Conference committee reviews changes to HB 27 on permanency hearings, adds police-DCF reporting provision

Senate members meeting in conference on House Bill 27 on Oct. 27 discussed amendments that would change the timing of permanency hearings for children removed from their homes and add new requirements for how police reports reach DCF.

Jesse of the Revisor’s office summarized the bill and recent amendments, saying HB 27 as introduced would require a permanency hearing nine months after a child’s removal from the home and then "not less frequently than every nine months thereafter," replacing current law that sets the interval at 12 months. He said the House amended the bill to require subsequent hearings every six months if permanency is not achieved, and that the Senate committee made technical language cleanups in multiple sections. He also described a Senate floor amendment that would prevent a permanency hearing from being held until a child’s biological parent or an…