In the event of an emergency, Hoosiers can now text 911 to receive help. Certain areas of the state already implemented the Text-to-911 Program, and now it is available in all 92 counties. When faced with an emergency, you should still call 911 and talk to the dispatcher if you are able to. Texting 911 is not as quick as making a phone call and should only be used when you are unable to speak.  

If you do need to text 911, be sure to include important information like your location and the nature of the emergency. Be sure to keep your message concise and do not use abbreviations. If your text message is not received or cannot be processed, you will receive a bounce-back message instructing you to call 911. Dispatchers are now also able to initiate texts after a call is disconnected or dropped. A majority of calls come from cellphones, so when an emergency call is disconnected, a text is sent to see whether there is an emergency.  

Visit www.in911.net to learn more about Indiana’s Text-to-911 program, and keep in mind this life-saving resource is now an option in an emergency.

One way to help address the foster care shortage in our state is to provide better support to foster families. This session, I sponsored legislation to give foster parents a stronger voice when communicating and working with the Department of Child Services. The governor recently signed into law a measure to enact a foster parent bill of rights that lays out the expectations, rights, responsibilities and duties for adoptive parents and child service agencies.

Under the new law, the Department of Child Services will form a group of current foster parents, child-placing agencies, and other organizations and individuals with expertise in foster care services to develop and update a statement of rights and responsibilities for foster parents. By enacting a bill of rights, foster parents will have the opportunity to be better heard, which will hopefully result in more effective communication with groups involved in the child welfare system.

To learn about becoming a foster parent, supporting foster families or adoption opportunities, click here.

From 2015 to 2016, there was a 52-percent increase in opioid overdose deaths. This is alarming and tragic, and combating the drug epidemic is a top priority for House Republicans who support the opening of nine new treatment centers in the state. Additionally, two new initiatives were recently launched to provide more resources to Hoosiers struggling with addiction.   

The Next Level Recovery website combines Indiana state government and other resources to respond to substance abuse crises. The website helps individuals find certified addiction treatment providers closest to them. Hoosiers can now be conveniently connected to local treatment centers, treatment options and other useful tools to aid in recovery.  

A new, 22-bed treatment center is also set to open by the end of March at Richmond State Hospital. This new center will help meet the immediate needs of those affected by opioid abuse across the state.  
Visit www.in.gov/recovery to learn more.

Dear Friend, 

Supporting public safety is among my top priorities. This legislative session, we passed new laws increasing safety on our roadways and protecting our communities, including:

Keeping our Roads Safe: A new law cracking down on those who consistently drive under the influence will make our roads safer. Suspended drivers under Indiana’s habitual traffic violator laws will receive a stricter punishment if they flee the scene of an accident or kill someone due to their reckless behavior behind the wheel. 

Protecting Hoosier Communities: A new law aims to keep those who repeatedly violate their probation or community supervision off the streets. Low-level offenders receiving services like addiction treatment can now be committed to the Department of Correction if they don’t adhere to their probation, parole or community corrections.

Addressing Serious Crime: A new law increases penalties for meth cooks and heroin dealers and allows for more reporting of drug-related felonies to a national database. It also addresses those who act violently toward pregnant women or put children in harm’s way. 

You deserve to be safe, and these new laws will better ensure law-abiding Hoosiers are protected.

Sincerely, 

State Rep. David Frizzell
House District 93

State Rep. Dave Frizzell (R-Indianapolis) recently received the 2016 Champion of Children Award from the Foundation for Government Accountability for his work to protect children and families in need.

Frizzell was recognized for authoring a new law that allows parents or guardians with power of attorney to delegate responsibility for their children to a third-party without having them adhere to the same requirements and regulations as foster care providers.

For example, parents who aren’t able to take care of their children due to health reasons or military deployment could assign control to someone they trust like a family member without fear of losing custody.

“As state representatives, it is our job to do all we can for every Hoosier and that starts with children who are in need of a safe environment,” Frizzell said. “This legislation will provide an effective system that lends more control to parents and legal caretakers because they know what is best for their child.”

Additionally, this law provides that a parent who is also an armed services member may delegate responsibility for their child to a third party while being deployed for more than 12 months, so long as the child’s stay does not extend over 30 days after the deployment’s end.  

The law also allows the Department of Child Services to provide information about community service programs that can provide care, guardianship and support services to families in crisis.

“Leaders like Representative Frizzell realize that Indiana’s children and parents deserve a better alternative, and they are working on creating protections for families that ask for help and for the families to step up to offer it,” the foundation’s CEO Tarren Bragdon said.

The bill received unanimous support in both the House and Senate before being signed into law by the governor.

A bill touted as easing the burden on the state’s foster care system sailed through the Indiana General Assembly without gaining much public attention. In a session marked by contention over abortion, school testing and civil rights, House Enrolled Act 1183 did not pick up a single opposing vote.

Introduced by Rep. David Frizzell, R-Indianapolis, the measure creates a limited power of attorney for families who volunteer to care for children through the faith-based Safe Families program. The bill’s numerous supporters said the program gives struggling families the ability to seek assistance without fear of having the Indiana Department of Child Services take their children away.

Frizzell said he likes the legislation, in part, because of the “tremendous cost of foster care.” A number of families are overwhelmed and need help but the state has limited resources, he explained, and this bill offers a way for other people to help without any cost to the taxpayer.

The bill gained bipartisan support as it moved through the Statehouse. Rep. Karlee Macer, D-Indianapolis, who joined as a co-author, said the legislation can be especially beneficial for military parents preparing for deployment. Instead of placing children in foster care, which she said can be a tough environment, families will have an alternative.

“This isn’t about bad parenting,” she said. “This is parents really doing the right thing. (They) just want to do what makes sense, what is best for their children.”

The bill, which took effect July 1, is based on model legislation from the Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative nonprofit based in Florida. Similar bills have been passed in 13 states including Idaho, Florida, Kansas and Kentucky, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures.

“This is a common sense solution,” said Andrew Brown, attorney and senior fellow at the foundation. “It benefits not only families but also the state.”

Changing relationship
The Safe Families program matches parents in crisis with host families who volunteer to temporarily care for the children. Many times, households facing trouble turn to their extended family or friends for help, explained Krista Shepard Seeds, executive director of Safe Families for Children in Central Indiana. However, for parents who do not have that supportive network, this program offers assistance.

Although Safe Families has been operating in Indiana since 2008, Seeds said the law resolves a concern of the Department of Child Services by clarifying that the liability for the children stays with the biological parents. Previously, with every new governor and new DCS director, the relationship between the nonprofit and the state changed. At one point, the state funneled about $60,000 of federal child abuse prevention funds to the organization in one year. Then the administration changed and the money stopped.

Seeds is hopeful the law will settle the worries over liability and allow Safe Families to again receive government assistance. With the additional funding, the nonprofit wants to expand operations around the state.

“I think it’s exactly what was needed,” Seeds said of the law. “I don’t anticipate we’ll need to alter anything (within the measure in future legislative sessions).”

Few family law attorneys contacted about this bill were familiar with it.

However, Brian Zoeller, partner at Cohen & Malad LLP, knows HEA 1183 well and sees it as allowing troubled families to ask for help without worrying about DCS intervention. From his own experience growing up in a poor household headed by a single mother who worked low-paying waitressing jobs, he knows families can get into crisis caused by a job loss or an eviction and may just need a short-term solution.

Few state resources
Supporters of HEA 1183 promote the measure as allowing people in the community to help their neighbors and save the state money. At the end of May 2016, DCS had 15,093 children in some type of out-of-home placement. Each child in a licensed foster home comes with a per diem ranging from $20.47 to $69.30 plus one-time allowances for clothing and travel.

Safe Families estimates it spends $150 per child. The fiscal impact statement prepared by the Legislative Services Agency found HEA 1183 would require no state or local expenditures.

Safe Families in Indiana is a small organization of 10 employees, mostly social workers. It relies heavily on volunteers who serve as host families and also monitor and coach the host families. Volunteers also work with the biological parents to connect them with other community resources to help them get back on their feet.

Seeds emphasized the nonprofit has an extensive process for screening host families and doing background checks. The reliance on volunteers does not concern Seeds even while she noted the nonprofit has grown from helping 23 families in its first year to helping 800 in 2015.

Zoeller acknowledged state oversight of the program would be good, but he said the trade-off could be putting impediments in place that hinder the work the nonprofit is trying to do. Government involvement could just create more red tape and bureaucracy, he said, while conceding he did not know much about the organization’s process for vetting volunteers.

As for getting DCS to provide oversight, Zoeller was doubtful.

“They can’t even handle what they have on their plate now,” he said. “They are so woefully understaffed and the caseload is so overwhelming.”

Limiting foster family involvement
HEA 1183 sets a few parameters on the Safe Families program. Namely, it provides for the host family to gain power of attorney over the Safe Families children but limits the term to no more than 12 months. A caveat allows for the power of attorney agreement to be extended for military parents on active duty so their children will be cared for during the entire period of deployment plus 30 days.

When presenting his bill to the Senate Committee on Family and Children Services, Frizzell also testified the biological parents retain their rights and can revoke the power of attorney at any point.

Host families operating under a power of attorney agreement will not be required to meet any of the laws, rules or regulations that are placed on foster family homes. However, Frizzell said the provision does not prevent DCS from investigating any allegations against a host family.

The state agency did successfully get the bill amended before it reached the House floor. The original bill prohibited foster families from providing overnight care to a Safe Families child but the amended version modified that prohibition. Although exceptions can be made, foster families cannot provide “regular and continuous care” to children from the Safe Families program while they are caring for foster children.

DCS legislative director Parvonay Stover told House committee members this provision will enable the state to continue to keep tabs on who is in the foster family’s home and ensure the foster child is safe. Foster families who violate this provision could lose their license.

Testifying before House and Senate committees, Beth Kinney, assistant director of Safe Families, credited the program with helping nearly 3,000 children. She said the law would enable the nonprofit to “better partner with DCS to keep kids out of the state child welfare system.”

According to Brown, Safe Families worked with DCS on the language in HEA 1183 which helped get the measure through the Legislature. In fact, Brown said the support for the bill was so strong he did not need to come to Indiana and lobby the Statehouse.

Dear Friend,
 This session, I joined fellow legislators in supporting sound policies to build on Indiana’s fiscal strength while also addressing the needs of House District 93.

We successfully passed laws aimed at improving roads, strengthening education, and better serving and honoring Hoosier veterans. Lawmakers also worked to curb illegal drug use.

IN order to combat the meth epidemic, which has plagues families and communities across Indiana, I authored a new law to help keep key meth ingredients out of the wrong hands. Below, I have highlighted several pieces of legislation I supports this session to make Indiana a stronger, safer place to live. To learn more about work being done at Statehouse, please sign up to receive my email updates by clicking here.

Promoting a Healthier Indiana

• Creating a savings program that Hoosiers with disabilities can use for disability-related costs without placing other benefits at risk
• Implementing a variety of telemedicine practice standards and remote prescribing rules to provide convenience to Hoosiers
• Increasing the safety of Hoosiers with developmental disabilities by providing bracelets or identification cards to those who request them

Improving Public Safety

• Allowing the Department of Child Services to intervene and serve children who are victims of human trafficking
• Posting names and records of individuals convicted of child abuse on an online registry maintained by the state court system
• Increasing penalties for individuals profiting from human trafficking and those who knowingly visit places in violation of trafficking laws

Improving our Roads

• As the Crossroads of America, our roads and bridges help drive our economy and support Hoosier jobs. This session, I voted in favor of a plan addressing our state’s immediate road funding needs while remaining committed to helping pass a long-term plan next year.
• Our legislation directs more than $800 million to state and local roads over the next two years while giving city and county governments additional tools to address their road funding needs. We also started the important process of steering more of the sales tax on gasoline to roads, instead of the general fund.
• A newly created task force will work this summer to recommend responsible and sustainable long-term funding options for the state and locals before session in January.
• This plan ensures we maintain our roads and bridges now while taking a strong step toward a long-term solution for preserving and improving Indiana’s infrastructure.

Strengthening Education

• Our children’s academic achievement is crucial to our state’s future, and I am committed to supporting our local schools, teachers, students and their families.
  
• Indiana students will no longer take the state’s troubled ISTEP test after July 2017. A panel of experts, a majority of whom are educators, will assist lawmakers this summer in identifying a better way to measure student achievement. I also supported new laws protecting schools and teachers from being unfairly penalized for the expected drop in 2015 ISTEP scores after the state recently transitioned to new, more rigorous standards.
• Effective teachers are one of the most important factors in student success. Top-performing high school students interested in the teaching profession could qualify for a newly created college scholarship. The Next Generation Scholarship will provide participants with up to $7,500 per year, if they commit to teaching in Indiana schools for at least five years.
  

Curbing Illegal Drugs

• To combat Indiana’s growing drug epidemic, I supported new laws focused on stemming the tide of addition while assuring the worst drug dealers are kept behind bars. A criminal convicted of dealing meth or heroin, who also has a prior conviction for dealing controlled substances, would serve at least 10 years.
  
• As the nation’s top meth-producing state, I voted to restrict criminals’ access to medicine with pseudoephedrine (PSE), a key ingredient in meth. I authored a new law that will prevent individuals convicted of a meth-related felony from purchasing medications containing PSE without a prescription. The bill would not affect law-abiding Hoosiers who do not have a meth-related conviction on their record.

Dear Friend,
May is National Foster Care Month, which provides opportunities to show how much we appreciate the work foster families do for so many children in Indiana while promoting the important program.

There are currently more than 6,300 Hoosier children living in non-relative foster homes due to abuse or neglect, and there are thousands more waiting for a welcoming and safe home. Here are some ways you can show appreciation for foster parents and get involved in changing a child's life:

• Become a foster parent by sharing your home, time, energy and love with a child in need;
• Contact a local foster care agency about events and other ways to honor foster parents in your community;
• Visit childadvocatesnetwork.org to learn how to be a volunteer child advocate and help represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in court.

To help maintain safe environments in foster homes, I supported a new law making it easier for foster families to obtain restraining orders if they need to protect themselves and the children in their care. I also authored legislation to help families during temporary life crises by allowing a parent to temporarily delegate the power of attorney over their children into a voluntary guardianship.

If you are a foster parent, thank you for making a difference in the life of a child. To learn about the Indianapolis Children's Museum's Foster Family Membership program offering free general admission for one year, among other things, click here.


Sincerely,

Indiana bill HB 1183 introduced by Representative David Frizzell that would provide legislative protection for the Safe Families For Children foster program has been signed into law by Governor Mike Pence.
Safe Families is a private charity that has worked wonders for struggling families and their children in a handful of states and would help provide much-needed relief to Indiana’s overburdened and overwhelmed child-protective service bureaucracy.
Across the country, 400,000 children languish in foster care and 70 percent are there because of neglect. When crisis strikes at home, many of us turn to our family or church for support. But for too many parents, that safety net isn’t there and life can spiral out of control. Results have shown that the government cannot do it alone, and this is where Safe Families For Children steps into the breach.
Since 2002, Safe Families For Children and its thousands of volunteer families has offered support and hope for families in crisis. Safe Families doesn’t take kids from their parents. Instead, it gives parents peace of mind that their children are protected and nurtured while they get clean, sober, working and back on their feet. The goal is to strengthen and preserve biological families so that they can better care for their children.
Safe Families protects children from harm by providing families in crisis with a safe, supportive community to turn to before life spirals out of control. Secondly, the support offered by Safe Families volunteers allows families in crisis to get the help they need, preventing child abuse and neglect and reducing the number of children entering the foster care system. Finally, Safe Families is a loving, nonjudgmental safety net parents can rely on for help, advice and support without the fear of losing custody of their children. Volunteer families are extensively screened and supported, and are never paid or asked for money. Unlike in government foster care, biological families maintain full custody of their children.
The program stacks up incredibly favorably over old-style government foster care. Where government care the cost per child served is roughly $29,000—all picked up by the taxpayers. Safe Families, on the other hand, serves each child at cost of roughly only $1,500—mostly or entirely privately funded. The average amount of time a child spends away from their parents under Safe Families is just 44 days, much shorter than the 717-day average for government foster care. 70 percent of these Safe Families children are under the age of five, with only 38 percent for government care. And while only 52 percent of kids who enter government foster care return to their homes, Safe Families gets 88 percent of its kids back to their families.
Over 17,000 children have been helped by Safe Families For Children since 2007, but to change lives, Safe Families needs government out of the way so private volunteer families can help kids and parents in crisis without a “foster care” designation and state takeover. Rep. Frizzell’s legislation does just that. If eventually signed into law, at-risk kids in Indiana will be in a much better position to lead safer, happier lives.
Rep. Brian Bosma was one of the bill’s many co-sponsors and played a vital role in helping the legislation get passed into law.