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House broadens child-welfare audits to focus on outcomes; amendment to include removals adopted
Summary
HB175 expands required internal and legislative audits of the child-welfare system to assess outcomes for children and families rather than just procedural compliance. An amendment adding explicit review of removals was adopted; the bill passed the House unanimously and will go to the Senate.
House Bill 175, put forward by Representative Stevens, changes statutory audit requirements for Utah’s child-welfare system to emphasize outcomes for children and families rather than only procedural compliance. The measure directs the Bureau of Services Review and the legislative auditor general to broaden reviews and, in the auditor general’s case, to sample all child-welfare referrals and cases handled by the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS).
Representative Harper offered an amendment to ensure that ‘removals’ are explicitly included in the audit scope; Stevens supported the amendment and said it would address constituent concerns about removals from homes. Representative Hickman raised questions about whether the auditor general has the qualifications to make case assessments rather than purely financial or procedural audits; Stevens and supporters noted the auditor general already audits the BSR process and had requested broader authority to provide the legislature with more useful information about outcomes.
The House approved the amendment and passed HB175 as amended by a recorded voice vote noted on the floor (final announcement recorded as 73–0). The bill will be referred to the Senate.
