Senate
File
251
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
251
BY
SALMON
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
appointment
of
an
ombudsman
assistant
1
for
investigating
complaints
related
to
child
foster
care.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
2C.6,
Code
2025,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
2C.6
Deputy
——
assistant
for
penal
agencies
assistants
.
3
1.
The
ombudsman
shall
designate
one
of
the
members
of
4
the
staff
as
the
deputy
ombudsman,
with
authority
to
act
as
5
ombudsman
when
the
ombudsman
is
absent
from
the
state
or
6
becomes
disabled.
The
ombudsman
may
delegate
to
members
of
the
7
staff
any
of
the
authority
or
duties
of
the
office
except
the
8
duty
of
formally
making
recommendations
to
agencies
or
reports
9
to
the
governor
or
the
general
assembly.
10
2.
The
ombudsman
shall
appoint
an
assistant
who
shall
be
11
primarily
responsible
for
investigating
complaints
relating
to
12
penal
or
correctional
agencies.
13
3.
The
ombudsman
shall
appoint
an
assistant
who
shall
be
14
primarily
responsible
for
investigating
complaints
relating
15
to
child
foster
care
under
chapter
237.
The
assistant
shall
16
have
a
minimum
of
ten
years
of
experience
as
a
foster
parent,
17
with
at
least
five
of
the
ten
years
as
a
foster
parent
while
18
residing
in
Iowa.
19
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
2C.12A
Direct
communication
——
child
20
foster
care.
21
The
ombudsman
shall
maintain
a
process
to
allow
an
22
individual
licensee
under
chapter
237
to
directly
communicate
23
and
file
a
complaint
with
the
ombudsman
assistant
under
section
24
2C.6,
subsection
3.
25
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
237.14B
Ombudsman
information.
26
All
materials
relating
to
child
foster
care
that
are
made
27
available
by
the
department
to
the
public
shall
contain
28
information
about
the
ombudsman
assistant
described
in
29
section
2C.6,
subsection
3.
The
information
shall
provide
a
30
description
of
the
ombudsman
assistant’s
duties
and
the
process
31
for
contacting
the
ombudsman
assistant.
32
EXPLANATION
33
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
34
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
35
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251
This
bill
relates
to
the
appointment
of
an
ombudsman
1
assistant
who
is
primarily
responsible
for
investigating
2
complaints
relating
to
child
foster
care.
The
assistant
must
3
have
a
minimum
of
10
years
of
experience
as
a
foster
parent,
4
with
at
least
5
of
the
10
years
as
a
foster
parent
while
5
residing
in
Iowa.
The
bill
requires
the
ombudsman
to
maintain
6
a
process
to
allow
an
individual
licensee
under
Code
chapter
7
237
(child
foster
care
facilities)
to
directly
communicate
8
and
file
a
complaint.
The
bill
requires
the
department
of
9
health
and
human
services
to
provide
a
description
of
the
10
ombudsman
assistant’s
duties,
and
ways
to
contact
the
ombudsman
11
assistant,
in
all
materials
relating
to
child
foster
care
made
12
available
to
the
public.
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