Text: HCR00109 Text: HCR00111 Text: HCR00100 - HCR00199 Text: HCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. ___
1 2 BY HUSER
1 3 A Concurrent Resolution expressing the support of the
1 4 general assembly for Iowa's adoption subsidy program
1 5 and encouraging the legislative council to authorize
1 6 an independent assessment of the program's value to
1 7 the state.
1 8 WHEREAS, Iowa's adoption subsidy program provides
1 9 financial support to adoptive parents who provide care
1 10 and a permanent home for hard-to-place children,
1 11 including minority children, older children, sibling
1 12 groups, and children with mental or physical
1 13 disabilities; and
1 14 WHEREAS, the program currently serves approximately
1 15 6,000 children; and
1 16 WHEREAS, providing a child who is in foster care
1 17 with an adoptive home can create for the child a
1 18 permanent, stable, and loving environment; and
1 19 WHEREAS, adoptive parents sign an adoption
1 20 agreement with the department of human services in
1 21 which the department agrees to provide specified
1 22 levels of support, including child care, necessary
1 23 therapeutic services, medical equipment, and other
1 24 support to assist the adoptive parents to accommodate
1 25 the special needs of their adoptive children; and
1 26 WHEREAS, Iowa's adoption subsidy program has been
1 27 highly successful in finding a permanent home for
1 28 hard-to-place adoptive children who have special
1 29 needs, resulting in a 56 percent increase in the
1 30 number of children qualifying for a special needs
2 1 adoption subsidy from fiscal year 1998-1999 through
2 2 fiscal year 2002-2003; and
2 3 WHEREAS, the general assembly finds that the
2 4 program is currently subject to increased scrutiny due
2 5 to the budget growth resulting from the program's
2 6 increased participation and success; and
2 7 WHEREAS, the department convened an advisory group
2 8 to consider ways to control rising program costs and
2 9 based upon the advisory group's recommendations has
2 10 proposed administrative rule changes to reduce the
2 11 overall subsidy outlays; and
2 12 WHEREAS, in November 2003, the administrative rules
2 13 review committee delayed the proposed rules changes;
2 14 NOW THEREFORE,
2 15 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE
2 16 SENATE CONCURRING, That the Iowa general assembly
2 17 expresses strong support for the adoption subsidy
2 18 program and applauds the department of human services'
2 19 efforts to make the program a success; and
2 20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the legislative
2 21 council is encouraged to authorize an independent
2 22 assessment of the adoption subsidy program's value to
2 23 the state, to identify the program's strengths and
2 24 needs, and to identify budgetary priorities that will
2 25 enable the state to continue supporting the adoption
2 26 of hard-to-place children; that the assessment include
2 27 a full inventory of program costs and benefits, and
2 28 identify the impact of expected program growth and the
2 29 savings in other programs and services resulting from
2 30 the existence of the adoption subsidy program; that
3 1 the legislative council is encouraged to seek
3 2 assistance in conducting the assessment from an
3 3 independent consultant or another entity with
3 4 expertise in child welfare issues; that the
3 5 legislative council is encouraged to seek financial
3 6 support for the assessment costs from a private
3 7 foundation or other appropriate sources; and that the
3 8 assessment should be completed by December 15, 2004;
3 9 and
3 10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That if private funding for
3 11 the assessment cannot be secured, the legislative
3 12 council is encouraged to create a legislative interim
3 13 study committee to address the program needs.
3 14 LSB 6352HH 80
3 15 jp/pj/5
Text: HCR00109 Text: HCR00111 Text: HCR00100 - HCR00199 Text: HCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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