ENR. H. B. NO. 2536 - Summary

• Parents or legal custodians may execute a power of attorney to delegate care and custody powers to another person (attorney-in-fact) for up to one year, excluding powers to consent to marriage, adoption, abortion, or termination of parental rights.

• The attorney-in-fact must exercise parental authority on a continuous basis for at least 24 hours without compensation and is not subject to child care facility licensing requirements.

• Parents may revoke or withdraw the power of attorney at any time, and new powers of attorney must be executed annually if the delegation extends beyond one year.

• A statutory form for the power of attorney is provided, requiring execution and notarial acknowledgement by both the parent/custodian and the attorney-in-fact.

• The bill exempts delegated care from child abandonment/neglect definitions and excludes such arrangements from foster care licensing requirements; it applies emergency provisions for immediate implementation.