We were a little off last week in describing the status of essentially identical bills in the House and Senate that would make it faster to terminate parental rights and get children adopted and out of foster care.
We correctly reported that House Bill 750 went down on an 11-10 vote in the House Courts of Justice Committee on Jan. 21. But on Thursday, Del. Kenneth R. Melvin, D-Portsmouth, asked his colleagues to reconsider the bill and it is now back on the committee’s docket.
Under House rules, Melvin’s request was granted because he voted against the bill. He said originally that he was concerned that the action would put the legislature on a slippery slope toward the repeal of routine de novo review of district court rulings.
But he said he had come to believe the issue deserves further consideration.
We reported incorrectly that the civil subcommittee of Senate Courts of Justice had referred Senate Bill 394 to the full committee. We confused the committee’s action with its endorsement of another bill. It’s still before the subcommittee.
Showing posts with label Parental rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parental rights. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
House, Senate split on termination of parental rights
Faster termination of parental rights is seen as a way to get children out of foster care and adopted more quickly.
The proposal in House Bill 750 and Senate Bill 394 is for terminations to be appealed directly from juvenile and domestic relations district courts to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Parents now have a right to a de novo appeal in circuit court.
HB 750 went down Monday in House Courts of Justice on an 11-10 vote. The stated concerns were that the proposal seemed to be a piecemeal move toward a family court and the start of a slippery slope toward the abolition of de novo appeals.
There were no such concerns in civil subcommittee of Senate Courts of Justice yesterday. SB 394 passed on a 7-0 vote with little discussion and is now before the full committee.
The bills are part of the “For Keeps” foster care initiative led by First Lady Anne Holton, a former juvenile and domestic relations district judge in Richmond.
The proposal in House Bill 750 and Senate Bill 394 is for terminations to be appealed directly from juvenile and domestic relations district courts to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Parents now have a right to a de novo appeal in circuit court.
HB 750 went down Monday in House Courts of Justice on an 11-10 vote. The stated concerns were that the proposal seemed to be a piecemeal move toward a family court and the start of a slippery slope toward the abolition of de novo appeals.
There were no such concerns in civil subcommittee of Senate Courts of Justice yesterday. SB 394 passed on a 7-0 vote with little discussion and is now before the full committee.
The bills are part of the “For Keeps” foster care initiative led by First Lady Anne Holton, a former juvenile and domestic relations district judge in Richmond.
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