Gov. Eric Holcomb says his public health priorities in this 2019 agenda will focus on children and families.

The study committee considered a recommendation to require judges to give foster parents a hearing if they request a role in a child welfare case.

The Department of Child Services announced a campaign to encourage more Hoosiers to become foster and adoptive parents.

The Indiana Court of Appeals' rebuke in July cited a "disturbing trend" involving 10 cases the Department of Child Services handled between September 2017 and March 2018.

Of the 59 deaths, 24 were from abuse and 35 were neglect. Vehicles were involved in most of the deaths attributed to neglect. The most common cause of death from abuse was head trauma.

Lawmakers debated those proposed changes in a study committee Wednesday.

Indiana lawmakers aren't happy with some of the recommendations from an independent evaluation of the Department of Child Services.

Many of the recommendations from a recent independent evaluation of DCS were also in past reports that went unheeded.

The Holcomb administration hired an independent investigator to evaluate DCS after former director Mary Beth Bonaventura's resignation letter accused Holcomb of putting children's lives at risk.

Indiana lawmakers will consider a number of controversial issues in study committees this year - including hate crimes and the Department of Child Services.