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Committee sends RS 31946 to print to clarify foster care review periods for short-term and residential placements
Summary
Sen. Melissa Wintrow asked to print RS 31946, which clarifies review timelines for foster placements and exempts certain residential treatment programs from the short-term review timetable; the committee approved sending the request-to-print to allow bill drafting and later hearing.
Senator Melissa Wintrow asked the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to send RS 31946 to print, describing it as a technical and policy update to a statute the Legislature passed last session that unintentionally captured residential treatment programs in restrictions aimed at preventing foster children from being placed in short-term rentals.
Wintrow, a co-sponsor of the earlier bill, said the prior statute was intended to require direct review of cases by the director to prevent foster placements in Airbnbs and other short-term rentals. She said stakeholders and child-care providers reported the statute’s administrative review requirements created heavy burdens for residential treatment programs that serve children with complex needs.
The RS before the committee delineates a 14-day review period for short-term placements and allows a separate 90-day review process for longer-term residential treatment placements, Wintrow said. She described the change as intended to reduce administrative workload while preserving oversight of placements.
Senator Buerke moved to send RS 31946 to print; Senator Keiser seconded the motion. The committee approved the request-to-print by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The request-to-print begins the drafting process that will produce bill language for a future committee hearing and potential amendments. Committee members did not make policy changes to the substance at this meeting; Wintrow said stakeholders, including the Department of Health and Welfare and Idaho Voices for Children, participated in developing the RS.
The item will return for formal bill introduction and a public hearing where committee members expect to review the detailed language and ask department staff to explain implementation implications.
