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House passes substitute child-welfare revisions after extended debate and changes to effective date
Summary
After hours of debate and several amendments, the Utah House passed First Substitute House Bill 266 — a package of child-welfare revisions — on a 43–29 vote, including a delayed effective date to July 1, 2005, and changes sponsors said clarify abuse and neglect definitions.
The Utah House passed First Substitute House Bill 266, a sweeping set of child-welfare revisions, late in floor action after lengthy debate and several amendments. The chamber approved the bill 43–29 and sent it to the Senate for further consideration.
Supporters, led by sponsor Representative W. Harper, said the substitute redefines and clarifies terms such as “abuse” and “neglect,” narrows the types of cases that trigger automatic interventions, and restores a presumption favoring parental rights in some proceedings. "This bill changes the presumption that parents are guilty," Harper said in summation, urging colleagues to back what he described as measures that would reduce frivolous cases and better focus resources on serious threats…
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