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House votes unanimously to require 5-day notice to DCFS when courts place children with non-abuse custody referrals
Summary
House Bill 2 24 will require juvenile courts to give the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) five days' notice before transferring custody to DCFS for reasons other than abuse or neglect, to allow case history and federal paperwork; the House passed the bill 71-0 and adopted court-requested amendments.
Representative Matt Throckmorton presented House Bill 2 24, which would require juvenile courts to provide five days' notice to the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) before placing certain children into DCFS custody for reasons other than abuse or neglect. Throckmorton said the notice period would give DCFS time to obtain case history and prepare the single federal form needed to secure matching funds; if DCFS fails to submit correct paperwork, federal matching could be lost.
Throckmorton told the House the amendment adopted on the floor had been requested by the courts and DCFS and that courts were prepared to hold custody for the additional five days as necessary. Representative Cox asked for clarification about typical grounds that lead to transfer for reasons other than abuse or neglect; Throckmorton described these as procedural or placement issues rather than abuse/neglect or delinquency and said he had no immediate examples to offer on the floor.
The bill was reported unanimously out of committee, the floor adopted an amendment under the sponsor's name, and members voted 71-0 in favor. The bill will be referred to the Senate for further consideration.
What happens next: HB2 24 goes to the Senate, where committee assignment and any further amendment or fiscal review will determine implementation.
