Amend CSSB 1 (house committee printing) in Article II of the bill, following the appropriations to the Department of Family and Protective Services (page II-3), by adding the following appropriately numbered rider:

____. Grants for Faith-Based Community Collaborative Programs. (a) Out of funds appropriated above to the Department of Family and Protective Services for Goal B, Child Protective Services, the department shall establish an innovation grant program, administered by the governor, to award grants to support faith-based community programs that collaborate with the department and the Health and Human Services Commission to improve foster care and the placement of children in foster care.

(b)  A faith-based community program is eligible for a grant under this section if:

(1)  the effectiveness of the program is supported by empirical evidence; and

(2)  the program has demonstrated the ability to build connections between faith-based, secular, and government stakeholders.

(c)  The regional director for the department in the region where a grant recipient program is located, or the regional director's designee, shall serve as the liaison between the department and the program for collaborative purposes. For a program that operates in a larger region, the department may designate a liaison in each county where the program is operating. The department or the commission may not direct or manage the operation of the program.

(d)  The initial duration of a grant under this section is two years. The department may renew a grant awarded to a program under this section if the department determines that the program is successful.

(e)  The department may not award to a program grants under this section totaling more than $300,000.