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Sheriff's deputy and advocates say faster DHW response helps build cases and protect infants
Summary
Boise County Deputy David Gomez and other speakers told the committee that timely Health and Welfare presence helps law enforcement obtain warrants or assemble coordinated responses in high‑risk infant cases; witnesses said the bill would facilitate that coordinated response without creating new removal authority.
Deputy David Gomez described practical challenges when investigating child‑welfare concerns in rural areas and testified that Health and Welfare's timely presence helps law enforcement collect the information needed to seek warrants or otherwise intervene safely.
"Health and welfare by themselves probably won't get enough. So it takes a team," Gomez said, arguing the bill would help get a team to the scene quickly. He told senators that in the past few years he has encountered multiple infant deaths or near‑deaths and that a faster coordinated response could be lifesaving.
Sponsor and other witnesses said the bill does not remove protections for parents or expand statutory grounds for removal — it elevates the timing for DHW responses when clearly documented risk factors are present. The committee discussed whether DHW has the staffing and regional capacity to meet the 12‑hour verification requirement and whether the department's internal registry procedures and appeal processes would appropriately limit false positives.
