Committee advances bill to speed placement of infants surrendered under Safe Haven law; tribes and agencies worked on ICWA language

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1058 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation after hearing testimony on amendments to Idaho's safe-haven provisions intended to speed placement of newborns surrendered anonymously at licensed hospitals, fire stations, law enforcement sites or safe-haven boxes.

Senator Tammy Nichols, the bill sponsor, said the measure directs the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to maintain a list of licensed adoption agencies to facilitate faster placement and requires that custody of a surrendered child be transferred to a selected adoption agency within 24 hours unless the infant requires additional medical care. "The goal of this bill is clear: to place abandoned children quickly with families who are ready and waiting," Nichols told senators.

Key provisions described in committee testimony include: transfer to a licensed adoption agency within 24 hours after surrender unless medical care requires hospitalization; if no adoptive family is identified and the infant…