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SB 2778

Grandparents; authorize payment of support for assuming primary care of grandchildren, create tax credit for.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Sollie Norwood and 2 co-sponsors

Authorizes state payments to grandparents who become primary caregivers of grandchildren and creates a tax credit to offset caregiving costs.

Died In Committee
#finance
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Bill Summary · SB 2778

Summary — SB 2778

Title: Grandparents; authorize payment of support for assuming primary care of grandchildren; create tax credit for
Sponsor: Sen. Adam Hinojosa
Subject: Finance
Introduced: March 14, 2025
Related: HB 1646 (companion)

Purpose and intent

SB 2778 is designed to support grandparents (and presumptively other kin caregivers) who assume primary care of their grandchildren by (1) authorizing a state payment or support benefit when grandparents become the primary caregivers and (2) creating a state tax credit to offset costs associated with caring for those grandchildren. The bill’s intent is to reduce financial strain on informal caregivers and to recognize kinship care as an alternative to foster care.

Key provisions (as indicated by the title and available record)

Note: The full bill text was not provided. The following describes the bill’s apparent structure and likely elements based on its title and classification:

  • Authorization of support payments

    • Establishes a mechanism for state payments or subsidies to grandparents who assume primary care of grandchildren.
    • Likely eligibility criteria would include proof of primary caregiving responsibility (e.g., court-ordered guardianship, informal custody, or affidavit of primary residence), residency requirements, and possibly means-testing.

  • Creation of a tax credit

    • Establishes a state tax credit for qualifying grandparents/kin caregivers to offset expenses related to day-to-day care (food, clothing, medical, child care, schooling).
    • The credit could be refundable or nonrefundable and may include per-child limits, income phaseouts, or caps—specific rates and amounts are not included in the provided record.

  • Administration

    • Provisions would designate a state agency (e.g., Department of Human Services or Comptroller’s/Revenue agency) to administer payments/tax credits and set application, documentation, and verification procedures.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: grandparents and kin who become the primary caregivers of grandchildren.
  • Indirectly affected: grandchildren receiving stable home care, foster care systems (potential reduced placements), state budget/taxpayers (through payments and forgone revenue from credits).
  • State agencies responsible for administering benefits and tax credits.

Fiscal and policy implications

  • Would generate new expenditures and/or reduced state revenue (cost depends on payment levels and credit design).
  • Could lower foster care costs if more children remain with kin caregivers.
  • Administrative costs to implement and verify eligibility.

Procedural/timeline notes and data inconsistency

The provided legislative action log contains conflicting entries:
- Header status: “Died In Committee” (date listed as 2025-02-04).
- However, detailed actions show extensive progression through both chambers (committee reports, passage, conference committee, enrolled, “Filed without the Governor’s signature” on 2025-06-20) and an effective date of 9/1/2025.

Recommendation: Verify the official legislative history with the state legislature’s bill lookup to confirm final status, the enacted bill text, and precise financial/eligibility provisions (and to reconcile the inconsistent status entries).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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