House Journal: Page 1149: Wednesday, April 11, 2001
Read first time and placed on the ways and means calendar.
CONSIDERATION OF BILLS
Unfinished Business Calendar
House File 593, a bill for an act providing for the transfer of
custody and termination of parental rights for certain newborn
infants whose parent voluntarily surrenders physical custody at
certain health facilities and providing for immunity from prosecution
for child abandonment crimes for such parent, establishing
confidentiality protections and a penalty, and providing an effective
date, was taken up for consideration.
Barry of Harrison offered the following amendment H-1416 filed
by her and moved its adoption:
H-1416
1 Amend House File 593 as follows:
2 1. By striking everything after the enacting
3 clause, and inserting the following:
4 "Section 1. NEW SECTION. 232B.1 NEWBORN SAFE
5 HAVEN ACT - DEFINITIONS.
6 1. This chapter may be cited as the "Newborn Safe
7 Haven Act".
8 2. For the purposes of this chapter, unless the
9 context otherwise requires:
10 a. "Institutional health facility" means a
11 hospital as defined in section 135B.1, including a
12 facility providing medical or health services that is
13 open twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week
14 and is a hospital emergency room, or a health care
15 facility as defined in section 135C.1.
16 b. "Newborn infant" means a child who is, or who
17 appears to be, fourteen days of age or younger.
18 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 232B.2 NEWBORN INFANT
19 CUSTODY RELEASE PROCEDURES.
20 1. A parent of a newborn infant who has not
21 suffered bodily harm may voluntarily release custody
22 of the newborn infant by relinquishing physical
23 custody of the newborn infant, without expressing an
24 intent to again assume physical custody, at an
25 institutional health facility or by authorizing
26 another person to relinquish physical custody on the
27 parent's behalf. If physical custody of the newborn
28 infant is not relinquished directly to an individual
29 on duty at the institutional health facility, the
30 parent may take other actions to be reasonably sure
© 2001 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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