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Public testimony on Department of Children's Services prompts committee questions; bill ultimately advanced
Summary
Two public witnesses described multiple placements, alleged denial of counseling and retaliation by DCS contractors; DCS officials said custody numbers are down since 2022 and explained courts assess each child's circumstances. Committee debated whether to delay a vote but ultimately advanced the sunset bill after votes on a roll-motion and final passage.
Two public witnesses addressed the committee during consideration of House Bill 1572, which concerns the Department of Children's Services (DCS). A young witness who identified himself as Zivon described entering DCS care at age 8, being separated from his siblings, spending nearly four years moved between facilities and being hurt while in placements. "I spent nearly 4 years being tossed around from one facility to another," he said.
Another witness, Jessica Yanna, said she had worked in juvenile detention and as a foster parent and alleged retaliation after reporting abuse and that she had been directed to conceal abuse: "I was directly told to lie to the courts to hide abuse that is happening to children." Both witnesses asked for help reuniting families and for better access to counseling.
Committee members asked detailed follow-ups. Representative Fritz thanked the young witness and pressed for specifics about his placements. Representative Parkinson and others asked DCS to explain how siblings can be separated while a mother regains custody of one child. Commissioner Archie Quinn, introduced for the record as commissioner of the Department of Children's Services, declined to comment on individual cases but told the committee the department has reduced the number of children in custody by approximately 10% since September 2022 and reported 7,756 children in foster care, plus roughly 550 in juvenile justice custody. General counsel Sammy Mayfair explained that courts evaluate each child's individual circumstances and that one child's return to a parent does not automatically mean siblings also return.
The committee debated whether to delay a vote to allow a fuller departmental presentation; a motion to roll the bill to Monday failed on a 7-7 tie, and the committee then voted to advance the bill with a roll call reported as "9 ayes, 1 nay, and [present not voting]," with a clerk's announcement that left the exact number of present-not-voting ambiguous in the transcript. Committee leadership said DCS will return to the committee and provide a fuller report in December on the audit findings and corrective actions.
What happens next: HB 1572 advanced out of Government Operations; committee members requested follow-up materials and a fuller departmental hearing on audit-findings remediation.
