Senate
Study
Bill
1015
-
Introduced
SENATE/HOUSE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
STATE
PUBLIC
DEFENDER
BILL)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
state
public
defender
pilot
project
for
1
child
welfare
legal
representation.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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_____
H.F.
_____
Section
1.
Section
13B.13,
Code
2023,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
13B.13
State
public
defender
pilot
project
——
child
welfare
3
legal
representation.
4
Notwithstanding
any
other
provision
of
the
law
to
the
5
contrary,
for
each
fiscal
year
for
the
period
beginning
July
1,
6
2020,
and
ending
June
30,
2024
2025
,
the
state
public
defender
7
may
establish
a
pilot
project
to
implement
innovative
models
8
of
legal
representation
in
order
to
assist
families
involved
9
in
the
child
welfare
system.
The
state
public
defender
shall
10
have
sole
discretion
to
establish
and
implement
the
pilot
11
project.
The
state
public
defender
may
implement
the
new
12
pilot
project
in
up
to
six
sixteen
counties
throughout
the
13
state.
The
purpose
of
the
pilot
project
is
to
implement
and
14
study
innovative
ways,
through
a
team
approach
or
through
other
15
methods,
to
achieve
positive
outcomes
for
families,
reduce
16
trauma
to
young
children,
and
deliver
financial
benefits
to
17
families
and
their
communities.
The
state
public
defender
18
may
coordinate
with
other
agencies
and
organizations
to
19
implement
the
pilot
project,
seek
grant
funding,
and
measure
20
the
results.
The
state
public
defender
may
appoint
an
attorney
21
to
represent
an
indigent
person
prior
to
initiation
of
formal
22
proceedings,
without
court
order,
if
such
representation
is
23
deemed
appropriate
by
the
state
public
defender
and
relates
to
24
the
purposes
of
the
pilot
project.
25
EXPLANATION
26
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
27
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
28
This
bill
relates
to
the
state
public
defender
pilot
project
29
for
child
welfare
legal
representation.
30
The
bill
extends
the
ending
date
for
a
state
public
31
defender
pilot
project
to
implement
innovative
models
of
legal
32
representation
in
order
to
assist
families
involved
in
the
33
child
welfare
system
from
June
30,
2024,
through
June
30,
2025.
34
The
bill
increases
the
number
of
counties
in
which
a
pilot
35
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project
may
be
implemented
from
6
counties
to
16
counties.
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