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AB 518

Revises provisions relating to the interstate placement of children. (BDR 11-807)

2025 Regular Session

Nevada adopts the Revised ICPC to modernize cross-state foster care and adoption placements, creates a Central State Compact Office, and aligns with national rules.

Approved by the Governor. Chapter 157.
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Bill Summary · AB 518

AB 518 — Summary (Revised Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children)

Status: Enacted (Approved by the Governor; Chapter 157, 2025)
Introduced: February 10, 2025
Primary subject: Adoption of the Revised Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)

Main purpose

AB 518 adopts Nevada’s entry into the Revised Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (the “Revised ICPC,” developed in 2006 by the Association of Administrators of the ICPC). The bill modernizes the legal and administrative framework for placing children across state lines for foster care, placement with noncustodial parents, and pre‑adoption placements, and establishes new state-level implementation structures to comply with the Revised ICPC.

Key provisions and changes

  • Adopts the Revised ICPC and incorporates its articles and definitions into state law, replacing the older compact once the Revised ICPC becomes effective nationally (see timeline below).
  • Requires establishment of a Central State Compact Office to implement and administer the compact in Nevada; the Governor must appoint an executive head of that office. This transfers duties previously assigned to a designated compact “administrator.”
  • Requires that a receiving state’s public child‑placing agency approve a proposed placement before the child may be placed in that state and sets procedures for the receiving state to assess safety and suitability.
  • Clarifies jurisdictional rules: the sending state generally retains legal jurisdiction and financial responsibility for the placed child but may terminate jurisdiction under specified circumstances.
  • Requires courts in a receiving state to consult with the sending state’s court if protection or custody issues arise to determine the appropriate adjudicative forum.
  • Creates an interstate Commission (Interstate Commission for the Placement of Children) with authority to adopt rules, provide dispute resolution, issue advisory opinions, enforce the compact, and levy annual assessments on member states to fund its operations.
  • Provides for administrative appeals/review processes, clearer standards and timelines for home studies and evaluations, and enhanced data sharing and rulemaking authority at the interstate level.
  • Repeals the existing (older) ICPC provisions in state law on the date the Revised ICPC becomes effective (see trigger below).

Who is affected

  • State child welfare agencies (sending and receiving), courts handling custody/protection matters, public and private child‑placing agencies, and families (noncustodial parents, foster/adoptive parents).
  • The new Central State Compact Office and its executive head.
  • Potential fiscal/administrative impacts for state and local agencies responsible for compact implementation and compliance; the bill was noted to contain an unfunded mandate and to potentially affect local government finances.

Timeline / effective conditions

  • The Revised ICPC becomes effective as a compact when at least 35 states enact it. The bill takes effect in Nevada consistent with that national trigger: Nevada’s repeal of the older compact and full operation under the Revised ICPC occur when the 35th state enacts the Revised ICPC.
  • As of May 31, 2024, 18 states had enacted the Revised ICPC (per bill materials); the compact will not be operational interstate until 35 states have enacted it.

Fiscal/administrative notes

  • Committee reports indicate the measure may have state fiscal effects and may impose costs on local governments (identified as an unfunded mandate).
  • The interstate Commission may assess member states to cover its budget; Nevada would be subject to assessments if the compact becomes active.

Overall, AB 518 modernizes Nevada’s interstate placement procedures by adopting the Revised ICPC, creating a state-level compact office with gubernatorial appointment authority, and aligning Nevada with national uniform rules intended to speed safe placements and improve interstate coordination.

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

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