A pair of bills to reform the state’s procedures for child abuse and neglect cases have passed with near unanimous support in the state House.
One of the proposals, House Bill 37, is a product of two years of legislative work. It would require warrants for children to be removed from their homes, and that children in those removal cases are appointed their own attorneys. The bill would also change state law so that substance abuse and disorderly living conditions are not equated to physical or psychological harm.
The other bill, House Bill 16, would require that parents get a court hearing within 5 days of their child’s removal.
Both bills now move onto the Senate for consideration.