HB2029 Summary

• Amends Arkansas Code § 9-27-303(14) to clarify that "custodian" includes a person to whom a court has given custody, including a legal guardian, for purposes of determining right to counsel in dependency-neglect proceedings

• Grants all parents and custodians the right to counsel in all dependency-neglect proceedings under Arkansas Code § 9-27-316(h)(1)

• Requires courts to appoint counsel to parents or custodians from whom custody is being removed if they are indigent and request counsel

• Mandates that courts inform parents and custodians of their right to counsel and right to appointed counsel in the dependency-neglect petition, ex parte emergency order, or at their first court appearance

• Establishes that all parents have the right to appointed counsel in termination of parental rights hearings if they are indigent and request counsel