Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

Iowa House Bill HF873

Introduced
3/7/25  

Caption

A bill for an act relating to aid, processes, services, and reimbursement for services associated with children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care.(Formerly HF 86.)

Impact

The bill proposes to eliminate certain statutory requirements regarding foster parent reimbursements, which were previously pegged to a specific percentage of the USDA's estimate for child-rearing costs. Instead, it directs the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to adopt rules regarding reimbursement rates to foster parents and mandates a review of these rates every three years. This change is intended to adjust foster care financial aid more responsively based on current needs, rather than on a static formula, which could improve the state's foster care system.

Summary

House File 873 aims to address several critical aspects of aid, processes, services, and reimbursement pertaining to children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care. The bill expands legal provisions that allow courts to adjudicate children as needing assistance when they require treatment for serious mental or behavioral health disorders, or chemical dependencies that compromise their safety. It is aimed at ensuring children can receive the necessary care when their parents or guardians are unable or unwilling to provide it, thereby emphasizing the need for mental health and addiction services within the state’s child welfare framework.

Contention

While HF873 has broad support for addressing children's welfare and fostering necessary services, there are potential points of contention. Critics may argue that altering the reimbursement structure for foster parents could create unpredictability in financial assistance, affecting the care quality children receive. Furthermore, the bill's expanded definitions for adjudicating children in need could prompt debates about the thresholds of parental responsibility and state intervention in familial issues, particularly in cases related to mental health and substance abuse.

Companion Bills

IA HF86

Similar To A bill for an act relating to aid, processes, and services for children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care.(See HF 873.)

Previously Filed As

IA HF2242

A bill for an act relating to aid, processes, services, and support staff for children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care, and making appropriations.(See HF 2671.)

IA HF2671

A bill for an act relating to aid, processes, services, and support staff for children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care, including the establishment of a legal representation for juvenile cases interim study committee, and making appropriations.(Formerly HF 2242.)

IA HF2580

A bill for an act relating to legal representation for children who are placed in, or may be placed in, foster care.(Formerly HF 2209.)

IA HF2209

A bill for an act relating to legal representation for children who are placed in, or may be placed in, foster care.(See HF 2580.)

IA HF2509

A bill for an act relating to the transition of behavioral health services from a mental health and disability services system to a behavioral health service system, and the transfer of disability services to the division of aging and disability services of the department of health and human services, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions.(Formerly HSB 653; See HF 2673.)

IA HF2459

A bill for an act relating to representation by a local public defender of certain parties to an adoption.(Formerly HF 2095.)

IA HF584

A bill for an act relating to individual licensees who provide child foster care. (Formerly HF 373.) Effective date: 07/01/2023.

IA HSB653

A bill for an act relating to the transition of behavioral health services from a mental health and disability services system to a behavioral health service system, and the transfer of disability services to the division of aging and disability services of the department of health and human services, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions.(See HF 2509, HF 2673.)

IA HF2698

A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations for veterans and health and human services, including other related provisions and appropriations including but not limited to the personal needs allowance for certain persons under Medicaid and the state supplementary assistance programs, replacement generation tax revenues, the Medicaid fraud and health care trust funds, the retention of certain revenues by the mental health institutes, the retention of Medicaid eligibility by residents of mental health institutes, the scope of services of the state resource centers, the appropriation of moneys in the juvenile detention home fund, the family investment program account and diversion program, the child support collection services center refund account, the quality assurance assessment payment period, the centers of excellence grant program, an assisted living program revised payment model study, funding for county commissions of veteran affairs, foster care provisions including those relating to a relative or fictive kin, health care employment agencies and health care technology platforms, medical cannabidiol practitioner requirements, nursing facility oversight, and state-funded psychiatry residency and fellowship positions, providing penalties, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions. Effective date: 05/09/2024, 07/01/2024. Applicability date: 07/01/2022, 07/01/2023.

IA HF2673

A bill for an act related to state behavioral health, disability, and addictive disorder services and related programs, including the transition of behavioral health services from a mental health and disability services system to a behavioral health service system, the transfer of disability services to the division of aging and disability services of the department of health and human services, the elimination of the commission on aging, the elimination of special intellectual disability units at state mental health institutes, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HF 2509, HSB 653.) Effective date: 05/15/2024, 07/01/2024, 07/01/2025.

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