The Senate Appropriations Committee heard HB 1605 on juvenile law matters sponsored by Sen. Brown and Sen. Koch. Author Rep. McGuire introduced the bill, which in summary:
- Prohibits an affirmative or implied waiver of procedural deadlines in child in need of services (CHINS) and termination of parental rights (TPR) proceedings, but does not ban or alter use of continuances for good cause;
- Provides that a child’s placement in CHINS proceedings is entitled to attend, in its entirety, any hearing conducted as part of a CHINS or TPR proceeding;
- Requires the court to allow a foster parent, long term foster parent, or unlicensed kinship caregiver to intervene in a CHINS proceeding if the court makes specific findings;
- Provides limitations to reunification efforts set forth in dispositional decrees;
- Requires the court to hold an initial hearing on a TPR petition not later than 30 days after the TPR petition is filed; and
- Allows intervenors in a CHINS matter to file a TPR petition.
The bill passed 10-3.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/house/1605