Committee advances bill to ensure auditor's ombudsman access to child-welfare records, clarifies protections

Senator Steve Meredith and Auditor Allison Ball told the Committee on Families and Children that Senate Bill 85 is intended to complete the transition of the Office of the Ombudsman from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to the state auditor’s office and to remove barriers that have hindered the office’s work.

The nut graf: Supporters said the bill would codify access to the state’s iTWIS child‑welfare database, establish whistleblower protections, and formally place the ombudsman within the auditor’s organizational structure to increase transparency and investigative efficiency.

Meredith said the measure follows recommendations from a 2022 reorganization task force and a 2023 law (Senate Bill 48) that began moving the ombudsman out of the cabinet. Auditor Allison Ball described a dispute over access to iTWIS — the state’s digital record system for child abuse, foster‑care and adult abuse reports — that led the auditor’s office to file suit in Franklin County circuit court. She said a mediated resolution provided temporary access but the proposed language in Senate Bill 85 would leave no doubt that the ombudsman must be provided the records needed to investigate complaints.

Ball said that when the ombudsman was administratively attached to the auditor’s office in 2023, the office still lacked direct access to iTWIS; the cabinet had been acting as an intermediary for complaints and, Ball said, some complaints did not make their way to the ombudsman. Ball told the committee that the bill also contains whistleblower protections modeled on other states’ language, requires the cabinet to make ombudsman information available on a public website, and would structurally move the ombudsman into the auditor’s office for administrative efficiencies.

Committee members raised questions about independence and access. Representative Bojanowski and Representative Stocker said they supported removing the ombudsman from cabinet control; Representative Rorx and Representative Stalker expressed concern and asked for clarifying language and follow-up conversations. Ball and Meredith said the cabinet had agreed to the iTWIS language in negotiations and that mediation had produced temporary access pending legislative clarification.

The committee recorded a roll call after a motion and second. Several members explained their votes during the roll call; the chair announced the bill passed with a favorable expression and should proceed to the House floor.

Votes at a glance: Committee favorably reported Senate Bill 85; recorded votes included multiple yes votes and several members recorded a "pass."