STATEHOUSE (July 27, 2016) – 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.
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State Rep. Dave Frizzell (R-Indianapolis) represents a portion of Marion and Johnson counties.
A high-resolution photo of Frizzell can be downloaded by clicking here.
