HB 2361 Summary

• Prohibits temporary removal of a child based solely on a parent's refusal to cooperate with a child safety investigation.

• Requires child safety workers to obtain supervisor approval before removing a child, except in emergencies where approval must occur within two hours of removal or by 8:30 a.m. the next business day.

• Establishes court authority to order alternatives to out-of-home care before the preliminary protective hearing, including voluntary agreements, temporary protective orders with specific conditions, or temporary placement with relatives.

• Requires preliminary assessment of relative caregivers including home visits, criminal background checks, sex offender registry searches, and corrections database searches when children are temporarily placed with relatives.

• Adds "child sex trafficking" and "trafficking of persons for forced labor or services" to exigent circumstances that allow temporary custody without a court order.