Young adults who have lived experience in foster care, those who advocate for them, and lawmakers gathered recently at the Statehouse for Governor Eric Holcomb’s ceremonial signing of Senate Enrolled Act 151 (SEA 151).
Indiana nonprofit Foster Success calls SEA 151 – or the Insuring Foster Youth Trust Fund Law – a win for the 24,000 young people transitioning out of foster care in Indiana. The measure was authored by State Senator Kyle Walker (R-Lawrence) and sponsored by State Representative Donna Schaibley (R-Carmel) in the House.
SEA 151:
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Increases resources to help older foster youth get needed driving experience for their driver’s license and access affordable auto insurance.
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Expands the Foster Care Tax Credit Program to donors of the Insuring Foster Youth Trust Fund and extends the program through January 1, 2028.
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Provides free access for foster families and older foster youth to Indiana State Parks and other Department of Natural Resources’ properties.
SEA 151 expands upon legislation Sen. Walker authored last year that established the Insuring Foster Youth Trust Fund. The fund will now be supported with public and private dollars to offset expenses related to supervised driving hours and auto insurance for foster youth.
You can hear Maggie Stevens, Director of Foster Success in the Leon-Tailored Audio above. It runs for about 18 minutes.
