HB0372S05 (Substitute)
Child Welfare Changes
Introduction
Jan 26
House Rules
House Committee
Feb 11
House Floor Vote
Feb 23
Senate Rules
Mar 4
Senate Committee
Mar 3
Senate 2nd Reading
Mar 4
Senate 3rd Reading
Mar 4
Governor Signed
Mar 18
This bill addresses guardians ad litem and consideration of a minor's best interest.
This bill:
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
This bill makes several changes to how Utah's guardian ad litem (GAL) program — the court-appointed attorney system that represents children's best interests in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases — is structured, supervised, and held accountable. It creates a new, formally structured Guardian ad Litem Oversight Committee with a specific membership that includes a juvenile court judge, attorneys who have represented both parents and the state, mental health providers, foster care advocates, and people with lived experience in the child welfare system, both as parents and as children. The committee is required to meet quarterly, review a random sample of GAL cases each year, evaluate whether the Office of Guardian ad Litem is complying with its legal obligations, and report annually to the Judicial Council and the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel. The bill also requires that at every court hearing, the attorney GAL must tell the court whether the child expressed a desire to be present and when the attorney last spoke with the child. It adds a requirement that courts justify each GAL appointment in writing within seven days, and it establishes that all best-interest determinations must be made within the context of existing principles around family preservation and parental rights. Separately, the bill limits how much information can be redacted from fatality review reports shared with legislative oversight bodies, specifying that only the names of referents and surnames and addresses of uninvolved individuals may be withheld.
Current version: HB0372S05 (Substitute)
Introduction
Jan 26
House Rules
House Committee
Feb 11
House Floor Vote
Feb 23
Senate Rules
Mar 4
Senate Committee
Mar 3
Senate 2nd Reading
Mar 4
Senate 3rd Reading
Mar 4
Governor Signed
Mar 18
IntroductionJan 26
House Rules
House CommitteeFeb 11
House Floor VoteFeb 23
Senate RulesMar 4
Senate CommitteeMar 3
Senate 2nd ReadingMar 4
Senate 3rd ReadingMar 4
Governor SignedMar 18
This bill addresses guardians ad litem and consideration of a minor's best interest.
This bill:
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
This bill makes several changes to how Utah's guardian ad litem (GAL) program — the court-appointed attorney system that represents children's best interests in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases — is structured, supervised, and held accountable. It creates a new, formally structured Guardian ad Litem Oversight Committee with a specific membership that includes a juvenile court judge, attorneys who have represented both parents and the state, mental health providers, foster care advocates, and people with lived experience in the child welfare system, both as parents and as children. The committee is required to meet quarterly, review a random sample of GAL cases each year, evaluate whether the Office of Guardian ad Litem is complying with its legal obligations, and report annually to the Judicial Council and the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel. The bill also requires that at every court hearing, the attorney GAL must tell the court whether the child expressed a desire to be present and when the attorney last spoke with the child. It adds a requirement that courts justify each GAL appointment in writing within seven days, and it establishes that all best-interest determinations must be made within the context of existing principles around family preservation and parental rights. Separately, the bill limits how much information can be redacted from fatality review reports shared with legislative oversight bodies, specifying that only the names of referents and surnames and addresses of uninvolved individuals may be withheld.
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Governor Signed
Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
House/ to Governor
Executive Branch - Governor
House/ received enrolled bill from Printing
Clerk of the House
House/ enrolled bill to Printing
Clerk of the House
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
Clerk of the House
Last updated Mar 26, 2026, 9:41 PM