Alex Adams outlines child-welfare overhaul as Senate panel considers gubernatorial appointment

The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard introductory remarks from Alex Adams on his gubernatorial appointment as director of the Department of Health and Welfare and questioned him on past financial and programmatic problems at the agency.

Adams, who said he took the agency helm seven months ago, told the committee he has adopted a "quality over quantity" approach and is "laser focused on child welfare," repeatedly saying the agency's leadership aims to increase the number of foster homes relative to children entering the system. "Child welfare, child welfare, child welfare," Adams said, describing the focus as the department's priority.

The director described organizational changes he has made since taking office, including reorganizing senior leadership, bringing the chief financial officer to report directly to him and creating internal review functions. "The budget is a law, not a suggestion," Adams told senators, saying fiscal management and transparency are central to his reforms.

Adams gave the committee several concrete figures and actions: he said the department employs about 3,000 people, operates 74 buildings in 37 locations, and manages a roughly $6 billion budget. He said leadership removed roughly 2,300 pages of internal regulations, plans to cut about 200 pages of rules this year, and expects a bill to reduce about 150 statutory sections that he described as "zombie programs." He also said the department's leadership team has 22 members, 15 of whom are new or in new positions.

On child welfare outcomes, Adams said the department tracks a foster-home rate that he described as rising from 0.74 to 0.94 families per 100 children entering the system. He said his administration has waived adoption fees within the department and that, since he began, the department has processed more than 160 adoptions. Adams said the agency is deploying after-hours call centers and has a budget request intended to lower caseworker caseloads.

Committee members pressed Adams on several recent problems raised publicly in 2023 and 2024, including an audit that the committee described as finding duplicate welfare payments and misallocated funds, and questions about the community partners grant program. Senator Lenny summarized those concerns, citing duplicate payments of about $32 million in late 2023, alleged ineligible expenses exceeding $3 million in the community partners program and other internal investigations; Adams said he has pursued corrective measures.

To address oversight and integrity concerns, Adams said he implemented a new "One Department" signoff process for grants, sponsorships, procurement and proposed regulations that requires review by the division administrator, a deputy director and the director. He said the department has established a transparency team for public records, is hiring an internal Office of Program Integrity (OPI) and has strengthened federal-grant training and conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements. "We need to immediately jump on anything that has the slightest odor of impropriety," Adams said.

Several senators praised the focus on foster-care improvements. Senator Shippey, who identified himself as a licensed foster parent and adopter, thanked Adams for changes he said were improving the system. Senators Wintrow and others asked how Adams will balance the narrow child-welfare focus with other agency responsibilities, including services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities; Adams said those programs remain priorities and said he has dedicated budget resources for them but that doubling the foster-family rate is the current shared leadership goal.

The committee did not take a vote on the appointment at the hearing. The chair said gubernatorial appointments are not voted on the day they are presented and that the panel expects to vote on Adams' confirmation at a later meeting, likely the next day. The hearing moved from the appointment to a separate agenda item at the committee's direction.

The committee hearing included public and intermember exchanges about the agency's prior audits and corrective plans; Adams repeatedly referenced legislative oversight reports by the Office of Performance Evaluations as material he relied on when setting priorities.

Adams's remarks and the committee's questions set the scope for the committee's forthcoming review and expected confirmation vote, centering the department's child-welfare performance, internal controls and financial transparency.