HB 885

As Introduced
136th General Assembly
   Regular Session  H. B. No. 885
        2025-2026
  Representatives Brennan, Humphrey
       Cosponsors: Representatives Synenberg, Piccolantonio, Upchurch
  To enact section 5180.23 of the Revised Code to  1
  require the Children and Youth Advisory Council  2
  to develop a plan to establish a universal home  3
  visiting program for parents and caregivers of  4
  children and to name this act the Family Home  5
  Visits Act.  6
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
       Section 1. That section 5180.23 of the Revised Code be  7
enacted to read as follows:  8
       Sec. 5180.23. (A) As used in this section:  9
       (1) "Eligible family" means a family that may receive  10
evidence-based home visiting services under the universal home  11
visiting program established in accordance with the plan  12
required under division (B) of this section, including the  13
following:  14
       (a) A foster caregiver of a child in a planned permanent  15
living arrangement;  16
       (b) An adoptive parent of a newly adopted child of any  17
age;  18
H. B. No. 885  Page 2
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       (c) A new family, friend, and neighbor care provider;  19
       (d) A pregnant or postpartum inmate who maintains parental  20
rights.  21
       (2) "Family, friend, and neighbor care provider" means an  22
individual who is caring for a child other than the individual's  23
own child in a home setting and who is not licensed as a  24
caregiver, including a kinship caregiver, as defined in section  25
5180.50 of the Revised Code, or a child care provider.  26
       (3) "Home visiting program" means an evidence-based home  27
visiting model that is proven to improve child health and to be  28
cost effective, as measured by the "Home Visiting Evidence of  29
Effectiveness (HomVEE)" review established by the United States  30
department of health and human services.  31
       (4) "Planned permanent living arrangement" has the same  32
meaning as in section 2151.011 of the Revised Code.  33
       (B)(1) Not later than one hundred days after the effective  34
date of this section, the children and youth advisory council  35
established under section 5180.04 of the Revised Code shall  36
develop a plan to implement a universal home visiting program  37
for eligible families. The council shall submit the plan to the  38
director of children and youth, and the director shall publish  39
the plan on the department of children and youth's internet web  40
site and, in accordance with section 101.68 of the Revised Code,  41
submit the plan to the general assembly.  42
       (2) The plan may include the following:  43
       (a) Expansion of existing programs that offer home  44
visiting, including the help me grow program established under  45
section 5180.21 of the Revised Code, or the establishment of a  46
new program to offer universal home visiting;  47
H. B. No. 885  Page 3
As Introduced
       (b) Proposed applications for federal and private grant  48
funding;  49
       (c) Recommendations regarding pay for success and social  50
impact bond programs;  51
       (d) Any other programs or actions the council identifies  52
that would result in the efficient expansion of home visiting  53
service offerings, including seeking opportunities to expand  54
home visiting to foster caregivers of children in planned  55
permanent living arrangements, new adoptive families, and new  56
family, friend, and neighbor care providers;  57
       (e) Establishment or expansion of home visiting programs  58
for pregnant and postpartum inmates who have maintained parental  59
rights.  60
       (3) The plan shall do the following:  61
       (a) Target expansion of home visiting by at least twenty  62
per cent annually over a five-year period;  63
       (b) Specify actions the department of children and youth  64
may take in accordance with the plan that do not require  65
legislative action;  66
       (c) For actions that require legislative action, specify  67
what actions are needed, including appropriation requests.  68
       (C) Not later than sixty days after the council submits  69
the plan, the department of children and youth shall begin to  70
implement the actions identified under division (B)(3)(b) of  71
this section.  72
       (D) Not later than one year after the effective date of  73
this section, the department of children and youth shall develop  74
and execute an outreach plan to notify new family, friend, and  75
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As Introduced
neighbor care providers of their eligibility for home visiting  76
programs.  77
       (E) Not later than one hundred twenty days after the  78
effective date of this section, the director of children and  79
youth, the director of job and family services, and the director  80
of health shall adopt rules to establish processes for automatic  81
enrollment of eligible families in the universal home visiting  82
program through the central intake and referral system operated  83
by the department of children and youth under section 5180.22 of  84
the Revised Code.  85
       (1) The processes shall include enrollment through the  86
following mechanisms:  87
       (a) A checkbox or similar mechanism on forms related to  88
filing a birth certificate where a parent may consent to enroll  89
in a home visiting program;  90
       (b) A checkbox or similar mechanism on forms related to  91
foster care or adoption where an eligible foster caregiver of a  92
child in a planned permanent living arrangement or new adoptive  93
parent may consent to enroll in a home visiting program;  94
       (c) A checkbox or similar mechanism on forms related to  95
postpartum care and annual pediatric and gynecological exams  96
where an expectant parent, parent, guardian, or custodian may  97
consent to enroll in a home visiting program;  98
       (d) A checkbox or similar mechanism on any integrated  99
application for public assistance benefits and services provided  100
by the state where an expectant parent, parent, guardian, or  101
custodian may consent to enroll in a home visiting program.  102
       (2) After an individual consents to enroll in the  103
universal home visiting program, the department of children and  104
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As Introduced
youth shall ensure that consent is entered into the central  105
intake and referral system, shall cross-reference information to  106
the extent possible to determine the individual's eligibility,  107
and shall contact the individual to discuss any additional  108
information needed and, if eligible, how to complete enrollment.  109
       Section 2. This act shall be known as the Family Home  110
Visits Act.  111