Health and Welfare panel approves package of Department of Health and Welfare rule changes, embraces foster-care reforms

The House Health and Welfare Committee on April 17 approved a large package of administrative-rule dockets submitted by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, moving forward temporary foster-care rules, repealing the state's existing hospital-licensing chapter pending a companion bill, and consolidating emergency medical services (EMS) rules into a single chapter.

Committee members approved the dockets by voice vote after staff and department officials described the scope of the package and answered questions. Director Alex Adams, who opened the committee’s rules session, framed the department’s approach as a large effort to “pare back” rules and return policy decisions to elected lawmakers. Adams said the department has roughly 1,200 pages of rules — “one fourth of every administrative rule in the state” — and that he plans a series of bills this session to move selected material into statute and reduce regulatory volume.

The committee debated and approved several temporary and pending rules affecting child welfare and foster-care licensure. Jared Larson, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs chief for the department, said the foster-care changes aim to remove unnecessary obstacles to recruitment and retention of foster families. Larson said the department’s goal is to increase the ratio of foster families to foster children; he noted the ratio rose from about 74 per 100 children to 94 per 100 and that the department’s objective is 150 per 100. Larson and child-welfare staff said some temporary rules already in effect have increased foster-family sign-ups without measurable declines in safety metrics such as placement stability and repeat maltreatment.

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