Committee approves substitute for House Bill 2,660 with tribal-driven amendment requiring 30-day reviews and ICWA compliance

The Early Learning & Human Services Committee voted to report substitute House Bill 2,660 after adopting an amendment from Representative Ortiz Self that the tribes requested to ensure compliance with state and federal Indian child welfare law and to require periodic judicial review.

Representative Ortiz Self described the bill's focus on "the demographics that we researched on the critical incidents that have occurred" and said the bill "targets the areas where it has risen, to give and to address those issues immediately." She told the committee the amendment came from tribes and "they just wanted to make sure that state and federal Indian child welfare laws took precedent in looking at all of these situations, that the least restrictive conditions were met, and that the judge was also reviewing the situation every 30."

The amendment (Wickham 8 48) requires that any court-ordered conditions be the least restrictive necessary to maintain the safety of a child under age 5, be reviewed every 30 days to determine ongoing necessity, and be identified by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families as consistent with the Indian Child Welfare Act. Representative Dent praised Ortiz Self for bringing the bill forward and said he expected some no votes on the committee but appreciated the dialogue and willingness to refine the bill.

On the roll call the clerk recorded nine ayes and two nays; the chair announced the substitute had been reported out with a due-pass recommendation. Ortiz Self and others emphasized the bill does not solve every related systemic issue but is intended to address a rise in critical incidents and provide immediate targeted remedies where incidents are concentrated.

Next steps: With committee approval, the substitute for House Bill 2,660 will proceed to the next stage of consideration; the amendment's 30-day review requirement and ICWA consistency language will follow the bill as adopted in committee.