Maggie Stevens, the CEO and president of Foster Success, an Indianapolis nonprofit supporting foster youths between the ages of 14 and 26, believes this bill is critical due to its benefits. Since 2008, Foster Success has helped teens and young adults who are transitioning out of the foster care system with the goal of steady employment, housing, and a support system by their 26th birthday.

“In the state of Indiana, most communities have limited public transportation,” Stevens said. “What we know is that young people in foster care still have challenges accessing transportation in order to get to their jobs, get to school, or take care of basic needs that they may have.”

SEA 246 was heard during a Ways and Means House Committee in February, in which bill author Sen. Kyle Walker, R-Lawrence, supported the bill’s benefits to self-sufficiency.

“I think we can all agree that we want foster youth to be independent and productive Hoosiers,” Walker said.

This fund helps to handle fees of driver’s education as well as car insurance. Not being able to join a parent or guardian’s car insurance can raise the rates of individuals. Foster home placement may be inconsistent, and foster youth on average will pay 40-50% more on individual car insurance than their non-foster care peers, according to Stevens.

This fund aims to close the gap for insurance affordability. Youths will be covered through the Indiana Automobile Insurance Program, which specializes in covering “high-risk” individuals or those who are otherwise turned down by other insurers.

To fund these efforts, money from state appropriations and private donations will be used to offset expenses as youths access car insurance and in-car driving practice. Fifty hours of driving practice with a certified adult is required to obtain a driver’s license in addition to passing the driving test in the state of Indiana. Currently, teens in foster care are able to obtain six of those hours through traditional driver’s ed, but the rest can be hard to obtain, so funding and a certified instructor for the remaining driving hours will be provided.

Matt Lehman, R-Berne, supported the guarantee of helping ensure foster youth in need.

“If you can go into adulthood with having had your own insurance, having a good record, I think that makes you a much better consumer for a competitive rate,” he said. “Bottom line is, it gives foster kids who have their own vehicles a coverage of last resort so they’re not driving uninsured.”

A specific license plate style in support of ensuring foster youth is also being petitioned for, with $15 per plate going into the Insuring Foster Youth Fund. This petition requires 500 signatures and approval from the interim committee before the plate can be verified and sold at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Terri J. Austin, D-Anderson, applauded the unanimous passing of the bill in an article from the Indiana House Democrats, stating that it is a “great example of the type of legislation that we can pass” in a bipartisan manner.

“The ability to obtain a driver’s license and purchase insurance are two obstacles to seeking stable employment and furthering their education,” Austin said. “This bill will help children exiting foster care meet those goals.