Lawmakers hear hours of testimony on LD 555 to create separate Department of Child and Family Services

Senator Jeff Timberlake, sponsor of LD 555, told the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services that the state’s child-welfare system has produced “repeated, systemic, and well documented” failures and urged lawmakers to create a cabinet-level Department of Child and Family Services to elevate accountability and leadership. Timberlake listed children who died after contact with the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) and cited fatality counts he said were 34 in 2021, 32 in 2022 and 31 last year. He estimated initial implementation costs at roughly $4,000,000 and presented a road map for restructuring.