House File 2235 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO HF 498)


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act prescribing the frequency of a guardian ad litem's visits
  2    to the residence of a child.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 6416HV 81
  5 jp/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 232.2, subsection 22, paragraph b,
  1  2 subparagraph (3), Code Supplement 2005, is amended to read as
  1  3 follows:
  1  4    (3)  Visiting the home, residence, or both home and
  1  5 residence of the child and any prospective home or residence
  1  6 of the child, including each time placement is changed.  At
  1  7 least once every ninety days, the guardian ad litem shall
  1  8 personally visit the residence of the child at a time when the
  1  9 child is present in the residence.  If the guardian ad litem
  1 10 is not a court appointed special advocate or a court appointed
  1 11 special advocate has not been appointed for the child, the
  1 12 court may designate a court appointed special advocate or
  1 13 other person with qualifications acceptable to the court to
  1 14 perform the personal visit duty in lieu of the guardian ad
  1 15 litem.
  1 16                           EXPLANATION
  1 17    This bill amends one of the duties contained in the
  1 18 definition of the term "guardian ad litem" in Code section
  1 19 232.2.  A guardian ad litem is an individual appointed by the
  1 20 juvenile court to represent the child's interests in any
  1 21 judicial proceeding.
  1 22    Current law requires the guardian ad litem to visit a
  1 23 child's home or residence, or both, and the prospective home
  1 24 or residence of the child, including each time the child's
  1 25 placement is changed.  The bill specifies that at least once
  1 26 every 90 days the guardian ad litem must visit the child's
  1 27 residence at a time when the child is present in the
  1 28 residence.  A court appointed special advocate or other
  1 29 qualified person may perform the personal visit duty in lieu
  1 30 of the guardian ad litem.
  1 31 LSB 6416HV 81
  1 32 jp:nh/sh/8