SF 251 (LSB 2558XS (2) 91)

SENATE FILE 251

BY  SALMON

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the appointment of an ombudsman assistant for investigating complaints related to child foster care.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 2C.6, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   2C.6  Deputy —— assistant for penal agencies assistants.
   1.  The ombudsman shall designate one of the members of the staff as the deputy ombudsman, with authority to act as ombudsman when the ombudsman is absent from the state or becomes disabled. The ombudsman may delegate to members of the staff any of the authority or duties of the office except the duty of formally making recommendations to agencies or reports to the governor or the general assembly.
   2.  The ombudsman shall appoint an assistant who shall be primarily responsible for investigating complaints relating to penal or correctional agencies.
   3.  The ombudsman shall appoint an assistant who shall be primarily responsible for investigating complaints relating to child foster care under chapter 237. The assistant shall have a minimum of ten years of experience as a foster parent, with at least five of the ten years as a foster parent while residing in Iowa.
    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  2C.12A  Direct communication —— child foster care.
   The ombudsman shall maintain a process to allow an individual licensee under chapter 237 to directly communicate and file a complaint with the ombudsman assistant under section 2C.6, subsection 3.
    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  237.14B  Ombudsman information.
   All materials relating to child foster care that are made available by the department to the public shall contain information about the ombudsman assistant described in section 2C.6, subsection 3. The information shall provide a description of the ombudsman assistant’s duties and the process for contacting the ombudsman assistant.
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 appointment of an ombudsman assistant who is primarily responsible for investigating complaints relating to child foster care. The assistant must have a minimum of 10 years of experience as a foster parent, with at least 5 of the 10 years as a foster parent while residing in Iowa. The bill requires the ombudsman to maintain a process to allow an individual licensee under Code chapter 237 (child foster care facilities) to directly communicate and file a complaint. The bill requires the department of health and human services to provide a description of the ombudsman assistant’s duties, and ways to contact the ombudsman assistant, in all materials relating to child foster care made available to the public.