HB-4820, As Passed Senate, February 23, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL No. 4820

 

April 21, 2009, Introduced by Rep. Byrnes and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A bill to amend 1975 PA 238, entitled

 

"Child protection law,"

 

by amending section 18 (MCL 722.638), as amended by 1998 PA 428.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     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 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.

 

     (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 . 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

 

family independence agency 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 180 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless House Bill No. 4535 of the 95th Legislature is enacted into

 

law.