HB 54 - PLACEMENT OF A CHILD IN NEED OF AID  1:52:37 PM VICE CHAIR LYNN announced that the final order of business would be SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 54, "An Act relating to the identification, location, and notification of specified family members and family friends of a child who is in state custody." [Before the committee was CSSSHB 54(HSS).] 1:53:12 PM REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA, Alaska State Legislature, speaking as one of the joint prime sponsors of SSHB 54, offered his understanding that [Section 1 of CSSSHB 54(HSS)] merely duplicates language contained in the Office of Children's Services' (OCS's) policy manual. He then provided information regarding HB 54, [which had previously been replaced by SSHB 54, which had in turn been amended by the House Health and Social Services Standing Committee]. [Note to the reader: the language in Section 1 of CSSSHB 54(HSS), the version currently before the House Judiciary Standing Committee, stipulates that a supervisor shall verify in writing that the social worker has - within 30 days after the removal and subsequent placement of a child who has been removed from his/her home and been placed in out-of-home care under AS 47.10 and AS 47.14 - exercised due diligence in identifying, locating, and notifying noncustodial parents and adult family members regarding that child's removal and subsequent placement.] REPRESENTATIVE GARA, noting that a question was posed during the prior hearing on CSSSHB 54(HSS) regarding the term, "verify" as used in Section 1's proposed new AS 47.10.035(b), referred to a memorandum from Legislative Legal and Research Services dated April 9, 2013, [indicating that the court would look to the context and common usage of that term]. He added, "Doesn't require any wax seal, doesn't require that you burn your finger and put an imprint on the paper; ... they just put a check on a box inside a file, says, 'I've spoken to the social worker - they've done their work.'" He relayed that the rationale for adopting the statutory changes proposed by [CSSSHB 54(HSS)] is to address the high employee-turnover rate within the OCS, adding, "I want to make sure that there's a check on the system." REPRESENTATIVE GARA mentioned that during that prior hearing on the bill, questions unrelated to [CSSSHB 54(HSS)'s] proposed statutory changes also arose, and shared his understanding - based on information he'd received in response to those questions - that under current law the OCS provides notification to family members; that those notifications don't include the physical address of the child; and that the OCS won't allow what he termed a "crummy" non-custodial parent in whose home would not constitute the right placement, to become a foster parent. In conclusion, Representative Gara stressed that existing law, rather than the bill, already outlines who, specifically, shall be notified. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG, referring to an e-mail from the director of the OCS dated [April 9, 2013,] included in members' packets, added his understanding that the OCS does not notify a parent who's already had his/her parental rights terminated. He also relayed that the questions he'd had regarding the appropriateness of some of CSSSHB 54(HSS)'s proposed language - specifically, the second usage of the word, "and" on page 1, line 7, the words, "conducting due diligence required" on page 2, line 3, and the words, "an adult [A] family friend" on page 2, line 11 - have all been answered to his satisfaction. In conclusion, he said he has no amendments to offer and he supports the bill. VICE CHAIR LYNN, after ascertaining that no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on SSHB 54. 2:02:12 PM CHRISTY LAWTON, Director, Central Office, Office of Children's Services (OCS), Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), in response to questions, explained that the changes proposed by [CSSSHB 54(HSS)] wouldn't significantly impact the OCS's workload because consultation between social workers and their supervisors already occurs regularly, and such consultations are already being documented in terms of confirming compliance with state and federal law; proffered that the bill would "enhance" and clarify how that documentation occurs with regard to ensuring the timeliness of required searches; predicted that no additional resources would be needed as a result of the bill's passage; pointed out that the 30-day timeframe by which a social worker must exercise due diligence in identifying, locating, and notifying noncustodial parents and adult family members, is already part of federal law; and reiterated that the bill would merely require a supervisor to specifically document that the social worker did indeed exercise due diligence as required by law and [outlined in] policy. VICE CHAIR LYNN said he likes the bill, and would be holding [CSSSHB 54(HSS)] over in order to provide members with more time to consider it further.