Bill Text: IA HF86 | 2025-2026 | 91st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to aid, processes, and services for children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-28 - Subcommittee recommends passage. [HF86 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2025-HF86-Introduced.html
House
File
86
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
86
BY
LOHSE
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
aid,
processes,
and
services
for
children
1
in,
adopted
from,
or
in
need
of
foster
care.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
TLSB
1324YH
(4)
91
dg/ko
H.F.
86
Section
1.
Section
232.96A,
subsection
6,
Code
2025,
is
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
6.
The
child
is
in
need
of
treatment
to
cure
or
alleviate
a
3
serious
chemical
dependency
or
mental
illness
or
disorder,
or
4
emotional
damage
as
evidenced
by
severe
anxiety,
depression,
5
withdrawal,
or
behavioral
health
disorder
that
compromises
6
the
child’s
safety
or
causes
untoward
aggressive
behavior
7
toward
the
child’s
self
or
others
in
the
household,
and
the
8
child’s
parent,
guardian,
or
custodian
is
unwilling
to
provide
9
such
treatment
or
the
parent’s,
guardian’s,
or
custodian’s
10
efforts
to
secure
needed
treatment
have
been
exhausted
and
11
unsuccessful
.
12
Sec.
2.
Section
232.96A,
subsections
11,
12,
and
13,
Code
13
2025,
are
amended
by
striking
the
subsections.
14
Sec.
3.
Section
234.38,
Code
2025,
is
amended
to
read
as
15
follows:
16
234.38
Foster
care
reimbursement
rates.
17
The
department
shall
make
reimbursement
payments
directly
18
to
foster
parents
for
services
provided
to
children
pursuant
19
to
section
234.6,
subsection
1
,
paragraph
“e”
,
subparagraph
20
(2),
or
section
234.35
.
In
any
fiscal
year,
the
reimbursement
21
rate
shall
be
based
upon
sixty-five
percent
of
the
United
22
States
department
of
agriculture
estimate
of
the
cost
to
raise
23
a
child
in
the
calendar
year
immediately
preceding
the
fiscal
24
year.
The
department
may
pay
an
additional
stipend
for
a
child
25
with
special
needs.
The
department
shall
review
reimbursement
26
payment
rates
paid
to
foster
parents
under
this
section
no
less
27
than
once
every
three
years.
The
department
shall
adopt
rules
28
pursuant
to
chapter
17A
to
administer
this
section.
29
Sec.
4.
Section
600.8,
subsection
3,
Code
2025,
is
amended
30
to
read
as
follows:
31
3.
a.
The
department,
an
agency,
or
a
certified
adoption
32
investigator
shall
conduct
all
investigations
and
reports
33
required
under
subsection
2
.
34
b.
The
department
shall
pay
the
costs
of
the
preplacement
35
-1-
LSB
1324YH
(4)
91
dg/ko
1/
3
H.F.
86
investigation
under
subsection
2
and
the
postplacement
1
investigation
under
subsection
4,
up
to
a
maximum
of
two
2
thousand
dollars
for
the
preplacement
investigation
and
up
3
to
a
maximum
of
two
thousand
dollars
for
the
postplacement
4
investigation.
5
c.
The
department
shall
not
pay
the
costs
of
the
6
preplacement
investigation
or
the
postplacement
investigation
7
as
required
under
paragraph
“b”
until
a
prospective
adoption
8
petitioner
has
been
approved
under
subsection
1,
paragraph
“a”
,
9
subparagraph
(3),
by
the
person
making
the
investigation.
10
EXPLANATION
11
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
12
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
13
This
bill
relates
to
aid,
processes,
and
services
for
14
children
in,
adopted
from,
or
in
need
of
foster
care.
15
The
bill
allows
a
court
to
adjudicate
a
child
in
need
of
16
assistance
(CINA)
when
the
child
requires
treatment
to
cure
or
17
alleviate
a
serious
chemical
dependency
or
mental
or
behavioral
18
health
disorder
that
compromises
the
child’s
safety
or
causes
19
untoward
aggressive
behavior
toward
others
in
the
household,
20
and
the
child’s
parent,
guardian,
or
custodian
(parent)
is
21
unwilling
to
provide
such
treatment,
or
the
parent’s
efforts
to
22
secure
needed
treatment
have
been
exhausted
and
unsuccessful.
23
Under
current
law,
to
be
adjudicated
a
CINA,
a
child
must
need
24
treatment
to
cure
or
alleviate
a
serious
mental
illness
or
25
disorder,
or
emotional
damage
as
evidenced
by
severe
anxiety,
26
depression,
withdrawal,
or
untoward
aggressive
behavior
toward
27
the
child’s
self
or
others
and
the
child’s
parent
is
unwilling
28
to
provide
such
treatment.
29
The
bill
eliminates
certain
circumstances
when
a
child
may
30
be
adjudicated
a
CINA.
31
The
bill
eliminates
the
requirement
that
certain
32
reimbursements
to
foster
parents
must
be
based
on
65
percent
33
of
the
United
States
department
of
agriculture
estimate
of
34
the
cost
to
raise
a
child
in
the
calendar
year
immediately
35
-2-
LSB
1324YH
(4)
91
dg/ko
2/
3
H.F.
86
preceding
the
fiscal
year,
and
eliminates
the
additional
1
stipend
for
special
needs
children.
Instead,
the
bill
requires
2
the
department
of
health
and
human
services
(HHS)
to
adopt
3
rules
relating
to
the
foster
parent
reimbursement
rates
(rates)
4
and
to
review
the
rates
no
less
than
once
every
three
years.
5
The
bill
requires
HHS
to
reimburse
an
adoption
petitioner
6
for
the
costs
of
the
preplacement
and
postplacement
7
investigations
related
to
the
adoption
up
to
a
maximum
8
amount
of
$2,000
per
investigation.
The
bill
prohibits
HHS
9
from
making
such
reimbursements
until
the
person
performing
10
the
preplacement
background
check
approves
the
adoption
11
petitioner’s
initial
required
background
checks.
12
-3-
LSB
1324YH
(4)
91
dg/ko
3/
3
