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Senate passes bill tightening foster-care timelines and expanding foster-parent rights to intervene in court
Summary
Senators passed House Bill 16-05 to speed permanency for children in foster care and expand standing for long-term caregivers; the vote was 45–3. Sponsors said the bill reduces delays that keep children in temporary placements; some senators expressed concern about the aggressive timeline but supported testing the change.
The Indiana Senate approved House Bill 16-05 by a 45–3 vote after floor debate that lasted through the session’s later hours. The measure revises juvenile dependency and termination timelines, makes it easier for long-term foster caretakers to participate in court proceedings, and seeks to shorten the time children spend moving through the system in search of permanency.
“Currently, we rank ninth worst in the country for adoptions out of foster care, taking four years or longer sometimes,” sponsor Senator Brown said when he introduced the bill, describing the purpose as improving permanency timelines for children in the Department of Child Services (DCS) system. Brown said the bill does not remove parental rights from parents who are working toward reunification but limits repeated continuations and clarifies standing for foster caregivers.
Supporters — including foster parents who testified to senators and colleagues who said they had reviewed testimony and met with stakeholders — framed the measure as focused on the best interests of children. “The system is very difficult. And the hard part about that is there’s kids involved in the process,” Senator Johnson, a foster parent, said in floor remarks in support.
Several senators expressed concerns about the bill’s timeline and urged vigilance after passage. Senator Cordura said she supported the measure while noting she had lingering concerns about the aggressiveness of the timeline and that DCS had taken a neutral position during committee testimony; she asked for an emergency appeal process for DCS if the standard extensions proved insufficient. The DCS director, she said, committed to returning to the Legislature quickly if the implementation raised problems.
On the floor, the measure’s supporters said it strikes a balance: protecting opportunities for reunification while preventing children from languishing without a stable family. The bill passed 45 ayes to 3 nos and will proceed to the next stage of the legislative process.
Key clarifications discussed on the floor included the bill’s two 90‑day continuations and that foster parents who have cared for a child more than one year would have clearer access to hearings and court input. Senators said the bill was not intended to cut off legitimate reunification efforts and that the Department of Child Services and legislators would monitor the law’s effect and amend if necessary.
