care families.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos created the task force in June. The panel's co-chairmen, Republican Rep. Patrick Snyder and Democratic Rep. Steve Doyle, said during a news conference Tuesday the task force has drafted 13 bills.

The package includes measures that would increase funding for volunteers who build relationships with foster families and report their observations back to judges; create grants for entities working to reduce children's contact with the child welfare system; and create a committee to study case workers' workloads.

The bills also would create grants to provide incentives for serving as foster parents and give foster children free tuition within the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Technical College System.