SB15-204 Summary

• Establishes the Office of the Child Protection Ombudsman as an independent agency within the Judicial Department by January 1, 2016, with complete autonomy over operations, budget, and personnel decisions.

• Creates a 12-member independent, nonpartisan Child Protection Ombudsman Board appointed by the Chief Justice, Governor, and legislative leaders, with members having child welfare expertise and reflecting the state's ethnic diversity.

• Grants the Ombudsman independent authority to investigate complaints regarding child protection services and make recommendations to state agencies, operating independently from the Department of Human Services and all judicial agencies.

• Requires a memorandum of understanding between the Office and the Judicial Department by November 1, 2015, establishing the Office's own personnel rules and the Ombudsman's independent hiring and termination authority.

• Appropriates $351,086 to the Judicial Department for fiscal year 2015-16 to support the Office with 2.0 additional FTE, funded by reducing the Department of Human Services child protection ombudsman appropriation by $270,372.