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Senate amends guardian ad litem bill to preserve juvenile‑court discretion
Summary
Senate Bill 117 was amended to keep juvenile‑court discretion on awarding attorney fees while expanding a volunteer private‑attorney guardian ad litem program. The amendment passed on the floor and the bill was advanced to third reading.
Senators amended and advanced Senate Bill 117 on Feb. 16 after sponsor Senator Hilliard explained changes to the bill governing guardian ad litem practice.
Hilliard said the amendment preserves the existing juvenile‑court standard by retaining ‘may’ language for awarding attorney fees in juvenile proceedings while reinstating 'shall' in other areas where mandatory recovery of fees is intended. The bill otherwise authorizes training and use of private attorneys to expand the pool of guardian ad litem volunteers, with provisions that every fifth case would be pro bono and that private attorneys would receive training from the guardian ad litem office.
On the floor Hilliard emphasized the role guardian ad litems serve in representing children’s views to judges and described the bill’s training and pro bono structure. Senators approved the amendment by voice vote, and a subsequent roll call recorded the bill as having received 24 ayes and no nays with five absences, moving SB117 to the third‑reading calendar.
If enacted, the bill will change aspects of guardian ad litem administration and expand reliance on trained private attorneys subject to the bill’s safeguards.
