Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Safe Haven Act topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate sponsor seeks to streamline placement for infants left at Safe Haven sites
Summary
Sen. Tammy Nichols introduced RS 32140 to amend Idaho's Safe Haven Act so the Department of Health and Welfare must maintain a list of licensed adoption agencies and speed custody and tribe-notification procedures; committee voted to send the draft to print.
Senator Tammy Nichols, R.-District 10, told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee she is presenting RS 32140, a draft amendment to the Idaho Safe Haven Act that would require the Department of Health and Welfare to maintain a list of licensed adoption agencies for placement of infants left at designated Safe Haven locations.
Nichols said the measure directs the department to transfer custody to a chosen agency within 24 hours unless urgent medical circumstances exist; if an infant needs medical care and no adoptive placement is found within 48 hours, the bill directs the child to remain at the hospital and requires notification to the court and prosecutors to initiate a shelter-care hearing. She also said the draft requires immediate tribal notification when there is reason to believe an infant is an Indian child and asks the department to issue required notices within 10 days and coordinate with tribes on language and policy.
The draft is framed as clarifying and streamlining placement procedures, not as creating new state costs. "This legislation does not result in increased cost to the state general fund or impose additional financial burdens on state or local governments," Nichols said, adding the intent is to place abandoned infants with "vetted, ready and waiting adoptive families, thereby avoiding the need for the children to enter the foster care system." The sponsor said the department has been coordinating on implementation.
Committee members asked questions about how placements are handled now and whether the measure would change parents' rights. Senator Harris asked, "what happens to them now?" and Nichols replied that under current practice infants would enter the foster care system. Senator Wintrow asked for additional background such as how many Safe Haven boxes exist in the state and whether parents could later reclaim a child; Nichols offered to include that information at a full hearing.
Senator Keiser moved, "I would move to send RS 32,140 to print." The motion, seconded by Senator Zieterfeld, passed on a voice vote.
The committee recorded no formal opposition and sent the draft to print for introduction and future hearing.
Ending: The draft RS 32140 was forwarded to print; the committee did not take further action at the meeting and indicated more details would be provided at a subsequent hearing.
