House committee hears bill to create working group on child and parent legal representation

A House committee on Feb. 27 heard testimony on H.193, a bill to create a Child and Parent Legal Representation Working Group to design an interdisciplinary system for representing children, parents, custodians and guardians involved in Vermont child protection (CHINS) proceedings. The bill sets membership, a timeline for work and a one‑time appropriation to cover per diem payments and reimbursements.

The bill, introduced to the House Human Services Committee, would require the group to propose an administrative structure and recommended compensation levels for attorneys and social service personnel, identify federal funding (including Title IV‑E) that could support the system, and produce performance standards and training requirements. It directs the chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court to call the first meeting on or before Aug. 1, requires a report by Dec. 15 to the House Human Services Committee (and the Senate counterpart), and terminates the working group on Jan. 15 of the following year.

Why it matters: supporters said the change could produce better legal representation, reduce time children spend in foster care, and unlock federal Title IV‑E matching funds that Vermont is currently not capturing. Opponents and several committee members pressed the bill’s sponsors and witnesses on membership (notably whether legislators should serve), the modest appropriation for member per diems, and whether the statutory language should require the working group to “consider” versus…