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House approves bill preventing double‑charging parents when children return from state custody
Summary
The House passed first‑substitute HB235, which prevents parents from being charged by the Office of Recovery Services for periods when children are returned to in‑home placement, creating a seven‑day window in statute to avoid double billing.
Representative Wayne Harper presented first‑substitute HB235, which addresses child-support charges when children are returned from state custody to the parents' home. Harper said families sometimes face being charged twice for the care of their children when children are removed and then returned; HB235 creates a seven‑day protected period in which parents are not charged by the Office of Recovery Services for care while children are back in the home.
Harper acknowledged the measure carried a fiscal note and said funding would be pursued, but he argued the policy is correct to remove a disincentive to reunification. Committee report and floor consideration resulted in a recorded House vote of 73–0 in favor of the first substitute; the bill was transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
What happens next: HB235 passed the House and will be transmitted to the Senate; the fiscal implications will be addressed in subsequent budget or committee work.
