Bill Text: MI SB0420 | 2017-2018 | 99th Legislature | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Children; protection; considerations for returning child to custody of parent; modify. Amends secs. 2 & 18 of 1975 PA 238 (MCL 722.622 & 722.638).

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-03-15 - Assigned Pa 0059'18 With Immediate Effect [SB0420 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2017-SB0420-Introduced.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE BILL No. 420

 

 

May 31, 2017, Introduced by Senator PAVLOV and referred to the Committee on Families, Seniors and Human Services.

 

 

     A bill to amend 1975 PA 238, entitled

 

"Child protection law,"

 

by amending sections 2 and 18 (MCL 722.622 and 722.638), section 2

 

as amended by 2016 PA 491 and section 18 as amended by 2010 PA 12.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Adult foster care location authorized to care for a

 

child" means an adult foster care family home or adult foster care

 

small group home as defined in section 3 of the adult foster care

 

facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL 400.703, in which a child

 

is placed in accordance with section 5 of 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.115.

 

     (b) "Attorney" means, if appointed to represent a child under

 

the provisions referenced in section 10, an attorney serving as the


child's legal advocate in the manner defined and described in

 

section 13a of chapter XIIA of the probate code of 1939, 1939 PA

 

288, MCL 712A.13a.

 

     (c) "Central registry" means the system maintained at the

 

department that is used to keep a record of all reports filed with

 

the department under this act in which relevant and accurate

 

evidence of child abuse or child neglect is found to exist.

 

     (d) "Central registry case" means a child protective services

 

case that the department classifies under sections 8 and 8d as

 

category I or category II. For a child protective services case

 

that was investigated before July 1, 1999, central registry case

 

means an allegation of child abuse or child neglect that the

 

department substantiated.

 

     (e) "Centralized intake" means the department's statewide

 

centralized processing center for reports of suspected child abuse

 

and child neglect.

 

     (f) "Child" means a person under 18 years of age.

 

     (g) "Child abuse" means harm or threatened harm to a child's

 

health or welfare that occurs through nonaccidental physical or

 

mental injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or maltreatment,

 

by a parent, a legal guardian, or any other person responsible for

 

the child's health or welfare or by a teacher, a teacher's aide, or

 

a member of the clergy.

 

     (h) "Child care organization" means that term as defined in

 

section 1 of 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.111.

 

     (i) "Child care provider" means an owner, operator, employee,

 

or volunteer of a child care organization or of an adult foster


care location authorized to care for a child.

 

     (j) "Child care regulatory agency" means the department of

 

licensing and regulatory affairs or a successor state department

 

that is responsible for the licensing or registration of child care

 

organizations or the licensing of adult foster care locations

 

authorized to care for a child.

 

     (k) "Child neglect" means harm or threatened harm to a child's

 

health or welfare by a parent, legal guardian, or any other person

 

responsible for the child's health or welfare that occurs through

 

either of the following:

 

     (i) Negligent treatment, including the failure to provide

 

adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care, though

 

financially able to do so or when offered financial or other

 

reasonable means to do so.

 

     (ii) Placing a child at an unreasonable risk to the child's

 

health or welfare by failure of the parent, legal guardian, or

 

other person responsible for the child's health or welfare to

 

intervene to eliminate that risk when that person is able to do so

 

and has, or should have, knowledge of the risk.

 

     (l) "Children's advocacy center" means an entity accredited as

 

a child advocacy center by the National Children's Alliance or its

 

successor agency or an entity granted associate or developing

 

membership status by the National Children's Alliance or its

 

successor agency.

 

     (m) "Citizen review panel" means a panel established as

 

required by section 5106a of the child abuse prevention and

 

treatment act, 42 USC 5106a.


     (n) "Member of the clergy" means a priest, minister, rabbi,

 

Christian science practitioner, or other religious practitioner, or

 

similar functionary of a church, temple, or recognized religious

 

body, denomination, or organization.

 

     (o) "Controlled substance" means that term as defined in

 

section 7104 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.7104.

 

     (p) "CPSI system" means the child protective service

 

information system, which is an internal data system maintained

 

within and by the department, and which is separate from the

 

central registry and not subject to section 7.

 

     (q) "Department" means the department of health and human

 

services.

 

     (r) "Director" means the director of the department.

 

     (s) "Expunge" means to physically remove or eliminate and

 

destroy a record or report.

 

     (t) "Lawyer-guardian ad litem" means an attorney appointed

 

under section 10 who has the powers and duties referenced by

 

section 10.

 

     (u) "Local office file" means the system used to keep a record

 

of a written report, document, or photograph filed with and

 

maintained by a county or a regionally based office of the

 

department.

 

     (v) "Nonparent adult" means a person who is 18 years of age or

 

older and who, regardless of the person's domicile, meets all of

 

the following criteria in relation to a child:

 

     (i) Has substantial and regular contact with the child.

 

     (ii) Has a close personal relationship with the child's parent


or with a person responsible for the child's health or welfare.

 

     (iii) Is not the child's parent or a person otherwise related

 

to the child by blood or affinity to the third degree.

 

     (w) "Online reporting system" means the electronic system

 

established by the department for individuals identified in section

 

3(1) to report suspected child abuse or child neglect.

 

     (x) "Person responsible for the child's health or welfare"

 

means a parent, legal guardian, person 18 years of age or older who

 

resides for any length of time in the same home in which the child

 

resides, or, except when used in section 7(2)(e) or 8(8), nonparent

 

adult; or an owner, operator, volunteer, or employee of 1 or more

 

of the following:

 

     (i) A licensed or registered child care organization.

 

     (ii) A licensed or unlicensed adult foster care family home or

 

adult foster care small group home as defined in section 3 of the

 

adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL 400.703.

 

     (iii) A court-operated facility as approved under section 14

 

of the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.14.

 

     (y) "Relevant evidence" means evidence having a tendency to

 

make the existence of a fact that is at issue more probable than it

 

would be without the evidence.

 

     (z) "Sexual abuse" means engaging in sexual contact or sexual

 

penetration as those terms are defined in section 520a of the

 

Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.520a, with a child.

 

     (aa) "Sexual exploitation" includes allowing, permitting, or

 

encouraging a child to engage in prostitution, or allowing,

 

permitting, encouraging, or engaging in the photographing, filming,


or depicting of a child engaged in a listed sexual act as defined

 

in section 145c of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL

 

750.145c.

 

     (bb) "Specified information" means information in a children's

 

protective services case record related specifically to the

 

department's actions in responding to a complaint of child abuse or

 

child neglect. Specified information does not include any of the

 

following:

 

     (i) Except as provided in this subparagraph regarding a

 

perpetrator of child abuse or child neglect, personal

 

identification information for any individual identified in a child

 

protective services record. The exclusion of personal

 

identification information as specified information prescribed by

 

this subparagraph does not include personal identification

 

information identifying an individual alleged to have perpetrated

 

child abuse or child neglect, which allegation has been classified

 

as a central registry case.

 

     (ii) Information in a police agency report or other law

 

enforcement agency report as provided in section 7(8).

 

     (iii) Any other information that is specifically designated as

 

confidential under other law.

 

     (iv) Any information not related to the department's actions

 

in responding to a report of child abuse or child neglect.

 

     (cc) "Structured decision-making tool" means the department

 

document labeled "DSS-4752 (P3) (3-95)" or a revision of that

 

document that better measures the risk of future harm to a child.

 

     (dd) "Substantiated" means a child protective services case


classified as a central registry case.

 

     (ee) "Unsubstantiated" means a child protective services case

 

the department classifies under sections 8 and 8d as category III,

 

category IV, or category V.

 

     Sec. 18. (1) The department shall submit a petition for

 

authorization by the court under section 2(b) of chapter XIIA of

 

1939 PA 288, MCL 712A.2, if 1 or more of the following apply:

 

     (a) The department determines that a parent, guardian, or

 

custodian, or a person who is 18 years of age or older and who

 

resides for any length of time in the child's home, has abused the

 

child or a sibling of the child and the abuse included 1 or more of

 

the following:

 

     (i) Abandonment of a young child.

 

     (ii) Criminal sexual conduct involving penetration, attempted

 

penetration, or assault with intent to penetrate.

 

     (iii) Battering, torture, or other severe physical abuse.

 

     (iv) Loss or serious impairment of an organ or limb.

 

     (v) Life threatening injury.

 

     (vi) Murder or attempted murder.

 

     (b) The department determines that there is risk of harm,

 

abuse, or neglect to the child and either of the following is true:

 

     (i) The parent's rights to another child were terminated as a

 

result of proceedings under section 2(b) of chapter XIIA of 1939 PA

 

288, MCL 712A.2, or a similar law of another state and the parent

 

has failed to rectify the conditions that led to the prior

 

termination of parental rights.

 

     (ii) The parent's rights to another child were voluntarily


terminated following the initiation of proceedings under section

 

2(b) of chapter XIIA of 1939 PA 288, MCL 712A.2, or a similar law

 

of another state, the parent has failed to rectify the conditions

 

that led to the prior termination of parental rights, and the

 

proceeding involved abuse that included 1 or more of the following:

 

     (A) Abandonment of a young child.

 

     (B) Criminal sexual conduct involving penetration, attempted

 

penetration, or assault with intent to penetrate.

 

     (C) Battering, torture, or other severe physical abuse.

 

     (D) Loss or serious impairment of an organ or limb.

 

     (E) Life-threatening injury.

 

     (F) Murder or attempted murder.

 

     (G) Voluntary manslaughter.

 

     (H) Aiding and abetting, attempting to commit, conspiring to

 

commit, or soliciting murder or voluntary manslaughter.

 

     (2) In a petition submitted as required by subsection (1), if

 

a parent is a suspected perpetrator or is suspected of placing the

 

child at an unreasonable risk of harm due to the parent's failure

 

to take reasonable steps to intervene to eliminate that risk, the

 

department shall include a request for termination of parental

 

rights at the initial dispositional hearing as authorized under

 

section 19b of chapter XIIA of 1939 PA 288, MCL 712A.19b.

 

     (3) If the department is considering petitioning for

 

termination of parental rights at the initial dispositional hearing

 

as authorized under section 19b of chapter XIIA of 1939 PA 288, MCL

 

712A.19b, even though the facts of the child's case do not require

 

departmental action under subsection (1), the department shall hold


a conference among the appropriate agency personnel to agree upon

 

the course of action. The department shall notify the attorney

 

representing the child of the time and place of the conference, and

 

the attorney may attend. If an agreement is not reached at this

 

conference, the department director or the director's designee

 

shall resolve the disagreement after consulting the attorneys

 

representing both the department and the child.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.

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