House File 2427 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY MASCHER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act providing for establishing a runaway assessment center for
2 each department of human services service area.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 6210HH 81
5 jp/je/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 232.195, Code 2005, is amended to read
1 2 as follows:
1 3 232.195 RUNAWAY TREATMENT PLAN.
1 4 A county may develop a runaway treatment plan to address
1 5 problems with chronic runaway children in the county. The
1 6 plan shall identify the problems with chronic runaway children
1 7 in the county and specific solutions to be implemented by the
1 8 county, including the development of or participation in a
1 9 runaway assessment center.
1 10 Sec. 2. Section 232.196, subsection 1, Code 2005, is
1 11 amended to read as follows:
1 12 1. a. As part of a county runaway treatment plan under
1 13 section 232.195, a county may establish or participate in a
1 14 runaway assessment center or other plan. The A center or
1 15 other plan, if established, shall provide services to assess a
1 16 child who is referred to the center or plan for being a
1 17 chronic runaway and intensive family counseling services
1 18 designed to address any problem causing the child to run away.
1 19 A center shall at least meet the requirements established for
1 20 providing child foster care under chapter 237.
1 21 b. Subject to funding appropriated for this purpose, the
1 22 department shall provide for establishment of a runaway
1 23 assessment center for each of the departmental service areas
1 24 identified pursuant to section 217.42. A county may
1 25 participate in the center established for the service area in
1 26 which the county is located.
1 27 Sec. 3. Section 232.196, subsection 2, paragraph d, Code
1 28 2005, is amended to read as follows:
1 29 d. A child shall be released from a runaway assessment
1 30 center, established pursuant to the county plan, to the
1 31 child's parents, guardian, or custodian not later than forty=
1 32 eight hours after being placed in the center unless the child
1 33 is placed in shelter care under section 232.21 or an order is
1 34 entered under section 232.78. A child whose parents,
1 35 guardian, or custodian failed to attend counseling at the
2 1 center or fail to take custody of the child at the end of
2 2 placement in the center may be the subject of a child in need
2 3 of assistance petition or such other order as the juvenile
2 4 court finds to be in the child's best interest.
2 5 EXPLANATION
2 6 This bill directs the department of human services to
2 7 establish a runaway assessment center for each departmental
2 8 service area, subject to an appropriation made for this
2 9 purpose.
2 10 Under current law, Code section 232.195 authorizes a county
2 11 to develop a treatment plan to address problems with chronic
2 12 runaway children. Under Code chapter 232, "chronic runaway"
2 13 means a child who is reported to law enforcement as a runaway
2 14 more than once in any 30=day period or three or more times in
2 15 any year. As part of the treatment plan, a county may
2 16 establish a runaway treatment center. The bill provides that
2 17 as an alternative to establishing a center, a county may
2 18 participate in a center and authorizes participation in a
2 19 center established for the service area in which the county is
2 20 located.
2 21 LSB 6210HH 81
2 22 jp:nh/je/5