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Committee hears bill to adopt revised Interstate Compact on Placement of Children
Summary
Assembly Bill 518 would replace Nevada's current Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children with the 2006 revised compact, modernizing procedures for state-to-state foster and adoption placements and triggering a 12-month rulemaking period after the compact reaches 35 member states.
Assemblymember Heather Goulding presented Assembly Bill 518 to the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying the bill would authorize Nevada to replace its current Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) with the 2006 revised version.
"This compact provides the legal framework for children that are being placed from one state into another state for foster care, for adoption, pre-adoption, or for placement with a noncustodial parent," Assemblymember Heather Goulding said, explaining the ICPC creates central-state and local procedures for home studies, packet exchanges and continued supervision after placement.
Goulding said the current compact dates to the 1950s and lacks modern features such as enforceable timelines, a procedure to contest placement denials and a streamlined mechanism to update rules. Under the revised ICPC, she said, a threshold of 35 adopting states would trigger a 12-month rulemaking period to establish timelines and implementation rules. Goulding said 18 states had adopted the revised compact so far and urged Nevada to "get to 35 in 2025."
Washoe County Government Affairs Liaison Cadence Matevich testified in support, noting Nevada joined the original compact in 1985 and saying the revised compact would add definitions and clarity for interstate placements. Marla McDade Williams, administrator for the Division of Child and Family Services at the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, told the committee that the revised compact does not apply to international placements and that, in cross-border scenarios involving a biological parent in another country, the state would work with consular and international channels.
Committee members asked for clarifications about the transition: until 35 states adopt the revised compact, Goulding said Nevada would continue to operate under the existing ICPC; once the threshold is met, a 12-month rulemaking period would set timelines and implementing rules. Committee members also raised tribal and private-agency questions, which Goulding said would require further legal review or consultation with compact administrators.
No members of the public appeared in person or on the phone to testify in support, opposition or neutral beyond the recorded witnesses. Chair Scheibel opened and closed the hearing and no committee vote was recorded in the transcript.
