Bills: HM9

Keywords: Mexico, New Mexico, cultural ties, economic partnership, advocacy day

Bills: HM9

Keywords: Mexico, New Mexico, cultural ties, economic partnership, advocacy day

Bills: HM9

Keywords: Mexico, New Mexico, cultural ties, economic partnership, advocacy day, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are Washington families' experience.
• I'm so sorry what your family suffered.
• The system of today is failing families.
• The system of today is failing families.
• Families are still navigating huge system gaps.

Bills: SB5979, SB6308, SB6319

Keywords: opioids, substance abuse, dependent children, child welfare, caregiver substance use, court orders, shelter care, judicial discretion, family law, early childhood, family services, diversion programs, court-ordered assessments, 904, all

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee held an evening hearing on January 28th and took testimony on several bills. Senate Bill 6249 would require all people convicted of stalking to be supervised by the Department of Corrections after release. Staff explained current sentencing and community custody rules, and Senator Torres said the bill is intended to increase accountability and survivor safety. Victims and advocates testified in support, describing stalking as dangerous and arguing that mandatory supervision would help prevent reoffending; one sponsor noted possible amendment language had been emailed to the committee. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6255, which renames and expands the Legislative Executive Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force into the Legislative Executive Economic Justice and Well-Being Task Force. Staff said the bill updates membership, duties, and reporting requirements tied to the 10-year plan to dismantle poverty, with a partial fiscal note showing a $4,000 OSPI cost. Senator Lovelett and agency and public witnesses supported the measure as a cleanup and coordination bill that strengthens poverty-reduction work and better incorporates lived experience and ethnic commissions. No vote was taken. Senate Bill 6286 would authorize the Department of Health to fine private detention facilities that deny entry for inspections, with escalating daily penalties and a new account to fund assistance for wrongfully detained people and others harmed by ICE agents. Senator Orwall and Senator Trudeau framed the bill as a human-rights and accountability measure, and testimony from a Tacoma councilmember and others supported stronger enforcement. The committee then heard Senate Bill 6224, which creates a Children and Youth Behavioral Health Leadership Council and formalizes implementation of the Washington Thriving strategic plan. The bill drew broad support from parents, providers, advocates, and state officials who emphasized early intervention, coordination, and system accountability, though a few witnesses raised concerns about psychiatric framing and urged amendments. The chair adjourned the meeting after testimony concluded; no votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• are living with their family.
• when families are in crisis.
• considers as a family to them?
• What we might call fictive kin, as if kin, people the family considers as a family to them.
• The family program.

Bills: SB5979, SB6308, SB6319

Keywords: opioids, substance abuse, dependent children, child welfare, caregiver substance use, court orders, shelter care, judicial discretion, family law, early childhood, family services, diversion programs, court-ordered assessments, 904, all

Summary: The committee focused on child welfare, with three bills and a work session on national and state child safety trends. Senator Torres briefly introduced SB 5979 on in-home dependencies and dependency filing standards, and committee staff explained it would direct DCYF to develop guidelines and training with courts and child welfare stakeholders, give greater weight to high-potency synthetic opioids and prior referrals, and require clearer petitions when removal is not sought. Senator Torres and several supporters said the bill is intended to prevent avoidable harm and improve coordinated, earlier intervention; DCYF said it already has a case-by-case process and raised concerns about duplicative work. Public testimony on SB 5979 was generally supportive, though some witnesses asked for amendments to protect access to justice and clarify the bill’s scope. The committee then heard a lengthy informational presentation from Casey Family Programs on Washington’s child welfare performance compared with national data. The presenters said Washington is doing as well as or better than the national average on several measures, including lower foster care entry rates, higher kinship care use, and lower re-entry rates, but noted continuing concerns about maltreatment recurrence, permanency timelines, and child fatalities, especially among infants. They emphasized the need for stronger safety planning, better data, more kinship and family-finding supports, and integrated services for substance use, behavioral health, and domestic violence. Senators raised concerns that fewer foster care entries may not be a success if child deaths are rising, and asked about housing and court decision-making. DCYF then provided an update on child welfare operations and critical incidents, describing intake pathways, shelter care and dependency timelines, and recent data showing 2025 as a record year for fatalities and near-fatalities, many involving fentanyl and children ages birth to three. DCYF said it has made practice changes, safe child consults, hotspot mapping, and other responses, and pointed to budget proposals for additional prevention supports. The committee also heard from providers and parents about prevention and post-reunification services, including home visiting, infant mental health, family preservation, and substance-exposed infant care. Maddie’s Place described its non-pharmacological model for substance-exposed newborns and said it is not fully Medicaid reimbursed. The committee then took testimony on SB 6319, which would allow some high-risk CPS cases involving children under four and high-potency opioids to remain open longer; supporters said it could improve engagement and follow-through, while opponents warned about constitutionality, surveillance without counsel, and the risk of leaving older children unprotected. Finally, the committee heard SB 6308, which would let courts order certain safety-related conditions at shelter care hearings when a child is returned home; DCYF supported it, while public defense raised due process and constitutional concerns about moving dispositional requirements earlier in the case.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to kids and families. to kids and families.
• Families can't afford it. So, expensive. Families can't afford it.
• </c> fix pain that our family has endured. fix pain that our family has endured.
• families across the state.
• families across the state.

Bills: HF2135, HF776, HF1581, HF1158, HF2226

Keywords: child welfare, fiscal analysis, third-party consultant, program evaluation, Minnesota, HF776, Minnesota Family Assets for Independence Initiative, family assets for independence, FAI, asset-building, matched savings, financial literacy, family savings, economic mobility, children youth and families, general fund appropriation, family support, low-income families, financial stability, budget bill

Transcript Highlights:

• Because of the family-based service, which can take three months, just for talking to the family, and
• or up in Dallas's Family Place.
• A finding of family violence.
• I am a family lawyer. I am an attorney and one of the members of the Texas Family Law Foundation.
• The Texas Family Code.

Bills: HCR10, HB1814, HB2160, HB2353, HB2643, HB2971, HB3282, HB3382, HB3996, HB4507, HB4509, HB4805, HB5551, HB1863, HCR10

Keywords: family abduction, child safety, custodial rights, parental kidnapping, awareness day, marriage license, informal marriage, family code, identity verification, child support, family law, child custody, court interview, parent-child relationship, child welfare, attorney ad litem, compensation, legal representation, government entity, HB 2643

Transcript Highlights:

• sponsored by Vice Chair Senator Johnson, about the recovery of fees, court costs, and expenses in family
• sponsored by Vice Chair Senator Johnson, About the recovery of fees, court costs, and expenses in family

Bills: HB40, HB1916, HB1973, HB2524, HB2530, HB3180, HB3421, HB3783, HB4170, HB4213

Keywords: business court, civil procedure, litigation, jurisdiction, arbitration, divorce, property division, family law, court jurisdiction, marital assets, parent-child relationship, birth certificate, identity proof, Family Code, court process, attorney fees, court costs, legal expenses, dispute resolution, child support

Summary: The committee considered several House bills dealing with family law and civil procedure. House Bill 1916, concerning a court’s jurisdiction in suits to divide property not divided on dissolution of marriage, was reported favorably on a 4-0 vote and recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. House Bill 1973, addressing proof of the identity of a child’s parents in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship, was also adopted with a committee substitute, reported favorably 4-0, and sent to the local and uncontested calendar. House Bill 2524, on recovery of fees, court costs, and expenses in family law proceedings, and House Bill 2530, on special appointments in suits affecting the parent-child relationship, each received favorable 4-0 votes and were likewise recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then took up House Bill 3180, which was reported favorably 4-0 and recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. The most detailed discussion centered on House Bill 40, relating to updates to business courts. Senator Hughes explained a committee amendment that made conforming changes requested by the Finance Committee and removed language creating two new judgeships, replacing it with a different judge allocation. The amendment was adopted, the amended committee substitute was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably on a 4-0 vote and sent to the local and uncontested calendar. At the end of the meeting, members briefly clarified procedural details about the House Bill 40 amendment and then closed out the agenda. The committee also noted a correction to an earlier reference to Bartleby the Scrivener, and the Chair recessed the Committee on Jurisprudence subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• The families, and they're the families that are not being supported, deserve financial security.
• I'm not a family law attorney.
• As the judge of the family court, I have responsibility for the majority of family law cases that are
• In my capacity as the judge of the family court, I handle... Family court of Hayes County, Texas.
• In my capacity as the judge of the family court, I handle essentially the majority of the family law

Bills: HB40, HB1916, HB1973, HB2524, HB2530, HB3180, HB3421, HB3783, HB4170, HB4213

Keywords: business court, civil procedure, litigation, jurisdiction, arbitration, divorce, property division, family law, court jurisdiction, marital assets, parent-child relationship, birth certificate, identity proof, Family Code, court process, attorney fees, court costs, legal expenses, dispute resolution, child support

Summary: The committee heard several House bills, most of them relating to family law and court procedure, and left each bill pending after testimony. House Bill 1916 would clarify that the court that issued a final divorce decree retains exclusive jurisdiction over later actions involving undivided property. House Bill 1973 would require a certified birth certificate, if reasonably available, to be filed with a SAPCR petition or allow alternative proof of parentage while keeping the information confidential. House Bill 2530 would add qualifications and procedural safeguards for appointing amicus attorneys in SAPCR cases, including notice and hearing requirements, minimum qualifications, conflict rules, and limits on what amicus attorneys may do. House Bill 2524 would make Family Code references to attorney’s fees consistent by using “reasonable and necessary” language. House Bill 3180 would correct a scrivener’s error in the civil discovery rules by changing “settlement” to “statement.” The committee also heard House Bill 4213, which would change the interest rate on overdue child support from the current 6 percent simple interest to a fixed 5 percent and require the Attorney General to report on the impact of the change. Testimony was sharply divided: supporters argued lower interest could improve collections and help low-income obligors catch up, citing research and the size of child-support arrearages; opponents said lowering the rate would reduce incentives to pay and harm custodial parents and children. The Attorney General’s office raised implementation concerns about a House version that would have created a variable rate, while the committee substitute was described as restoring a simple fixed rate. After testimony, the bill was left pending. The committee also discussed House Bill 40, updating business court provisions and supplemental jurisdiction; House Bill 3421, streamlining probate procedures for original wills and copies; and House Bill 417, clarifying venue for lawsuits involving private transfer fees on real property. Each drew limited testimony and was left pending. Finally, House Bill 3783 drew extensive testimony on court-ordered counseling and reunification therapy in family cases. The sponsor and supporters said the bill would protect children and abuse victims from coercive, unregulated reunification practices, while opponents argued it was too broad, could interfere with legitimate therapy and judicial discretion, and might affect military families and other high-conflict cases. The committee heard testimony from judges, therapists, parents, survivors, and advocates, but took no final action and left the bill pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• sponsored by Vice Chair Senator Johnson, about the recovery of fees, court costs, and expenses in family

Bills: HB40, HB40, HB1916, HB1973, HB2524, HB2530, HB3180, HB3421, HB3783, HB4170, HB4213

Keywords: law enforcement, sheriffs, constables, contracts, county authority, business court, civil procedure, litigation, jurisdiction, arbitration, divorce, property division, family law, court jurisdiction, marital assets, parent-child relationship, birth certificate, identity proof, Family Code, court process

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not a family law attorney.
• As the judge of the Family Court, I have responsibility for the majority of family law cases that are
• In my capacity as the judge of the family court, I handle the majority of the family law cases in the
• In my capacity as the judge of the family court, I handle essentially the majority of the family law
• Families in high-conflict cases.

Bills: HB40, HB1916, HB1973, HB2524, HB2530, HB3180, HB3421, HB3783, HB4170, HB4213, HB40

Keywords: business court, civil procedure, litigation, jurisdiction, arbitration, divorce, property division, family law, court jurisdiction, marital assets, parent-child relationship, birth certificate, identity proof, Family Code, court process, attorney fees, court costs, legal expenses, dispute resolution, child support

Bills: SB 629, SB 1015, SB 2501, SB 2933

Keywords: child support, interest accrual, family law, delinquency, financial judgment

Transcript Highlights:

• It affects our families, it affects our children.
• One of these is Text to Family Code Chapter 32.003.
• However, I'm not so clear on what expenses are under the Family Code.
• In the Family Code, is it possible to be...?
• As the chair noted, I am with the Texas Family Law Foundation.

Bills: HB368, HB3311, HB1734, HB2495, HB2716, HB793, HB3376, HB2524, HB3421, HB3446, HB3181

Keywords: electronic devices, family violence, criminal prosecution, protective orders, tracking, harassment, family allowance, decedent's estate, surviving spouse, minor children, inheritance, child support, maintenance, HB 1734, Family Code, Section 155.207, suit affecting the parent-child relationship, SAPCR, continuing exclusive jurisdiction, jurisdiction transfer

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here with the Texas Family Law Foundation.
• So some of them are like, you can have, oh, like a family.
• I was board certified in family law in 2001. And I'm here on behalf of the Family Law Foundation.
• Texas families in need; this would really prioritize them over the banks.
• I'm not a probate attorney, nor am I a family law attorney.

Bills: HB368, HB3311, HB1734, HB2495, HB2716, HB793, HB3376, HB2524, HB3421, HB3446, HB3181

Keywords: electronic devices, family violence, criminal prosecution, protective orders, tracking, harassment, family allowance, decedent's estate, surviving spouse, minor children, inheritance, child support, maintenance, HB 1734, Family Code, Section 155.207, suit affecting the parent-child relationship, SAPCR, continuing exclusive jurisdiction, jurisdiction transfer

Transcript Highlights:

• We're talking about families living in deep poverty, families for whom every dollar counts.
• The EITC can help a family avoid poverty in small, meaningful ways and put a family on a path toward
• When I think about a family facing hunger, a family facing hunger is also, almost in every case, facing
• Black and Latino families in Greater Boston hold a fraction of the wealth of white families.
• Poverty rates rose 0.7 percentage points in just one year, and families hit the hardest are the families

Bills: H5085, H5286

Keywords: poverty alleviation, family support, economic mobility, youth transition, financial education, matched savings, community programs, Department of Children and Families, DCF, child abuse investigation, child neglect, pediatrician, advanced practice registered nurse, medical misdiagnosis, rickets, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, vitamin D deficiency, bone fragility, child welfare

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities held a hybrid hearing on miscellaneous bills, including H. 5286, which would require DCF to consult a medical professional when a parent presents evidence of a pre-existing diagnosis that could explain symptoms mistaken for abuse or neglect. Representative Brian Mario said the bill would give DCF another tool in difficult cases. Jennifer Fernandes testified about her family’s experience with her grandson being removed after doctors initially suspected a skull fracture that later proved unfounded, saying the bill could help prevent similar outcomes. Committee members expressed sympathy and indicated interest in further discussion. The committee then heard extensive testimony on H. 5085/S. 3095, the omnibus “An Act Significantly Alleviating Poverty.” Supporters described the bill as a comprehensive anti-poverty package built from the Poverty Commission’s work, combining higher cash assistance grants, matched savings, baby bonds, a guaranteed stipend for youth aging out of foster care, expanded tax credits, language access, clean slate record sealing, and worker protections. Senator Eldridge, Senator Miranda, Representative Decker, and many advocates argued that poverty is tied to housing instability, child welfare involvement, health harms, and racial and gender inequities, and that the bill would help families meet basic needs, build wealth, and reduce the benefits cliff. Witnesses from social service, legal aid, labor, immigrant advocacy, and public health groups strongly supported the bill’s provisions. Several focused on specific sections: child support pass-through and a broader good-cause exception for TAFDC recipients; extending the state EITC to ITIN filers; creating baby bonds and matched savings programs; automating criminal record sealing; improving language access at state agencies; and ending the subminimum wage for farm workers. Former foster youth and service providers said the guaranteed stipend would help young adults avoid homelessness and transition more safely into adulthood. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chairs repeatedly noted the limited time and encouraged written testimony and follow-up conversations.

Transcript Highlights:

• medical leave bill, and I did see that the Main Street Alliance really supports paid family medical
• </c> Alliance really supports paid family Alliance really supports paid family medical<00:00:48.079><
• </c><00:01:06.119><c> medical</c> and said with the paid family medical and said with the paid family
• I am a business owner, and I support this paid family medical leave.
• </c> don't let them to be away for family don't let them to be away for family bonding<00:37:27.280><

Bills: HF11

Keywords: Minnesota Paid Leave, paid family and medical leave, family leave, medical leave, implementation delay, premium collection, employer premiums, state payroll tax, workforce, labor, benefits administration, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, employer notice, seasonal employees, private plans, actuarial study, outreach and education, employee rights, reinstatement

Transcript Highlights:

• I am not here to tell you that we don't care about families. We absolutely do.
• Some of the contracts have paid family and medical leave, but not the teachers.
• We want you to begin a family and raise them here in Minnesota.
• We want you to begin a family and raise them here in Minnesota.
• We want you to begin a family and raise them here in Minnesota.

Bills: HF11

Keywords: Minnesota Paid Leave, paid family and medical leave, family leave, medical leave, implementation delay, premium collection, employer premiums, state payroll tax, workforce, labor, benefits administration, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, employer notice, seasonal employees, private plans, actuarial study, outreach and education, employee rights, reinstatement

Transcript Highlights:

• that subcommittee, who's an attorney and... ...that subcommittee, who's an attorney and works with family
• They did this right now after hanging up the phone with another advocate, and his family was going to

Bills: HB340

Keywords: child protection, due process, family preservation, child custody, human resources, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Children raised in intact families experience a lower poverty rate—9% poverty in single-parent families
• We need strong families.
• My entire family, entire maternal family has been kept from migrating and my children.
• And the family courts get tied up with high conflict custody cases, where parents who don't get along
• It creates chaos in the family system. It creates chaos in the family.

Bills: HB168, HB 1044, HB1534, HB1914, HB2240, HB2530, HB3284, HB3395, HB3515, HB3783, HB4034, HB4213, HB168

Keywords: marriage age, minors, family law, void marriage, rights of minors, Texas marriage law, marriage ceremony, authorized officiants, family code, judges, religious leaders, parent-child relationship, Department of Family and Protective Services, legal rights, notice requirements, HB 1914, Texas Family Code, Chapter 156, conservatorship, custody

Transcript Highlights:

• The Committee on Family and Fiduciary Relationship will come to order. Clerk, call the roll. Hayes.
• The family being coerced as well. Yeah, okay, all right. I think I got it.
• She was treated cruelly by her spouse and the family she married into.
• Older adults into families where power imbalances, rape, and sexual violence are ignored.
• Because Chapter 31 of the Family Code says that you should have been appointed an ad litem.

Bills: HB168, HB 1044, HB1534, HB1914, HB2240, HB2530, HB3284, HB3395, HB3515, HB3783, HB4034, HB4213, HB168

Keywords: marriage age, minors, family law, void marriage, rights of minors, Texas marriage law, marriage ceremony, authorized officiants, family code, judges, religious leaders, parent-child relationship, Department of Family and Protective Services, legal rights, notice requirements, HB 1914, Texas Family Code, Chapter 156, conservatorship, custody