Legislator calls for DHS Director to step down

A key legislator says it’s time for the head of Iowa’s Department of Human Services to go. The D-H-S and its director, Jesse Rasmussen, have been under fire for failing to remove Shelby Duis from an abusive home, and for hiring high-priced consultants.Representative Dan Boddicker, who is chairman of the House Resources Committee, says too many questions have been raised by the Duis case.Boddicker says Rasmussen hasn’t offered an “adequate response”. He says Rasmussen’s use of resources has shown bad judgement.Senator Johnie Hammond of Ames, the top democrat on the committee that drafts the D-H-S budget, defends Rasmussen’s work. Hammond says it’s a time to reassess how things can be done better.Hammond says Rasmussen has done excellent job in many areas, for example, Hammond says welfare rolls are down 48 percent.Hammond and Boddicker made their comments during taping of the Iowa Public Television program, “Iowa Press.”