August 1, 2007, Introduced by Senators JANSEN, HARDIMAN, JACOBS, KAHN, BASHAM and BIRKHOLZ and referred to the Committee on Families and Human Services.
A bill to amend 1939 PA 288, entitled
"Probate code of 1939,"
by amending section 19a of chapter XIIA (MCL 712A.19a), as amended
by 2004 PA 473.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
CHAPTER XIIA
Sec. 19a. (1) Subject to subsection (2), if a child remains in
foster care and parental rights to the child have not been
terminated, the court shall conduct a permanency planning hearing
within 12 months after the child was removed from his or her home.
Subsequent permanency planning hearings shall be held no later than
every 12 months after each preceding permanency planning hearing
during the continuation of foster care. If proper notice for a
permanency planning hearing is provided, a permanency planning
hearing may be combined with a review hearing held under section
19(2) to (4) of this chapter, but no later than 12 months from the
removal of the child from his or her home, from the preceding
permanency planning hearing, or from the number of days required
under subsection (2). A permanency planning hearing shall not be
canceled or delayed beyond the number of months required by this
subsection or days as required under subsection (2), regardless of
whether there is a petition for termination of parental rights
pending.
(2) The court shall conduct a permanency planning hearing
within 30 days after there is a judicial determination that
reasonable efforts to reunite the child and family are not
required. Reasonable efforts to reunify the child and family must
be made in all cases except if any of the following apply:
(a) There is a judicial determination that the parent has
subjected the child to aggravated circumstances as provided in
section 18(1) and (2) of the child protection law, 1975 PA 238, MCL
722.638.
(b) The parent has been convicted of 1 or more of the
following:
(i) Murder of another child of the parent.
(ii) Voluntary manslaughter of another child of the parent.
(iii) Aiding or abetting in the murder of another child of the
parent or voluntary manslaughter of another child of the parent,
the attempted murder of the child or another child of the parent,
or the conspiracy or solicitation to commit the murder of the child
or another child of the parent.
(iv) A felony assault that results in serious bodily injury to
the child or another child of the parent.
(c) The parent has had rights to the child's siblings
involuntarily terminated.
(3) A permanency planning hearing shall be conducted to review
the status of the child and the progress being made toward the
child's return home or to show why the child should not be placed
in the permanent custody of the court. At a permanency planning
hearing, the court shall consult with the child, in an age-
appropriate manner, regarding the child's permanency plan.
(4) Not less than 14 days before a permanency planning
hearing, written notice of the hearing and a statement of the
purposes of the hearing, including a notice that the hearing may
result in further proceedings to terminate parental rights, shall
be served upon all of the following:
(a) The agency. The agency shall advise the child of the
hearing if the child is 11 years of age or older.
(b) The foster parent or custodian of the child.
(c) If the parental rights to the child have not been
terminated, the child's parents.
(d) If the child has a guardian, the guardian for the child.
(e) If the child has a guardian ad litem, the guardian ad
litem for the child.
(f) If tribal affiliation has been determined, the elected
leader of the Indian tribe.
(g) The attorney for the child, the attorneys for each party,
and the prosecuting attorney if the prosecuting attorney has
appeared in the case.
(h) If the child is 11 years of age or older, the child.
(i) Other persons as the court may direct.
(5) If parental rights to the child have not been terminated
and the court determines at a permanency planning hearing that the
return of the child to his or her parent would not cause a
substantial risk of harm to the child's life, physical health, or
mental well-being, the court shall order the child returned to his
or her parent. In determining whether the return of the child would
cause a substantial risk of harm to the child, the court shall view
the failure of the parent to substantially comply with the terms
and conditions of the case service plan prepared under section 18f
of this chapter as evidence that return of the child to his or her
parent would cause a substantial risk of harm to the child's life,
physical health, or mental well-being. In addition to considering
conduct of the parent as evidence of substantial risk of harm, the
court shall consider any condition or circumstance of the child
that may be evidence that a return to the parent would cause a
substantial risk of harm to the child's life, physical health, or
mental well-being.
(6) If the court determines at a permanency planning hearing
that
the a child should not be returned to his or her parent,
the
court
shall may order the agency to initiate proceedings to
terminate
parental rights. to the child not later than 42 days
after
the permanency planning hearing, unless the court finds that
initiating
the termination of parental rights to the child is
clearly
not in the child's best interests. Except
as otherwise
provided in this subsection, if the child has been in foster care
under the responsibility of the state for 15 of the most recent 22
months, the court shall order the agency to initiate proceedings to
terminate parental rights. The court is not required to order the
agency to initiate proceedings to terminate parental rights if 1 or
more of the following apply:
(a) The child is being cared for by relatives.
(b) The case service plan documents a compelling reason for
determining that filing a petition to terminate parental rights
would not be in the best interest of the child. Compelling reasons
for not filing a petition to terminate parental rights include, but
are not limited to, all of the following:
(i) Adoption is not the appropriate permanency goal for the
child.
(ii) No grounds to file a petition to terminate parental rights
exist.
(iii) The child is an unaccompanied refugee minor as defined in
45 CFR 400.11.
(iv) There are international legal obligations or compelling
foreign policy reasons that preclude terminating parental rights.
(c) The state has not provided the child's family, consistent
with the time period in the state case service plan, with the
services the state considers necessary for the child's safe return
to his or her home, if reasonable efforts are required.
(7) If the agency demonstrates under subsection (6) that
initiating the termination of parental rights to the child is
clearly not in the child's best interests, or the court does not
order the agency to initiate termination of parental rights to the
child
under subsection (6), then the court
shall order either 1 or
more of the following alternative placement plans:
(a) If the court determines that other permanent placement is
not possible, the child's placement in foster care shall continue
for a limited period to be stated by the court.
(b) If the court determines that it is in the child's best
interests based upon compelling reasons, the child's placement in
foster care may continue on a long-term basis.
(c) If the court determines that it is in the child's best
interests, appoint a guardian for the child, which guardianship may
continue until the child is emancipated.
(8) A guardian appointed under subsection (7)(c) has all of
the powers and duties set forth under section 15 of the estates and
protected individuals code, 1998 PA 386, MCL 700.5215.
(9) The court shall review a guardianship for a child not
later than 365 days after the guardian is appointed and may review
a guardianship any time the court considers necessary.
(10) The court may order the department of human services or a
court employee or agent to conduct an investigation and file a
written report of the investigation for a review under subsection
(9).
(11) (8)
In making the determinations under
this section, the
court shall consider any written or oral information concerning the
child from the child's parent, guardian, custodian, foster parent,
child caring institution, relative with whom the child is placed,
or guardian ad litem in addition to any other evidence, including
the appropriateness of parenting time, offered at the hearing.
Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect
unless Senate Bill No. 671
of the 94th Legislature is enacted into law.