Senate Bill 518 Summary

• Amends child welfare laws to clarify definitions of "neglected juvenile," "relative," and "responsible individual," and expands consideration of human trafficking victims in abuse and neglect determinations.

• Requires court-ordered observation visits of at least one hour each, conducted seven days apart and within 30 days of hearings, before allowing unsupervised visitation or physical custody return to parents or caretakers.

• Increases the active list of emergency district court judges from 25 to 30 and directs the Chief Justice to assign them to judicial districts with backlogs in juvenile delinquency, abuse, neglect, and dependency cases.

• Appropriates $250,000 in recurring funds for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium to create seven regional abuse and medical specialists to provide guidance on high-risk child welfare cases involving medical issues.

• Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop an operational plan by September 1, 2022, for implementing a statewide child protective services hotline, including fiscal analysis, staffing recommendations, and feasibility assessment.