A bill for an act relating to aid, processes, services, and reimbursement for services associated with children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care.

HF 873 modifies Iowa's foster care and adoption support systems. It expands the criteria for declaring a child in need of assistance (CINA) to include serious chemical dependency treatment needs, alongside existing mental health requirements. The bill replaces the fixed 65% reimbursement rate for foster parents (based on USDA child-raising costs) with a requirement for the state to establish and periodically review foster care payment rules. It also caps state reimbursement for adoption investigations at $2,000 per pre- and post-placement check and adjusts who covers attorney fees in parental rights termination cases. These changes directly affect foster parents, adoptive families, and children in foster care or adoption proceedings.