HB450 Summary

• Defines "rights in trust" as constitutional rights of children that cannot be disrupted or postponed, held in trust by custodians until children reach age of majority.

• Changes family court custody proceedings to require (rather than permit) appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent the child's interests, with fees assessed as costs of the action.

• Lowers the threshold for child protective custody by adding "has been harmed" and "may suffer probable harm" to the existing "imminent harm" standard for police officers taking children into protective custody without court order.

• Expands the grounds for Department of Human Services to assume temporary foster custody and conduct investigations under the Child Protective Act to include children who "have been harmed" or "may suffer probable harm," not just those facing imminent harm.

• Defines "probable harm" as reasonable cause to believe harm to a child is more likely than not to occur without intervention.