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Committee backs amendment disfavoring out‑of‑country placements but exempts Indian Child Welfare Act cases
Summary
The House Health and Human Services Committee advanced House Bill 694 with a conceptual amendment exempting children subject to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), while sponsors said the change clarifies policy preference that in‑country placement is preferred for reasons of proximity and reunification opportunities.
Representative Bill Mercer (House District 52) opened the hearing on House Bill 694, which proposes targeted amendments to statutes guiding the Child and Family Services Division (CFSD). Mercer told the committee the changes are intended to clarify that CFSD’s role is to intervene in situations of child abuse or neglect and to state a placement preference: placements outside The United States are “disfavored.”
Mercer said the change is advisory rather than an absolute prohibition and would not override existing…
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