Section 16000.5

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351) provides Indian tribes with the option, effective October 1, 2009, to operate a foster care, adoption assistance, and, at tribal option, a kinship guardianship assistance program under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 671 et seq.). The federal government will share the costs of a tribe operating an approved Title IV-E program.

(b) It shall be the policy of the state to maximize the opportunities for Indian tribes to operate foster care programs for Indian children pursuant to the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.