HF 2526 (LSB 5332HV (2) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2526

BY  COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2036)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the confidentiality of the residential addresses of foster parents.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  237D.1  Foster parent addresses —— confidentiality.
   1.  For purposes of this chapter:
   a.  “Address” means the residential address of a person.
   b.  “Child foster care” means the same as defined in section 237.1.
   c.  “Department” means the department of health and human services.
   d.  “Foster child” means a child receiving child foster care.
   e.  “Foster parent” means an individual licensee as defined in section 237.1.
   2.  The department and the department’s agents shall not knowingly provide or make available a document to a biological parent of a foster child if the document contains the unredacted address of the foster parent who is currently providing child foster care to the foster child.
   3.  Notwithstanding subsection 2, a document may contain a foster parent’s unredacted address if the foster parent provides written consent to divulge the address to a foster child’s biological parent prior to the department or the department’s agent providing the document or making the document available to the biological parent.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to the confidentiality of the residential addresses of foster parents.
   The bill defines “address”, “child foster care”, “foster child”, and “foster parent”.
   The bill prohibits the department of health and human services (HHS) and HHS’s agents from knowingly providing or making available a document to a biological parent of a foster child if the document contains the unredacted address of the foster parent who is currently providing child foster care to the foster child.
   The bill allows HHS and HHS’s agents to provide or make available a document with a foster parent’s unredacted address to a biological parent of a foster child in the foster parent’s care if the foster parent provides prior written consent to divulge the address.