A bill to add 77 new positionsat the Department for Children, Youth and Families received unanimous approval from a committee of House lawmakers Tuesday.
The vote comes a day after a legislative Advisory Board for DCYF put its support behind the bill.
The bill, originally introduced by Senate Democrats, is designed to address a shortage of caseworkers at the state agency tasked with investigating allegations of child abuse. DCYF employees currently juggle a caseload that is nearly four times the nationally recommended average.
The bill still needs approval from the full House before moving on to the governor.
