SB-1442, As Passed Senate, November 4, 2004                                 

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                              SUBSTITUTE FOR                                    

                                                                                

                           SENATE BILL NO. 1442                                 

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 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 2000 PA 46.                                                      

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1                              CHAPTER XIIA                                     

                                                                                

2       Sec. 19a.  (1) Subject to subsection (2), if a child remains                

                                                                                

3   in foster care and parental rights to the child have not been               

                                                                                

4   terminated, the court shall conduct a permanency planning hearing           

                                                                                

5   within  1 year after an original petition has been filed  12                

                                                                                

6   months after the child was removed from his or her home Except           

                                                                                

7   as otherwise provided in section 19(4) of this chapter, the court           

                                                                                

8   shall hold a review hearing not more than 91 days after the                 

                                                                                

9   original permanency planning hearing and every 91 days after that           

                                                                                

10  so long as the child is subject to the jurisdiction, control, or            

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   supervision of the court, or of the Michigan children's institute           

                                                                                

2   or other agency.  A  Subsequent permanency planning hearings                

                                                                                

3   shall be held no later than every 12 months after each preceding            

                                                                                

4   permanency planning hearing during the continuation of foster               

                                                                                

5   care.  If proper notice for a permanency planning hearing is                

                                                                                

6   provided, a permanency planning hearing may be combined with a              

                                                                                

7   review hearing held under section  19(3) of this chapter  19(2)             

                                                                                

8   to (4) of this chapter, but no later than 12 months from the                

                                                                                

9   removal of the child from his or her home, from the preceding               

                                                                                

10  permanency planning hearing, or from the number of days required            

                                                                                

11  under subsection (2)A permanency planning hearing shall not be           

                                                                                

12  canceled or delayed beyond the number of months required by this            

                                                                                

13  subsection or days as required under subsection (2), regardless             

                                                                                

14  of whether there is a petition for termination of parental rights           

                                                                                

15  pending.                                                                    

                                                                                

16      (2) The court shall conduct a permanency planning hearing                   

                                                                                

17  within  28  30 days after  a petition is adjudicated and the                

                                                                                

18  parent is found to have abused the child or a sibling of the                

                                                                                

19  child and the abuse included 1 or more of the following  there is           

                                                                                

20  a judicial determination that reasonable efforts to reunite the             

                                                                                

21  child and family are not required.  Reasonable efforts to reunify           

                                                                                

22  the child and family must be made in all cases except if any of             

                                                                                

23  the following apply:                                                        

                                                                                

24      (a)  Abandonment of a young child  There is a judicial                      

                                                                                

25  determination that the parent has subjected the child to                    

                                                                                

26  aggravated circumstances as provided in section 8(1) and (2) of             

                                                                                

27  the child protection law, 1975 PA 238, MCL 722.638.                         


                                                                                

1       (b)  Criminal sexual conduct involving penetration, attempted               

                                                                                

2   penetration, or assault with intent to penetrate  The parent has            

                                                                                

3   been convicted of 1 or more of the following:                               

                                                                                

4                                                                                (i) Murder of another child of the parent.                                          

                                                                                

5       (ii) Voluntary manslaughter of another child of the parent.                  

                                                                                

6       (iii) Aiding or abetting in the murder of another child of                   

                                                                                

7   the parent or voluntary manslaughter of another child of the                

                                                                                

8   parent, the attempted murder of the child or another child of the           

                                                                                

9   parent, or the conspiracy or solicitation to commit the murder of           

                                                                                

10  the child or another child of the parent.                                   

                                                                                

11      (iv) A felony assault that results in serious impairment of a                

                                                                                

12  body function to the child or another child of the parent.                  

                                                                                

13      (c)  Battering, torture, or other severe physical abuse  The                

                                                                                

14  parent has had rights to the child's siblings involuntarily                 

                                                                                

15  terminated.                                                                 

                                                                                

16      (d) Loss or serious impairment of an organ or limb.                         

                                                                                

17      (e) Life threatening injury.                                                

                                                                                

18      (f) Murder or attempted murder.                                             

                                                                                

19      (g) Voluntary manslaughter.                                                 

                                                                                

20      (h) Aiding, abetting, attempting, conspiring, or soliciting                 

                                                                                

21  the commission of murder or voluntary manslaughter.                         

                                                                                

22      (3) If a child remains in foster care and parental rights to                

                                                                                

23  the child have not been terminated, the court shall conduct a               

                                                                                

24  permanency planning hearing within 1 year after an initial                  

                                                                                

25  hearing under subsection (1) or (2), and within 1 year after each           

                                                                                

26  subsequent hearing.                                                         

                                                                                

27      (3)  (4)  A permanency planning hearing shall be conducted to               


                                                                                

1   review the status of the child and the progress being made toward           

                                                                                

2   the child's return home or to show why the child should not be              

                                                                                

3   placed in the permanent custody of the court.                               

                                                                                

4       (4)  (5)  Not less than 14 days before a permanency planning                

                                                                                

5   hearing, written notice of the hearing and a statement of the               

                                                                                

6   purposes of the hearing, including a notice that the hearing may            

                                                                                

7   result in further proceedings to terminate parental rights, shall           

                                                                                

8   be served upon all of the following:                                        

                                                                                

9       (a) The agency.  The agency shall advise the child of the                   

                                                                                

10  hearing if the child is 11 years of age or older.                           

                                                                                

11      (b) The foster parent or custodian of the child.                            

                                                                                

12      (c) If the parental rights to the child have not been                       

                                                                                

13  terminated, the child's parents.                                            

                                                                                

14      (d) If the child has a guardian, the guardian for the child.                

                                                                                

15      (e) If the child has a guardian ad litem, the guardian ad                   

                                                                                

16  litem for the child.                                                        

                                                                                

17      (f) If tribal affiliation has been determined, the elected                  

                                                                                

18  leader of the Indian tribe.                                                 

                                                                                

19      (g) The attorney for the child, the attorneys for each party,               

                                                                                

20  and the prosecuting attorney if the prosecuting attorney has                

                                                                                

21  appeared in the case.                                                       

                                                                                

22      (h) If the child is 11 years of age or older, the child.                    

                                                                                

23      (i) Other persons as the court may direct.                                  

                                                                                

24      (5)  (6)  If parental rights to the child have not been                     

                                                                                

25  terminated and the court determines at a permanency planning                

                                                                                

26  hearing that the return of the child to his or her parent would             

                                                                                

27  not cause a substantial risk of harm to the child's life,                   


                                                                                

1   physical health, or mental well-being, the court shall order the            

                                                                                

2   child returned to his or her parent.  In determining whether the            

                                                                                

3   return of the child would cause a substantial risk of harm to the           

                                                                                

4   child, the court shall view the failure of the parent to                    

                                                                                

5   substantially comply with the terms and conditions of the case              

                                                                                

6   service plan prepared under section 18f of this chapter as                  

                                                                                

7   evidence that return of the child to his or her parent would                

                                                                                

8   cause a substantial risk of harm to the child's life, physical              

                                                                                

9   health, or mental well-being.  In addition to considering conduct           

                                                                                

10  of the parent as evidence of substantial risk of harm, the court            

                                                                                

11  shall consider any condition or circumstance of the child that              

                                                                                

12  may be evidence that a return to the parent would cause a                   

                                                                                

13  substantial risk of harm to the child's life, physical health, or           

                                                                                

14  mental well-being.                                                          

                                                                                

15      (6)  (7)  If the court determines at a permanency planning                  

                                                                                

16  hearing that the child should not be returned to his or her                 

                                                                                

17  parent, the court shall order the agency to initiate proceedings            

                                                                                

18  to terminate parental rights to the child not later than 42 days            

                                                                                

19  after the permanency planning hearing, unless the court finds               

                                                                                

20  that initiating the termination of parental rights to the child             

                                                                                

21  is clearly not in the child's best interests.                               

                                                                                

22      (7)  (8)  If the agency demonstrates under subsection  (7)                  

                                                                                

23  (6) that initiating the termination of parental rights to the               

                                                                                

24  child is clearly not in the child's best interests, then the                

                                                                                

25  court shall order either of the following alternative placement             

                                                                                

26  plans:                                                                      

                                                                                

27      (a) If the court determines that other permanent placement is               


                                                                                

1   not possible, the child's placement in foster care shall continue           

                                                                                

2   for a limited period to be stated by the court.                             

                                                                                

3       (b) If the court determines that it is in the child's best                  

                                                                                

4   interests based upon compelling interests, the child's placement            

                                                                                

5   in foster care  shall  may continue on a long-term basis.                   

                                                                                

6       (8)  (9)  In making the determinations under this section,                  

                                                                                

7   the court shall consider any written or oral information                    

                                                                                

8   concerning the child from the child's parent, guardian,                     

                                                                                

9   custodian, foster parent, child caring institution, relative with           

                                                                                

10  whom the child is placed, or guardian ad litem in addition to any           

                                                                                

11  other evidence, including the appropriateness of parenting time,            

                                                                                

12  offered at the hearing.