House File 128

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  CONNORS


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to counseling for runaway children.
  2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  3 TLSB 2157HH 80
  4 jm/cl/14

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 232.19, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code
  1  2 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    c.  By a peace officer, when the peace officer has
  1  4 reasonable grounds to believe the child has run away from the
  1  5 child's parents, guardian, or custodian, for the purposes of
  1  6 determining whether the child shall be reunited with the
  1  7 child's parents, guardian, or custodian, placed in shelter
  1  8 care, or, if the child is a chronic runaway and the county has
  1  9 an approved county runaway treatment plan, placed in a runaway
  1 10 assessment center under section 232.196.  If the county does
  1 11 not have an approved runaway treatment plan or the child is
  1 12 not a chronic runaway, the child, together with the child's
  1 13 parent, guardian, or custodian, shall participate in a brief
  1 14 counseling session, if such services are available in the
  1 15 county, addressing the reasons why the child has run away.
  1 16 The counseling may occur at a shelter care facility or another
  1 17 location.
  1 18    Sec. 2.  Section 232.195, Code 2003, is amended to read as
  1 19 follows:
  1 20    232.195  RUNAWAY TREATMENT PLAN.
  1 21    A county may develop a runaway treatment plan to address
  1 22 problems with chronic runaway children in the county.  The
  1 23 plan shall identify the problems with chronic runaway children
  1 24 in the county and specific solutions to be implemented by the
  1 25 county, including the development of a runaway assessment
  1 26 center.  If a county has not developed a runaway treatment
  1 27 plan or the child is not a chronic runaway, the child,
  1 28 together with the child's parent, guardian, or custodian, may
  1 29 participate in a counseling session as provided in section
  1 30 232.19, subsection 1, paragraph "c".
  1 31                           EXPLANATION
  1 32    This bill relates to counseling for runaway children.  The
  1 33 bill provides that if a county does not have an approved
  1 34 runaway treatment plan or the child is not a chronic runaway,
  1 35 a child who has run away and the child's parent or guardian
  2  1 shall participate in a counseling session, if such services
  2  2 are available in the county, addressing the reasons why the
  2  3 child ran away.  The bill provides that the counseling may
  2  4 occur at a shelter care facility or any other location.
  2  5 LSB 2157HH 80
  2  6 jm/cl/14