House File 470 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 470 BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO HF 260) A BILL FOR An Act relating to subsidized guardianships. 1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 2 TLSB 1907HV (2) 87 hb/rh/nh
H.F. 470 Section 1. SUBSIDIZED GUARDIANSHIP PROGRAM —— 1 ELIGIBILITY. In determining eligibility requirements for 2 financial assistance to guardians under the subsidized 3 guardianship program, the department of human services shall 4 amend its administrative rules to provide the following: 5 1. The child who is the subject of the guardianship has 6 lived in continuous placement with a relative of the child 7 who is a licensed foster family home provider for a period 8 of at least six months prior to the subsidized guardianship 9 application. 10 2. The child who is the subject of the guardianship is 11 fourteen years of age or older. Guardianship assistance shall 12 end when the child turns eighteen years of age. 13 3. The child who is the subject of the guardianship has been 14 the subject of a child abuse or family assessment report and 15 has been in the custody of the department of human services. 16 Sec. 2. TITLE IV-E GUARDIANSHIP ASSISTANCE STATE PLAN 17 AMENDMENT —— SUBSIDIZED GUARDIANSHIP PROGRAM. The department 18 of human services shall submit a Title IV-E guardianship 19 assistance state plan amendment to the United States department 20 of health and human services to allow Title IV-E funding to be 21 used for a subsidized guardianship program to enable children 22 in the care of grandparents and other relatives to exit state 23 care and be placed in permanent homes. 24 EXPLANATION 25 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 26 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 27 This bill requires the department of human services to amend 28 its administrative rules contained in 441 IAC ch. 204 relating 29 to eligibility requirements for guardians under the subsidized 30 guardianship program. The bill requires the child who is 31 the subject of a guardianship to have lived in continuous 32 placement with a relative of the child who is a licensed foster 33 family home provider for at least six months prior to the 34 guardianship. The child who is the subject of the guardianship 35 -1- LSB 1907HV (2) 87 hb/rh/nh 1/ 2
H.F. 470 is required to be 14 years of age or older and guardianship 1 assistance must end when the child turns 18 years of age. The 2 child must have been the subject of a child abuse or family 3 assessment report and in the custody of the department of human 4 services. 5 The bill requires the department of human services to 6 submit a Title IV-E guardianship assistance state plan 7 amendment to the United States department of health and human 8 services to allow Title IV-E funding through the federal 9 Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act 10 of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-351) to be used for a subsidized 11 guardianship program to enable children to remain in the care 12 of grandparents and other relatives to avoid placement in state 13 care. 14 -2- LSB 1907HV (2) 87 hb/rh/nh 2/ 2