Read the full stored bill text
Senate
File
564
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
564
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
HEALTH
AND
HUMAN
SERVICES
(SUCCESSOR
TO
SF
251)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
creating
the
positions
of
an
ombudsman
assistant
for
1
child
foster
care
and
a
foster
care
advocate.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
2C.6,
Code
2025,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
2C.6
Deputy
——
assistant
for
penal
agencies
assistants
.
3
1.
The
ombudsman
shall
designate
one
of
the
members
of
4
the
staff
as
the
deputy
ombudsman,
with
authority
to
act
as
5
ombudsman
when
the
ombudsman
is
absent
from
the
state
or
6
becomes
disabled.
The
ombudsman
may
delegate
to
members
of
the
7
staff
any
of
the
authority
or
duties
of
the
office
except
the
8
duty
of
formally
making
recommendations
to
agencies
or
reports
9
to
the
governor
or
the
general
assembly.
10
2.
The
ombudsman
shall
appoint
an
assistant
who
shall
be
11
primarily
responsible
for
investigating
complaints
relating
to
12
penal
or
correctional
agencies.
13
3.
The
ombudsman
shall
appoint
an
assistant
who
shall
be
14
primarily
responsible
for
investigating
complaints
relating
to
15
child
foster
care
under
chapter
237.
16
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
237.14B
State
foster
care
advocate
and
17
ombudsman
assistant
——
information.
18
All
materials
relating
to
child
foster
care
that
are
made
19
available
by
the
department,
or
an
agent
of
the
department,
to
20
the
public
shall
contain
information
about
the
state
foster
21
care
advocate,
and
the
ombudsman
assistant
described
in
section
22
2C.6,
subsection
3.
The
information
shall
include
the
name,
23
telephone
number,
and
internet
site
of
the
state
foster
care
24
advocate,
and
the
telephone
number
and
internet
site
for
the
25
state
office
of
ombudsman.
26
Sec.
3.
DEPARTMENT
OF
HEALTH
AND
HUMAN
SERVICES
——
STATE
27
FOSTER
CARE
ADVOCATE.
28
1.
For
purposes
of
this
section:
29
a.
“Child
foster
care”
means
the
same
as
defined
in
section
30
237.1.
31
b.
“Department”
means
the
department
of
health
and
human
32
services.
33
c.
“Individual”
means
the
same
as
defined
in
section
237.1.
34
d.
“Licensee”
means
the
same
as
defined
in
section
237.1.
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2.
a.
The
department
shall
designate
a
person
to
serve
as
1
the
state
foster
care
advocate.
2
b.
The
state
foster
care
advocate
shall
serve
within
the
3
department’s
compliance
division,
and
remain
separate
from
the
4
department’s
family
well-being
and
protection
division.
5
c.
The
state
foster
care
advocate
shall
act
as
a
resource
to
6
individual
licensees
by
doing
the
following:
7
(1)
Improving
department
administrative
and
operational
8
functions
related
to
child
foster
care.
9
(2)
Engaging
in
department
policy
discussions
as
an
10
advocate
for
individual
licensees.
11
(3)
Making
policy
recommendations
that
consider
the
health
12
and
safety
of
children
receiving
child
foster
care.
13
(4)
Engaging
with
public
and
private
entities
related
to
14
child
foster
care.
15
(5)
Receiving
complaints
about
the
provision
of
child
16
foster
care
services
by
the
department
or
an
agent
of
the
17
department.
18
(6)
Engaging
with
individual
licensees
relating
to
19
resources
and
services
available
to
the
individual
licensee.
20
(7)
Other
duties
related
to
child
foster
care
advocacy
as
21
assigned
by
the
department.
22
3.
At
the
time
a
person
obtains
a
license
to
provide
child
23
foster
care,
the
department
shall
provide
the
person
with
24
the
state
foster
care
advocate’s
name,
telephone
number,
and
25
internet
site,
and
a
brief
description
of
the
services
the
26
state
foster
care
advocate
provides.
27
4.
On
or
before
December
1,
2025,
the
department
shall
28
submit
proposed
legislation
to
the
general
assembly
that
29
codifies
and
defines
the
state
foster
care
advocate
within
30
the
department,
including
the
state
foster
care
advocate’s
31
duties
as
outlined
in
subsection
2,
paragraph
“c”.
Prior
to
32
submitting
the
proposed
legislation,
the
department
shall
33
solicit
public
input
regarding
the
proposed
legislation,
34
specifically
from
persons
involved
in
child
foster
care.
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EXPLANATION
1
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
2
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
3
This
bill
relates
to
the
creation
of
the
positions
4
of
ombudsman
assistant
for
child
foster
care
(ombudsman
5
assistant),
and
foster
care
advocate
(advocate).
6
The
bill
requires
the
state
ombudsman
to
appoint
an
7
ombudsman
assistant
for
investigating
complaints
relating
to
8
child
foster
care.
9
The
bill
creates
the
advocate’s
position
within
the
10
department
of
health
and
human
services’
(HHS)
compliance
11
division,
and
separate
from
HHS’s
family
well-being
and
12
protection
division.
The
bill
requires
the
advocate
to
act
13
as
a
resource
to
foster
parents
and
lists
several
duties
the
14
advocate
must
perform
to
fulfill
the
purpose
of
the
position.
15
When
a
person
obtains
a
license
to
provide
child
foster
16
care,
the
bill
requires
HHS
to
provide
the
person
with
the
17
advocate’s
name,
telephone
number,
and
internet
site,
and
18
a
brief
description
of
the
services
the
advocate
provides.
19
The
bill
requires
HHS
to
submit
proposed
legislation
to
the
20
general
assembly
on
or
before
December
1,
2025,
that
codifies
21
and
defines
the
advocate
position
within
HHS.
HHS
must
22
solicit
public
input
about
the
proposed
legislation
prior
to
23
submission.
24
The
bill
requires
all
materials
relating
to
child
foster
25
care
that
are
made
available
by
HHS,
or
an
agent
of
HHS,
to
26
the
public
to
contain
information
about
the
advocate
and
the
27
ombudsman
assistant.
The
information
must
include
the
name,
28
telephone
number,
and
internet
site
of
the
advocate,
and
the
29
telephone
number
and
internet
site
for
the
state
office
of
30
ombudsman.
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