House Bill 18-1156 Summary

• Prohibits secure confinement in juvenile detention facilities for truancy alone, citing research showing detained truant youth are 14.5 times less likely to graduate and detention increases future criminal behavior.

• Defines "child who is habitually truant" as a child aged 6-17 with four unexcused absences in one month or ten unexcused absences in an academic year, with suspensions and expulsions counted as excused absences.

• Limits detention sanctions for contempt of court violations to 48 hours maximum (reduced from five days) and requires courts to find detention is in the child's best interest before imposing it.

• Requires courts to provide all procedural protections for contempt proceedings and establishes a rebuttable presumption that children receive credit for time served when detained for violating school attendance orders.

• Excludes truancy and habitual truancy from the definition of "delinquent act" in juvenile code, preventing truancy cases from being treated as criminal conduct.