SF 4480 Summary

• Strengthens "Active Efforts" Standard: Requires child-placing agencies and courts to make rigorous, ongoing efforts to preserve Indian families using tribal social and cultural values, with specific findings required before placing Indian children out-of-home or terminating parental rights.

• Expands Tribal Involvement and Rights: Ensures tribes are parties to proceedings without filing motions, grants tribes remote participation options, exempts them from filing fees and pro hac vice requirements, and requires early notification and meaningful consultation throughout cases.

• Increases Placement Preference Compliance: Mandates courts follow tribal placement preferences for Indian children and clarifies that bonding to foster families alone cannot override placement preference requirements.

• Extends Foster Care Timeline: Changes permanency hearing timeline from 12 to 15 months and adjusts trial home visit periods to allow more time for family reunification efforts.

• Adds Conforming Changes: Extends Indian Child Welfare Act and Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act compliance requirements to adoption, dependency, and voluntary treatment proceedings; creates new definitions for petitioner and tribal representative roles.