[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6669053,"mediaKeyId","2214875-9727f8f35a7d7827ef3da4900ec6d897","parentId",2214875,"title","Committee OKs changes to allow child witnesses to testify outside defendant's presence; age threshold raised to 18","audioSeconds",3526,"startMs",2461000,"endMs",5987000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2214875-9727f8f35a7d7827ef3da4900ec6d897&start=2461&end=5987","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2214875-9727f8f35a7d7827ef3da4900ec6d897/thumbnail_2461000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6669053/Wyoming/Committee-OKs-changes-to-allow-child-witnesses-to-testify-outside-defendants-presence-age-threshold-raised-to-18","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6669053-0ad40573ca76cafd43b1317246c86263/orig.mp4?Expires=1777420238&Signature=azwbcGp7ezSpDQ30tEACr~ugnjkJg3d~grp697aycCjVXyHxGiUorYiKbkVHcvwwNb2n1z~y2o9Ome25W4Mti1p1CkLWjUbtVgeYLBVo2xR3WlbcCcsXinnCN1PCKVpjJIVDiS1O8edqyiG5JgEOm75bspULUPcrpKSebWb9n9NtPCWzfnOuUavazGQzP5xnfyZsRUYE-KXXS425OtK67dBK6TSCCIuo9qLyrlMIeAoxFNsdrE-O-1TQMp1JdpbZK2vzImm2ZjNYrHEaWKE81~uiHatD1QMBskP8-lT257s54uIxQuuOndgLLvvVu5X6IIXhZxu7UB8FBg3m2zwVTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-02-03T21:15:02.173Z","article","The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to report Senate File 100 to the floor after adopting amendments that expand the bill's age coverage and clarify that courts may provide reasonable accommodations to child victims testifying in criminal cases.

Sponsor Senator Schueller told the committee the bill would let a child under the statute's age cutoff testify outside the presence of the defendant and jury in cases involving sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking and certain violent felonies if a court finds that in‑court testimony would cause more than de minimis emotional distress and that remote testimony is necessary to protect the child's welfare. “Before allowing this remote testimony, here's the key. The court has to hold a hearing, and they decide if testifying in the courtroom would cause the child to suffer more than de minimis emotional distress,” Schueller said.

The draft permits live closed-circuit television or other secure real-time technology, allows a support person to be present for the child, and lists other accommodations including sufficient breaks and, optionally, a certified therapeutic dog. Sponsors cited other states' models, including South Dakota, and court decisions addressing the Sixth Amendment's confrontation clause when explaining why the accommodation would pass constitutional scrutiny in appropriate cases.

Multiple witnesses representing law enforcement, child advocacy centers and direct victims supported the bill. Mike Thompson, chief of police in Evansville and chair of a DFS oversight council, said prosecutors often rely on victim testimony and that many cases depend on a child's ability to testify without being retraumatized. “Victims' testimony is absolutely critical,” Thompson said. Stacy Nelson, executive director of the Children's Advocacy Project in Natrona County, described the center's model in which trained forensic interviewers conduct a recorded, developmentally appropriate interview that prosecuting attorneys and investigators watch from another room.

Several witnesses urged expanding the protected age. Senator Kolb moved an amendment to change the age references from 16 to 18; witnesses and the sponsor supported that change and the committee adopted it. The committee also amended one section to instruct courts to “provide reasonable accommodations to the child, including but not limited to” a list of enumerated options, giving judges the ability to tailor protections.

Committee members debated the balance between protecting child victims and preserving defendants' confrontation rights; several members said they wanted to leave discretion with the courts. The committee rejected attempts to convert permissive \"may\" language into a mandatory \"shall\" in several places, keeping the statute permissive and dependent on a court finding in each case.

After public testimony, the committee recorded a roll-call vote on final passage: Senators Crago, Crum, Kolb and Chairman Olsen voted aye; one senator was recorded as excused. The clerk announced “4 ayes and 1 excused.” The committee reported the bill favorably and indicated it would proceed toward the next calendar steps.

The bill as amended lets courts use guarded, real-time remote testimony for child witnesses (amended to cover those under 18), requires a hearing and findings about emotional distress and necessity, and instructs courts to offer reasonable, case-specific accommodations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Judiciary Committee, February 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to report Senate File 100 to the floor after adopting amendments that expand age coverage and give courts authority to provide reasonable accommodations — including live closed‑circuit testimony — for child witnesses in certain criminal cases.","taxTitle","Judiciary Committee, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",61172,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6669058,"Wyoming panel advances bill adding relative guardianship as new ground for termination of parental rights",2405,37000,2442000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2214875-9727f8f35a7d7827ef3da4900ec6d897&start=37&end=2442","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2214875-9727f8f35a7d7827ef3da4900ec6d897/thumbnail_37000.jpg","/articles/6669058/Wyoming/Wyoming-panel-advances-bill-adding-relative-guardianship-as-new-ground-for-termination-of-parental-rights","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6669058-2fb10d05f77dfe4c67d6d49b195b177c/orig.mp4?Expires=1777420238&Signature=WxYpvkLHwNcl1RBV0q-2IxZpRxwA-OQQ~1RVvGqLRZxxGmADV7fQ~LjpNrfpcF9F008F-aGATd7xzRCwuro~r70JbMKwJF3hLi3wMP~B1nl7nZGkvL9hRv4K6ysdGtdqabgnsLVLzTquYkMGlDoUQ~DPMRnlAjuWe1HzkChKqDeXZa0pJ0WYIxi--v7wS2UwSfDPt4pUV~6WfCGk7JW5SEeZUSioyg7vfeLYJsYNXAa7aROzrWMpYkh0DDtAWHkfgMsggG4zTBEBNnt0-UoDMxoMJgzuZnb-QybcMCRg6pQ60H-G7kwpCCB~~uokFh9NW4YwGBsZY3XMjcZZXykW3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Olsen on the committee's voice vote advanced Senate File 22, a proposal to add the existence of a long-term guardianship with a relative as a tenth statutory ground for termination of parental rights in Wyoming.

The bill's sponsor, Senator Schueller, said the measure would allow courts to terminate parental rights where “the child has been appointed a guardian who is a relative of the child; the child has been under the guardian's care for more than 24 months; and the parent is unfit to have the custody and control of the child.” He told the committee that relatives are increasingly raising children and that permanency can reduce trauma for children who have been “bounced around.”

Supporters described cases in which grandparents and other relatives have provided stable homes for children while parents struggled with addiction or criminal involvement. Pat Hartley, testifying as a grandmother and guardian, described obtaining guardianship for her grandson at age 3 and finalizing adoption at age 7 after seven years of legal barriers. “We finally obtained legal guardianship when he was 3 years old. What we're not finally able to adopt until he was 7,” Hartley said, urging the committee to provide a clearer path to permanency.

A University of Wyoming law-clinic student, Carson Lougee, opposed the bill. Lougee said termination of parental rights (TPR) is the “civil death penalty” and warned the proposed ground could chill parents from using guardianship as a permanency tool. He argued that expanding guardianship law — rather than adding guardianship as a ground for TPR — would better protect children and relatives while avoiding costly litigation.

Committee members questioned the choice of a 24-month threshold and whether the statute should require consecutive months. Senator Cole and others asked if parents would ever have an opportunity to resume rights; committee members and the sponsor noted that under current law, termination is final. The sponsor accepted a friendly amendment to change the draft language from “more than 24 months” to “at least 24 consecutive months,” and the committee also amended draft language to use the phrase “a finding that the parent is unfit to have custody and control of the child.” Those amendments passed.

Corinne Schmidt, director of the Wyoming Department of Family Services, told the committee that TPR proceedings sit outside routine child-welfare services and that DFS typically steps out of a case once a guardianship is in place. She said the department was present “in case there were questions” but told members the statute for TPR is separate from DFS's child-welfare casework.

After public testimony and debate the committee recorded a roll-call vote on final passage: Senator Crago, Senator Crum, Senator Cole and Chairman Olsen voted aye; one senator was recorded as excused. The committee chairman announced “4 ayes, 1 excused.”

The bill sponsor and several members framed the proposal as a narrowly drawn additional tool aimed at achieving permanency for children living long term with relatives, while opponents urged the Legislature to prefer expanded guardianship remedies that avoid severing parental rights altogether.

Votes at a glance: Senate File 22 — motion to move bill carried; amendments to change the time standard to “at least 24 consecutive months” and to require “a finding that the parent is unfit” were adopted; final committee vote recorded as 4 ayes, 0 no, 1 excused. The bill was reported favorably by the committee.

A next-step scheduling or floor referral was not recorded in the transcript of this meeting.","The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senate File 22 after witnesses described grandparents and other relatives raising children for years; committee adopted amendments specifying \"at least 24 consecutive months\" and requiring a court finding of parental unfitness before termination.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee OKs changes to allow child witnesses to testify outside defendant's presence; age threshold raised to 18

Wyoming panel advances bill adding relative guardianship as new ground for termination of parental rights