Senate approves foster‑care change after foster mother’s account of a child’s hospital stays

The Utah Senate on March 9 approved second substitute House Bill 170, a measure intended to make it harder to remove long‑term foster children from stable homes and to require written explanations for removal decisions.

Sen. Jenkins, the bill sponsor, introduced foster parent Desiree Hennessy to the chamber and said the legislation responds to a recent local situation in which a foster child experienced multiple hospitalizations and subsequent placement moves after a change in the child’s DCFS caseworker. Jenkins said the bill would require an explanation be written when a foster child is removed from a home and, for children who have lived in a foster placement more than two years, allow removal only by the juvenile court judge assigned to the case.

“Her name is Desiree Hennessy. She’s a foster mom in the foster parent system right now,” Jenkins said when identifying the witness for the Senate. Jenkins described the child’s case and said the bill aims to prevent unnecessary disruption and to ensure removals are judicially reviewed when a child has been placed for a long period.

Sen. Jenkins said the bill includes a deterrent against efforts to circumvent the protections by encouraging others to remove licenses or otherwise evade the statutory process. Senators noted the bill had been opposed in earlier drafts by DCFS but that changes negotiated in the second substitute had produced broad support.

Sen. Maine, who spoke in favor during floor debate, explained the bill distinguishes “simple kidnapping” cases from more serious offenses that would remain on the sex‑offender registry; Maine said splitting the categories would reduce barriers to employment for people convicted of lesser offenses while preserving registry entries for aggravated cases.

After a motion to suspend the rules and consider the bill for final passage, the Senate recorded the final vote: second substitute House Bill 170 passed, with the clerk recording 24 yea votes, 0 nay and 5 absent. The bill was signed by the President in open session and will be returned to the House for the speaker’s signature.

The Senate debate emphasized procedural protections for long‑term foster placements and the bill’s written‑explanation requirement; the next steps are transmission to the House for enrollment and signature as described by the presiding officer.