Interim Study Committees Announced

Written by: Mindi Goodpaster, MCCOY's Director of Public Policy & Advocacy

The Legislative Council of the Indiana General Assembly met on May 23 and announced the topics that will be studied by the various committees and commissions this summer and fall.  MCCOY will be watching the following topics and committees:

·         Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee (SEA286)

o   Review and study the progress and improvements made by the department of child services (DCS) since its creation in 2005 (SEA 286);

o   Review best practices concerning child welfare, child mental health, and delinquent children (SEA 286);

o   Receive and review status reports from the DCS ombudsman (SEA 286);

o   Review and study the DCS child abuse and neglect hotline, including the process used to refer a report to a local office (SEA 286);

o   Make legislative recommendations concerning the DCS (SEA 286);

o   Conduct a study of the laws relating to:

§  DCS procedures;

§  Funding of the DCS;

§  Funding for the placement of children;

§  DCS personnel issues;

§  Children in need of services;

§  Child support;

§  Procedures concerning the determination of placements of children inside and outside Indiana;

§  Homeless children;

§  The youth service bureau;

§  Child welfare programs;               

§  Family preservation services;

§  The regulation of residential child care;

§  Termination of parent-child relationships;

§  Missing children; and

§  The DCS ombudsman.

(SB 270);

o   Federal requirements or incentives for states to pass certain laws or establish specific programs (SB 270);

o   Determine the long range needs of the DCS and recommend policy priorities (SB 270);

o   Identify critical problems in the DCS and recommend strategies to solve the problems (SB 270);

o   Propose plans, programs, and legislation for improving the effectiveness of the DCS (SB 270);

o   How it is determined whether a family and/or child is eligible for services by the DCS (SR 47);

o   The wrap-around services available to families involved in DCS proceedings (SR 47);

o    The follow-up provided by DCS staff to determine whether services were provided and the adequacy of those services (SR47); and

o   The communication between family court and DCS to collaborate on families' involvement in each entity (SR 47).

·         Select Commission on Education (REA 1376) (this commission has been meeting since late May)

o   The feasibility of establishing a process by which residents of a part of an existing school corporation may elect to disannex from an existing school corporation and either annex to another existing school corporation or establish a new school corporation (HEA 1047);

o   The process of adoption and content of rules adopted by the Indiana state board of education concerning categories or designations of school improvement including the matrices used for the A-F designations (HEA 1376);

o   Proposed rules, adopted rules, and policies of the department of education and the Indiana state board of education to implement the provisions ofP.L.90-2011, concerning teacher evaluations and licensing (HEA 1376);

o   More clearly defining what is included in instructional spending by school corporations and what is included in no instructional spending by school corporations for purposes of the law concerning reporting of expenditures allocated to school instruction (IC 20-42.5-3-5) (HEA 1072, SB 344, SR 7);

o   The current oversight structure applicable to IPFW and make recommendations for any changes in the current structure that the committee determines should be considered (SC 19); and

o   Public schools 'cherry-picking' students (Representatives Karickhoff and Mahan).

·         Commission on Mental Health and Addiction (IC 12-21-6.5-2)

o   Whether prosecuting attorneys should be allowed to file a petition alleging that a child is a child in need of services under IC 31-34-1-6 (SEA 286);

o   The unmet mental health needs of children within the juvenile justice system, including children in need of services and delinquent children (SEA 286); and

·         Interim Study Committee on Special Group Recognition License Plates (SEA 257)

o   Policies and procedures concerning the issuance of special group recognition license plates (SEA 257).

While other topics may be considered that were not formally assigned, they may still be part of the discussion in one of the committees.  One of the bills that MCCOY was watching, HEA 1169 was not formally assigned, but we will monitor the Select Commission on Education to see if the issue is brought up for discussion.  For a full list of the committees and topics, visit the May 23 meeting minutes at http://www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/minutes/LCOUF5N.pdf