A bill for an act relating to child abuse based on use of a controlled substance by a pregnant woman.

HF 2604 amends Iowa law to define a pregnant woman's use of controlled substances (as defined in §124.101) as child abuse when she is responsible for a child's care. This bill expands the definition of "child" to include unborn children from fertilization to birth and requires mandatory reporters (like healthcare workers) to report such substance use to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as child abuse. Upon receiving such a report, HHS must conduct a child abuse assessment to determine if the report is valid, offer support to the pregnant woman, and take actions to protect the child's health. The bill directly affects pregnant women using controlled substances while caring for a child and changes how substance use during pregnancy is handled under child abuse reporting laws.