Bill Text: IA SF2225 | 2013-2014 | 85th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to adoption investigation and report requirements. (See SF 2276.)
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-18 - Subcommittee, Dotzler, Boettger, and Ragan. S.J. 286. [SF2225 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2013-SF2225-Introduced.html
Senate
File
2225
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
2225
BY
JOHNSON
and
RAGAN
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
adoption
investigation
and
report
1
requirements.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
TLSB
5632XS
(8)
85
pf/nh
S.F.
2225
Section
1.
Section
600.8,
subsection
1,
Code
2014,
is
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
1.
a.
A
preplacement
investigation
shall
be
directed
to
and
3
a
report
of
this
investigation
shall
answer
the
following:
4
(1)
Whether
the
home
of
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner
5
is
a
suitable
one
for
the
placement
of
a
minor
person
to
be
6
adopted.
7
(2)
How
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner’s
emotional
8
maturity,
finances,
health,
relationships,
and
any
other
9
relevant
factor
may
affect
the
petitioner’s
ability
to
accept,
10
care,
and
provide
a
minor
person
to
be
adopted
with
an
adequate
11
environment
as
that
person
matures.
12
(3)
Whether
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner
has
been
13
convicted
of
a
crime
under
a
law
of
any
state
or
has
a
record
of
14
founded
child
abuse.
The
preplacement
investigation
and
report
15
shall
include
an
examination
of
the
criminal
and
child
abuse
16
records
of
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner
including
all
17
of
the
following:
18
(a)
Criminal,
child
abuse,
and
sex
offender
registries
19
maintained
by
the
state.
20
(b)
Child
abuse
registries
maintained
by
any
other
state
in
21
which
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner
has
resided
during
22
the
five
years
prior
to
the
issuance
of
the
preplacement
23
investigation
report.
24
(c)
National
biometric
identification-based
criminal
25
records.
For
the
purposes
of
international
adoption
26
preplacement
investigations,
the
national
biometric
27
identification-based
criminal
record
check
results
obtained
28
pursuant
to
the
standards
of
the
United
States
department
29
of
homeland
security
shall
satisfy
the
requirement
of
this
30
subparagraph
division.
31
b.
A
postplacement
investigation
and
a
report
of
this
32
investigation
shall:
33
(1)
Consist
of
no
fewer
than
three
face-to-face
visits
with
34
the
minor
person
to
be
adopted
and
the
adoption
petitioner
to
35
-1-
LSB
5632XS
(8)
85
pf/nh
1/
6
S.F.
2225
be
conducted
within
thirty
days,
ninety
days,
and
one
hundred
1
eighty
days
following
the
placement
and
during
completion
of
2
the
minimum
residence
period
specified
in
section
600.10.
3
(1)
(2)
Verify
the
allegations
of
the
adoption
petition
4
and
its
attachments
and
of
the
report
of
expenditures
required
5
under
section
600.9
.
6
(2)
(3)
Evaluate
the
progress
of
the
placement
of
the
minor
7
person
to
be
adopted.
8
(3)
(4)
Determine
whether
adoption
by
the
adoption
9
petitioner
may
be
in
the
best
interests
of
the
minor
person
to
10
be
adopted.
11
(5)
Include
documentation
verifying
that
any
unique
needs
12
of
the
minor
person
to
be
adopted
are
being
appropriately
13
met
in
the
placement
before
the
investigator
recommends
14
finalization
of
the
adoption.
15
c.
(1)
A
background
information
investigation
of
the
16
medical
and
social
history
of
the
biological
parents
of
the
17
minor
person
to
be
adopted
and
a
report
of
the
investigation
18
shall
be
made
by
the
agency,
the
person
making
an
independent
19
placement,
or
an
investigator
prior
to
the
placement
of
the
20
minor
person
to
be
adopted
with
any
prospective
adoption
21
petitioner
.
22
(2)
The
background
information
investigation
and
report
23
shall
not
disclose
the
identity
of
the
biological
parents
of
24
the
minor
person
to
be
adopted.
25
(3)
The
completed
report
shall
be
completed
and
filed
26
with
the
court
prior
to
the
holding
of
the
adoption
hearing
27
prescribed
in
section
600.12
.
28
(4)
The
report
shall
be
in
substantial
conformance
with
the
29
prescribed
medical
and
social
history
forms
designed
by
the
30
department
pursuant
to
section
600A.4,
subsection
2
,
paragraph
31
“f”
.
32
(5)
A
copy
of
the
background
information
investigation
33
report
shall
be
furnished
to
the
prospective
adoption
34
petitioners
within
thirty
days
after
the
filing
of
the
adoption
35
-2-
LSB
5632XS
(8)
85
pf/nh
2/
6
S.F.
2225
petition
petitioner
prior
to
placement
of
the
minor
person
to
1
be
adopted
with
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner
.
2
(6)
Any
person,
including
a
juvenile
court,
who
has
gained
3
relevant
background
information
concerning
a
minor
person
4
subject
to
an
adoption
petition
shall,
upon
request,
fully
5
cooperate
with
the
conducting
of
a
background
information
6
investigation
by
disclosing
any
relevant
background
7
information,
whether
contained
in
sealed
records
or
not.
8
Sec.
2.
Section
600.8,
subsection
2,
paragraph
a,
Code
2014,
9
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
10
a.
(1)
A
preplacement
investigation
and
report
of
the
11
investigation
shall
be
completed
and
the
prospective
adoption
12
petitioner
approved
for
a
placement
by
the
person
making
the
13
investigation
prior
to
any
agency
or
independent
placement
of
14
a
minor
person
in
the
petitioner’s
home
in
anticipation
of
an
15
ensuing
adoption.
16
(2)
A
report
of
a
preplacement
investigation
that
has
17
approved
a
prospective
adoption
petitioner
for
a
placement
18
shall
not
authorize
placement
of
a
minor
person
with
that
19
petitioner
after
one
year
two
years
from
the
date
of
the
20
report’s
issuance.
However,
if
the
prospective
adoption
21
petitioner
is
a
relative
within
the
fourth
degree
of
22
consanguinity
who
has
assumed
custody
of
a
minor
person
to
23
be
adopted,
a
preplacement
investigation
of
this
petitioner
24
and
a
report
of
the
investigation
may
be
completed
at
a
time
25
established
by
the
juvenile
court
or
court
or
may
be
waived
as
26
provided
in
subsection
12
.
27
Sec.
3.
Section
600.15,
Code
2014,
is
amended
to
read
as
28
follows:
29
600.15
Foreign
and
international
adoptions.
30
1.
A
decree
establishing
a
parent-child
relationship
by
31
adoption
which
is
issued
pursuant
to
due
process
of
law
by
a
32
juvenile
court
or
court
of
any
other
jurisdiction
within
or
33
outside
the
United
States
shall
be
recognized
in
this
state.
34
2.
For
an
adoption
based
on
a
decree
issued
by
a
foreign
35
-3-
LSB
5632XS
(8)
85
pf/nh
3/
6
S.F.
2225
jurisdiction
within
the
United
States,
an
investigator
shall
1
conduct
a
postplacement
investigation
and
issue
a
postplacement
2
report
as
provided
in
section
600.8.
3
3.
a.
For
an
adoption
based
on
a
decree
issued
by
a
4
jurisdiction
outside
the
United
States,
an
investigator
shall
5
conduct
a
postplacement
investigation
that
consists
of
a
6
minimum
of
three
face-to-face
visits
with
the
minor
person
7
and
the
adoptive
parents
during
the
first
year
after
the
8
placement,
with
the
first
such
visit
to
be
conducted
within
9
sixty
days
of
the
placement
of
the
minor
person
in
the
adoptive
10
home.
Additional
visits
shall
be
conducted
if
required
by
the
11
jurisdiction
that
issued
the
decree.
12
b.
The
postplacement
investigation
and
report
under
this
13
subsection
shall
include
documentation
that
any
unique
needs
14
of
the
minor
person
are
being
appropriately
met
through
the
15
placement.
16
EXPLANATION
17
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
18
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
19
This
bill
relates
to
adoption
requirements.
20
The
bill
provides
that
a
preplacement
investigation
and
21
report
shall
include
examination
of
the
criminal
and
child
22
abuse
records
of
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner
including
23
criminal,
child
abuse,
and
sex
offender
registries
maintained
24
by
the
state;
child
abuse
registries
maintained
by
any
other
25
state
in
which
the
prospective
adoption
petitioner
has
26
resided
during
the
five
years
prior
to
the
issuance
of
the
27
preplacement
investigation
report;
and
national
biometric
28
identification-based
criminal
records.
Additionally,
29
the
bill
provides
that
for
the
purposes
of
international
30
adoption
preplacement
investigations,
the
national
biometric
31
identification-based
criminal
record
check
results
obtained
32
pursuant
to
the
standards
of
the
United
States
department
of
33
homeland
security
shall
satisfy
the
requirement.
34
The
bill
provides
that
a
postplacement
investigation
and
a
35
-4-
LSB
5632XS
(8)
85
pf/nh
4/
6
S.F.
2225
report
shall,
in
addition
to
current
requirements,
consist
of
1
no
fewer
than
three
face-to-face
visits
with
the
minor
person
2
to
be
adopted
and
the
adoption
petitioner
to
be
conducted
3
within
30,
90,
and
180
days
following
the
placement
and
during
4
completion
of
the
minimum
residence
period
which
is
180
days
5
unless
otherwise
provided.
Additionally,
the
preplacement
6
investigation
and
report
is
to
include
documentation
verifying
7
that
any
unique
needs
of
the
minor
person
to
be
adopted
8
are
being
appropriately
met
in
the
placement
before
the
9
investigator
recommends
finalization
of
the
adoption.
10
The
bill
specifies
that
the
background
information
11
investigation
is
to
be
of
the
medical
and
social
history
of
the
12
biological
parents
of
the
minor
person
to
be
adopted;
that
a
13
report
of
the
investigation
shall
be
made
by
the
agency,
the
14
person
making
an
independent
placement,
or
an
investigator
15
prior
to
the
placement
of
the
minor
person
to
be
adopted
with
16
any
prospective
adoption
petitioners;
that
the
completed
report
17
is
to
be
filed
with
the
court
prior
to
the
holding
of
the
18
adoption
hearing;
and
that
a
copy
of
the
background
information
19
investigation
report
shall
be
furnished
to
the
prospective
20
adoption
petitioners
prior
to
placement
of
the
minor
person
to
21
be
adopted
with
the
prospective
adoption
petitioners.
22
The
bill
extends
from
one
year
to
two
years
the
period
23
during
which
a
report
of
a
preplacement
investigation
that
has
24
approved
a
prospective
adoption
petitioner
for
a
placement
may
25
be
used
to
authorize
placement
of
a
minor
person
with
that
26
petitioner.
27
With
regard
to
foreign
and
international
adoptions,
the
28
bill
provides
that
for
an
adoption
based
on
a
decree
issued
29
by
a
jurisdiction
within
the
United
States,
postplacement
30
investigations
and
reports
are
to
be
conducted
as
required
31
for
in-state
adoptions.
For
an
adoption
based
on
a
decree
32
issued
by
a
jurisdiction
outside
the
United
States,
an
33
investigator
shall
conduct
a
postplacement
investigation
34
and
issue
a
postplacement
report
which
investigation
shall
35
-5-
LSB
5632XS
(8)
85
pf/nh
5/
6
S.F.
2225
include
a
minimum
of
three
face-to-face
visits
with
the
minor
1
person
and
the
adoptive
parents
during
the
first
year
after
2
the
placement
of
the
minor
person
in
the
adoptive
home.
In
3
addition
to
the
minimum
visits
required,
additional
visits
4
shall
be
conducted
if
required
by
the
jurisdiction
that
issued
5
the
decree.
Additionally,
any
postplacement
investigation
and
6
report
relating
to
adoptions
issued
by
a
jurisdiction
outside
7
the
United
States
are
to
include
documentation
that
any
unique
8
needs
of
the
minor
person
are
being
appropriately
met
through
9
the
placement.
10
-6-
LSB
5632XS
(8)
85
pf/nh
6/
6
