AR HB2058

Adds Arkansas Code § 9-13-111 allowing grandparents or great-grandparents to petition courts for custody of children whose parents have deserted or abandoned them without providing identification

Restricts grandparent custody petitions to cases where the child has not been placed in Department of Human Services custody and the department has not received a desertion or abandonment report before the petition is filed

Prohibits courts from denying custody petitions solely based on the department's later receipt of a desertion/abandonment report or subsequent child placement with the department after the petition is filed

Eliminates the requirement that a grandparent's home be approved as a regular or provisional foster home before a custody petition can be granted

Authorizes courts to order criminal records checks through the Arkansas Crime Information Center, including sex offender registry checks and child maltreatment checks, with the petitioner responsible for all associated costs