SF 360—Safe Haven Act
SF 419—Nurse licensure compact
HF 234—Mental health advocate reporting requirements
HF 393—Department of Public Health policy bill
HF 396—Foster care definition
HF 531—DHS electronic asset verification program
HF 534—Child care program licensing
HF 543—Drug endangered children policies
HF 545—Child fatality and near fatality release of information
HF 547—Background checks for DHS workers
HF 548—Stroke care
HF 576—Background checks for temporary agencies
HF 591—Physician Assistant Board rule making authority
HF 593—Mental health professionals functions
FLOOR ACTION
SF 360 relates to the Newborn Safe Haven Act, which has allowed a parent to relinquish physical custody of a newborn up to 14 days old, without fear of prosecution for abandonment. The bill expands the age to 30 days old and adds a procedure for a confidential call to 911 to dispatch a first responder to pick up the infant and deliver the infant to a medical facility.
[3/28: 48-0 (Behn, Rozenboom excused)]
SF 419 is the Nurse Licensure Compact. It is an interstate compact that allows a nurse to have one multistate license and practice in other member states both physically and electronically. This increases access to care while maintaining public protection. These 10 states have adopted the compact so far: Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming.
[3/27: 49-0 (Bertrand excused)]
HF 531 requires the Department of Human Services to report by December 15 on progress toward contracting with a third-party vendor to establish an electronic asset verification system to determine eligibility for public assistance.
[3/23: 47-0 (Anderson, Bertrand, Shipley excused)]
HF 548 requires nationally certified comprehensive stroke centers and primary stroke centers operating in Iowa to report data on the treatment of individuals who have suffered confirmed strokes consistent with a nationally recognized data set platform. If a provider does not comply with this requirement, the Department of Public Health may request a review of the provider’s certification.
[47-0 (Anderson, Bertrand, Shipley excused)]
HF 593 allows mental health professionals (in addition to physicians) to perform examinations, treat and prescribe treatment or medications, and submit reports to the court in accordance with certain hospitalizations and committals for patients with a substance-abuse disorder or serious mental illness. This bill is based on recommendations from a diverse group of stakeholders.
[3/29: 49-0 (Bisagnano excused)]
COMMITTEE ACTION
HF 234 ends the requirement that county mental health advocates file quarterly reports. Advocates will file reports when necessary or when required by the Court.
[3/29: short form]
HF 393 is the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) policy bill. The bill provides some flexibility to IDPH with substance abuse funding that is not used and returned by counties. The funds will be used for other substance abuse programs. Updates are made to the Medical Home & Patient Centered Health Council to reflect current duties and responsibilities. It updates Code language for various workforce programs. It complements IDPH activities around review and evaluation of current workforce programming. The bill removes unfunded and outdated programs, and makes conforming changes to the Code.
[3/29: short form]
HF 396 clarifies the definition of child foster care, including relatives that are licensed foster care providers and excluding care provided by a relative at the parents’ request.
[3/29: short form]
HF 534 excludes child care programs administered by school districts from Department of Human Services licensing.
[3/29: short form]
HF 543 represents the recommendations of the 2016 Drug Endangered Children Task Force. See report here: https://odcp.iowa.gov/DECworkgroupINFO. The Department of Human Services has already made the practice changes. The bill amends the definitions of “child in need of assistance” and “child abuse” to include other adults in the home who use, possess, cultivate or distribute a dangerous substance. It adds cocaine, heroin and opioids to the list of dangerous substances.
[3/29: short form]
HF 545 relates to the Department of Human Services release of information in a child fatality by adding the same information release policies to “near fatalities.” The bill aligns state and federal law.
[3/29: short form]
HF 547 allows the Department of Human Services to conduct background investigations on these individuals accessing Federal Tax Information: an applicant for employment with the Department; or a contractor, vendor or employee performing work for the Department with access to FTI. This is required by the Internal Revenue Service.
[3/29: short form]
HF 576 requires that temporary staffing agencies conduct background checks on employees for nursing homes, assisted living centers, etc., instead of the nursing homes covering the costs of the checks.
[3/29: short form]
HF 591 requires that when the Physician Assistant Board brings a case against a physician assistant (PA), the supervising physician must be notified; requires the Board to share information about complaints regarding a PA with the supervising physician; and requires the Board to seek approval of the Board of Medicine before amending any of its administrative rules that deal with PA supervision.
[3/29: short form]