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S.B. 185

Signed into Law

Child Welfare Parental Representation Program Amendments

Rep. Rex P. Shipp
Rep. Rex P. ShippFloor Sponsor
View on le.utah.gov
S.B. 185Signed into Law

Child Welfare Parental Representation Program Amendments

Senate
House
Governor

What This Bill Does

This bill addresses the Child Welfare Parental Representation Program.

Key Provisions

This bill:

  • allows the Child Welfare Parental Representation Program to:
    • provide education and support for all parental representation attorneys;
    • support indigent parental defense services through grants; and
    • administer the existing Interdisciplinary Parental Representation Program;
  • removes the requirement for attorneys to be contracted; and
  • modifies the way the executive director shall prepare the budget.

Plain-Language Summary

AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.

Utah's Child Welfare Parental Representation Program — which provides legal representation to parents involved in child welfare cases — currently limits its training and support services to contracted attorneys only. This bill removes that restriction, allowing the program to provide education, training, and guidance to all parental representation attorneys regardless of whether they are under contract. It also formally authorizes the program to distribute grants for legal defense services for low-income parents through the Indigent Defense Commission, and to administer the existing Interdisciplinary Parental Representation Program. Additionally, the bill updates how the program's budget is prepared, requiring it to reflect actual amounts spent in the prior year rather than estimates.