TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS/LGAL DUTIES S.B. 1005: FLOOR SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 1005 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Senator Judy K. Emmons
Committee: Families, Seniors and Human Services

CONTENT
The bill would amend the juvenile code to do the following:

-- Allow the family court to terminate a parent's parental rights to a child if the parent were required to register under the Sex Offenders Registration Act (SORA).
-- Include sexual abuse of a child, a sibling, or another child in the types of abuse for which the family court may terminate a parent's parental rights.
-- Include training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development in the powers and duties of a lawyer-guardian ad litem (LGAL).
MCL 712A.17d & 712A.19b Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter

FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would incorporate new Federal guidelines into statute, as required by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Reauthorization Act of 2010. In order to continue to qualify for approximately $800,000 in Federal funding for child abuse and neglect prevention activities, the State must comply with these guidelines.


Some of the guidelines are not expected to result in any fiscal impact. Under CAPTA, the State is required to incorporate specific terminology referring to "sexual abuse" in statute. The State currently uses similar, but not identical, phrasing in statute. Additionally, the State must include permissive language allowing a court to terminate parental rights if a parent is on the Sex Offender Registry.


Requiring lawyer-guardian ad litems to participate in early childhood development training could result in an indeterminate fiscal impact. Compensation of LGALs varies across local jurisdictions, but local units could incur small costs to ensure that appointed LGALs had adequate child development training as the bill would require.


Date Completed: 3-8-12 Fiscal Analyst: Frances Carley Dan O'Connor

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1005/1112