House File 17

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  BODDICKER


    Passed House, Date                Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act revising requirements for the department of human
  2    services' written report of a child abuse assessment.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1148YH 80
  5 jp/sh/8

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 232.71B, subsection 11, unnumbered
  1  2 paragraph 1, Code 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    ASSESSMENT REPORT == ABUSE DETERMINED.  The department,
  1  4 upon Upon completion of the an assessment in which it is
  1  5 determined that the alleged abuse meets the definition of
  1  6 child abuse, the department shall make a written report of the
  1  7 assessment, in accordance with all of the following:
  1  8    Sec. 2.  Section 232.71B, Code 2003, is amended by adding
  1  9 the following new subsection:
  1 10    NEW SUBSECTION.  11A.  ASSESSMENT REPORT == ABUSE NOT
  1 11 DETERMINED.  Upon completion of an assessment in which it is
  1 12 not determined that the alleged abuse meets the definition of
  1 13 child abuse, the department shall make a written report of the
  1 14 assessment in accordance with all of the following:
  1 15    a.  The written assessment shall include a description of
  1 16 the child's condition, identification of the alleged injury or
  1 17 risk to which the child was exposed, and the reason the
  1 18 alleged injury or risk was not determined to meet the
  1 19 definition of child abuse.
  1 20    b. Identification of the person or persons alleged to be
  1 21 responsible for the alleged child abuse.
  1 22    c.  The written assessment shall be completed within twenty
  1 23 business days of the receipt of the report.
  1 24    d.  The department shall notify each subject of the child
  1 25 abuse report, as identified in section 235A.15, subsection 2,
  1 26 paragraph "a", of the results of the assessment, of the
  1 27 subject's right, pursuant to section 235A.19, to correct the
  1 28 report data or disposition data which refers to the subject,
  1 29 and of the procedures to correct the data.
  1 30                           EXPLANATION
  1 31    This bill revises requirements for the department of human
  1 32 services' written report of a child abuse assessment.
  1 33    The bill amends Code section 232.71B, which outlines the
  1 34 duties of the department and others in performing an
  1 35 assessment in response to a report of child abuse.  Under
  2  1 current law, the department is required to complete a
  2  2 comprehensive written report on the assessment performed
  2  3 regardless of whether or not it is determined that the alleged
  2  4 abuse meets the definition of child abuse.  The bill provides
  2  5 that for a case in which there is not a determination made
  2  6 that the alleged abuse meets the definition of child abuse,
  2  7 less information is required to be documented in the written
  2  8 report of the assessment.
  2  9 LSB 1148YH 80
  2 10 jp/sh/8