House
File
1003
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
1003
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
APPROPRIATIONS
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
638)
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HSB
146)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
child
placements.
1
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
2
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1003
Section
1.
Section
232.84,
subsection
2,
Code
2025,
is
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
2.
a.
Unless
the
custody
of
a
child
is
transferred
from
one
3
of
the
child’s
parents
to
another
parent
of
the
child,
within
4
thirty
days
after
the
entry
of
an
order
under
this
chapter
5
removing
a
child
from
the
custody
of
a
parent
or
parents
of
6
the
child,
the
department
shall
exercise
due
diligence
in
7
identifying
and
providing
notice
to
the
child’s
grandparents,
8
aunts,
uncles,
adult
siblings,
parents
of
the
child’s
siblings,
9
and
adult
relatives
suggested
by
the
child’s
parents,
subject
10
to
exceptions
due
to
the
presence
of
family
or
domestic
11
violence.
12
b.
The
department
shall
employ
dedicated
staff
at
the
13
department’s
central
office
for
the
sole
purpose
of
exercising
14
the
department’s
due
diligence
requirements
under
paragraph
15
“a”
.
16
Sec.
2.
Section
232.102,
subsection
1,
paragraph
c,
Code
17
2025,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
18
c.
(1)
A
court
shall
not
order
placement
of
a
child
in
a
19
category
identified
in
paragraph
“a”
,
subparagraph
(2),
(3),
20
(4),
or
(5)
without
a
specific
finding
that
placement
with
21
an
adult
relative
is
not
in
the
child’s
best
interests
and
22
providing
reasons
for
the
court’s
finding.
23
(2)
Notwithstanding
any
provision
under
this
subsection
24
to
the
contrary,
if
the
court
finds,
during
the
dispositional
25
hearing,
that
the
child
has
been
placed
with
an
individual
26
licensed
under
chapter
237
to
provide
foster
care
for
at
least
27
nine
months
immediately
preceding
the
dispositional
hearing,
28
the
court
shall
not
order
placement
of
a
child
in
a
category
29
identified
in
paragraph
“a”
,
subparagraph
(1),
(2),
or
(3),
30
without
a
specific
finding
that
such
placement
is
in
the
31
child’s
best
interests
and
providing
reasons
for
the
court’s
32
findings.
33
EXPLANATION
34
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
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1003
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
1
This
bill
relates
to
child
placements.
2
Under
current
law,
the
department
of
health
and
human
3
services
(HHS)
is
required
to
exercise
due
diligence
in
4
identifying
and
providing
notice
to
certain
relatives
of
a
5
child
when
the
child
has
been
removed
from
the
child’s
parent’s
6
custody.
The
bill
requires
HHS
to
employ
dedicated
staff
at
7
HHS’s
central
office
for
the
sole
purpose
of
exercising
HHS’s
8
due
diligence
requirements
related
to
identifying
and
providing
9
notice
to
certain
relatives
of
children
removed
from
parental
10
custody.
11
Under
current
law,
after
a
dispositional
hearing
for
a
child
12
in
need
of
assistance
proceeding,
if
a
court
determines
that
13
placing
a
child’s
custody
with
either
of
the
child’s
parents
is
14
not
in
the
child’s
best
interests,
the
court
must
transfer
the
15
child’s
custody
to
HHS
for
placement
with
certain
persons
as
16
prioritized
in
Code
section
232.102(1)(a)
(transfer
of
legal
17
custody
of
child
and
placement).
If
a
child
was
placed
with
18
a
licensed
foster
parent
for
at
least
nine
months
immediately
19
preceding
the
dispositional
hearing,
the
bill
prohibits
the
20
court
from
placing
the
child
with
a
different
individual
unless
21
the
court
makes
a
specific
finding
that
placement
with
the
22
different
individual
is
in
the
child’s
best
interests,
and
the
23
court
provides
reasons
for
the
finding.
24
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