AB566: Bill Text

LRB-3303/1

PJK&EHS:sac:jm

2013 - 2014 LEGISLATURE

2013 Assembly BILL 566

December 12, 2013 - Introduced by Law Revision Committee. Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

AB566,2,9 An Act to repeal 48.675 and 69.15 (3m) (a) 4.; and to amend 20.437 (2) (r), 48.20 (8) (b), 48.203 (7), 48.21 (3) (b), 48.213 (2) (c), 48.213 (2) (d), 48.245 (3), 48.245 (8), 48.255 (4), 48.27 (3) (a) 1., 48.27 (3) (c), 48.29 (1), 48.293 (2), 48.293 (3), 48.297 (6), 48.299 (1) (a), 48.30 (2), 48.31 (2), 48.315 (1) (b), 48.32 (1) (a), 48.32 (2) (c), 48.355 (2) (b) 1m., 48.355 (2) (d), 48.357 (1) (am) 1., 48.357 (1) (am) 2. b., 48.357 (1) (am) 2. c., 48.357 (2m) (a), 48.357 (2m) (b), 48.363 (1) (a), 48.363 (1) (b), 48.365 (1m), 48.365 (2), 48.396 (1b), 48.396 (1d), 48.396 (2) (aj), 48.396 (2) (ap), 48.396 (5) (b), 48.46 (1), 48.685 (5) (br) 3m., 48.78 (2) (aj), 48.78 (2) (ap), 48.981 (3) (c) 1. a., 49.155 (1m) (a) 4., 49.155 (1m) (a) 5., 49.854 (5) (f), 69.15 (3) (b) 3., 69.15 (3m) (a) 3., 69.15 (3m) (b), 767.805 (3) (b), 767.813 (5) (a) 4. and 767.865 (1) (a) of the statutes; relating to: minors acknowledging paternity; service of the summons and petition in a paternity action when the respondent is deceased; the form for a paternity action summons; releasing a frozen bank account of a support obligor; determining eligibility for Wisconsin Shares; notices to, and the exercise of rights by, a guardian ad litem in an unborn child in need of protection or services proceeding; requiring a diligent investigation by an agency that receives a report of child abuse or neglect if the agency cannot identify an individual who is suspected of the abuse or neglect; eliminating a voluntary foster care education program; the prohibition against a person who has committed armed robbery from showing that he or she has been rehabilitated for purposes of being licensed, certified, or contracted with to provide child care (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Children and Families).

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill makes the following changes to the laws related to children:

1. Under current law, a court may order child support, legal custody, and periods of physical placement on the basis of a statement acknowledging paternity that is signed by both parents and filed with the state registrar. Since January 1, 2007, a minor has been prohibited from signing a statement acknowledging paternity. Current law, however, still contains references to minors signing statements acknowledging paternity, such as requiring a court to appoint a guardian ad litem for a minor party who signed a statement acknowledging paternity in an action based on the statement and authorizing the state registrar to insert the father's name on a child's birth certificate on the basis of a statement acknowledging paternity that is signed by a minor parent as long as the minor parent's parent or legal guardian signs, too. The bill harmonizes the prohibition against a minor parent signing a statement acknowledging paternity with 1) the statutes related to requirements for when the state registrar may change facts on birth certificates, 2) the statute related to requirements for rescinding a statement acknowledging paternity that has been filed with the state registrar, and 3) the statute that requires the court to appoint a guardian ad litem for a minor who signs a statement acknowledging paternity.

2. Under current law, a personal representative for a deceased respondent in a paternity action may appear for the respondent whenever an appearance is required. If the deceased respondent does not have a personal representative, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem, and the guardian ad litem may appear for the deceased respondent. Current law requires that the summons and petition in the paternity action be served on both the personal representative and the guardian ad litem of a deceased respondent. The bill changes the "and" to an "or." Since the court appoints a guardian ad litem only if there is no personal representative, a deceased respondent in a paternity action would not have both a personal representative and a guardian ad litem. The bill also corrects an incorrect cross-reference to the provision relating to service of the summons and petition.

3. Under current law, the form for a summons in a paternity action provides notice that interfering with the custody of a child, which is a Class I felony, is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years. A Class I felony actually is punishable under current law by imprisonment for up to three years and six months. The bill corrects the maximum length of time for imprisonment for interfering with the custody of a child that is stated in the form for a paternity action summons.

4. Under current law, if a person who has been ordered by a court to pay child support (obligor) is delinquent in the payments, the amount of the delinquency becomes a lien in favor of the Department of Children and Families (DCF). To enforce the lien, DCF may levy against one or more accounts that the obligor has at a financial institution by sending a notice of levy to the financial institution instructing the financial institution to prohibit the closing of or withdrawals from the account, up to the amount that is sufficient to pay the amount of the delinquency plus any financial institution and levying fees. If the obligor requests a hearing and at the hearing the court orders an alternative payment arrangement or determines that the obligor does not owe the support, or owes less than the amount claimed by DCF, the court must, under current law, order DCF to return the seized funds or the excess of the seized funds over the delinquent amount. Since DCF does not actually seize the funds, the bill requires the court to order DCF to instruct the financial institution to release the account, or funds in the account that exceed the delinquent amount, to the obligor.

5. Under current law, except in Milwaukee County, DCF is required to contract with a county department, the Milwaukee County enrollment services unit (services unit), a Wisconsin Works (W-2) agency, a child care resource and referral agency, or another agency to determine the eligibility of individuals for child care subsidies under Wisconsin Shares in a particular geographic region or for a particular Indian tribal unit, and in Milwaukee County DCF may contract with the services unit to determine eligibility. Under former law, W-2 agencies determined eligibility.

The statutes currently provide that an individual may be eligible for Wisconsin Shares if the W-2 agency determines that basic education or a course of study at a technical college would facilitate the individual's efforts to maintain employment and the individual needs child care services to participate in basic education or the course of study. The bill changes this so that the entity that makes this determination is DCF or the entity with which DCF contracts to determine eligibility, which may be other than a W-2 agency.

6. Under current law, the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under the Children's Code (juvenile court) has exclusive original jurisdiction over an unborn child who is alleged to be in need of protection or services on the grounds that the unborn child's expectant mother habitually lacks self-control in the use of alcohol beverages, controlled substances, or controlled substance analogs, exhibited to a severe degree, to the extent that there is a substantial risk that the physical health of the unborn child will be seriously affected or endangered unless the expectant mother receives prompt and adequate treatment for that habitual lack of self-control (commonly referred to as a "UCHIPS proceeding"). In a UCHIPS proceeding, the unborn child, by or through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, is entitled to receive notice of all hearings involving the unborn child, including hearings involving the temporary physical custody and changes in placement of the expectant mother and revisions to or extensions of the dispositional order. The unborn child, by or through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, is also entitled to exercise certain rights as a party to the proceeding, such as the right to request a substitution of judge, to inspect records relevant to the proceeding, and to demand a public fact-finding hearing or a jury trial. In addition, an unborn child, by or through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, may request or authorize the disclosure of law enforcement, juvenile court, or social services records relating to the expectant mother of the unborn child.

The bill eliminates the provision of those notices to, and the exercise of those rights by, an unborn child, by or through the unborn child's guardian ad litem. Instead, the bill requires those notices to be provided to, and permits those rights to be exercised by, the unborn child's guardian ad litem.

7. Under current law, if a county department of human services or social services (county department), DCF in a county having a population of 500,000 or more, or a licensed child welfare agency under contract with a county department or DCF to perform child abuse and neglect investigations (collectively "agency"), after evaluating a report of suspected or threatened child abuse or neglect, cannot determine who abused or neglected the child, the agency must initiate a diligent investigation to determine if the child is in need of protection or services. The bill instead requires an agency to initiate such an investigation if the agency cannot identify an individual who is suspected of abuse or neglect or of threatened abuse or neglect of the child.

8. Current law requires DCF to promulgate rules establishing minimum requirements for the issuance of foster home licenses, including rules requiring all foster parents to successfully complete training in the care and support needs of children who have been placed in foster care. That training must be completed before the first child is placed with the foster parent and on an ongoing basis. Current law also requires DCF to develop a voluntary foster care education program to provide specialized training for foster parents who provide care for children with special treatment needs. The bill eliminates that voluntary foster care education program.

9. Current law prohibits a person who has been convicted or adjudicated delinquent on or after his or her 12th birthday for committing a serious crime, as defined under current law, from 1) being licensed to operate a child care center; 2) being certified as a child care provider for purposes of reimbursement under Wisconsin Shares; or 3) contracting with a school board to provide a child care program (collectively, child care provider). Current law similarly prohibits such a person from being an employee or contractor of a child care provider (caregiver) or from being permitted to reside at a premises where child care is provided (nonclient resident). There is an exception to these prohibitions if the person, caregiver, or nonclient resident shows that he or she has been rehabilitated, except that current law bars a person who has committed certain violent crimes, including armed robbery, from showing that he or she has been rehabilitated for purposes of being a child care provider, a caregiver, or a nonclient resident and bars a person who has committed certain property crimes, including armed robbery, from showing that he or she has been rehabilitated for purposes of being a child care provider, but not for purposes of being a caregiver or a nonclient resident.

The bill eliminates armed robbery as a property crime for which a person is barred from showing that he or she has been rehabilitated for purposes of being a child care provider, but not for purposes of being a caregiver or a nonclient resident. The bill, however, retains armed robbery as a violent crime for which a person is barred from showing that he or she has been rehabilitated for purposes of being a child care provider, a caregiver, or a nonclient resident.

For further information, see the Notes provided by the Law Revision Committee of the Joint Legislative Council.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB566,1 Section 1. 20.437 (2) (r) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,6,3 20.437 (2) (r) Support receipt and disbursement program; payments. From the support collections trust fund, except as provided in par. (qm), all moneys received under s. 49.854, except for moneys received under s. 49.854 (11) (b), all moneys received under ss. 767.57 and 767.75 for child or family support, maintenance, spousal support, health care expenses, or birth expenses, all other moneys received under judgments or orders in actions affecting the family, as defined in s. 767.001 (1), and all moneys received under s. 49.855 (4) from the department of revenue or the department of administration that were withheld by the department of revenue or the internal revenue service for delinquent child support, family support, or maintenance or outstanding court-ordered amounts for past support, medical expenses, or birth expenses, for disbursement to the persons for whom the payments are awarded, for returning seized funds under s. 49.854 (5) (f), and, if assigned under s. 48.57 (3m) (b) 2. or (3n) (b) 2., 48.645 (3), 49.145 (2) (s), 49.19 (4) (h) 1. b., or 49.775 (2) (bm), for transfer to the appropriation account under par. (k). Estimated disbursements under this paragraph shall not be included in the schedule under s. 20.005.

Note: Removes as a purpose of the support collections trust fund returning funds seized from a financial institution. This reflects that a financial institution freezes accounts at the request of the Department of Children and Families upon notice of levy but the department does not seize the funds until an opportunity for a hearing is afforded.

AB566,2 Section 2 . 48.20 (8) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,6,12 48.20 (8) (b) If the child is an expectant mother who has been taken into custody under s. 48.19 (1) (cm) or (d) 8., the unborn child, through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, shall receive the same notice about the whereabouts of the child expectant mother, about the reasons for holding the child expectant mother in custody, and about the detention hearing as the child expectant mother and her parent, guardian, legal custodian, or Indian custodian. The intake worker shall notify the child expectant mother, her parent, guardian, legal custodian, or Indian custodian, and the unborn child, by the unborn child's guardian ad litem.

AB566,3 Section 3. 48.203 (7) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,6,19 48.203 (7) If an adult expectant mother is held in custody, the intake worker shall notify the adult expectant mother and the unborn child, through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, of the reasons for holding the adult expectant mother in custody, the time and place of the detention hearing required under s. 48.213, the nature and possible consequences of that hearing, and the right to present and cross-examine witnesses at the hearing.

AB566,4 Section 4. 48.21 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,7,7 48.21 (3) (b) If present at the hearing, a copy of the petition or request shall be given to the parent, guardian, legal custodian, or Indian custodian, and to the child if he or she is 12 years of age or older, before the hearing begins. If the child is an expectant mother who has been taken into custody under s. 48.19 (1) (cm) or (d) 8., a copy of the petition shall also be given to the unborn child, through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, before the hearing begins. Prior notice of the hearing shall be given to the child's parent, guardian, legal custodian, and Indian custodian, to the child if he or she is 12 years of age or older and, if the child is an expectant mother who has been taken into custody under s. 48.19 (1) (cm) or (d) 8., to the unborn child, through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, under s. 48.20 (8).

AB566,5 Section 5. 48.213 (2) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,7,12 48.213 (2) (c) A copy of the petition shall be given to the adult expectant mother, and to the unborn child, through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, before the hearing begins. Prior notice of the hearing shall be given to the adult expectant mother and unborn child child's guardian ad litem in accordance with s. 48.203 (7).

AB566,6 Section 6. 48.213 (2) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,7,19 48.213 (2) (d) Prior to the commencement of the hearing, the adult expectant mother and the unborn child, through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, shall be informed by the court of the allegations that have been made or may be made, the nature and possible consequences of this hearing as compared to possible future hearings, the right to confront and cross-examine witnesses, and the right to present witnesses.

AB566,7 Section 7. 48.245 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,8,2 48.245 (3) The obligations imposed under an informal disposition and its effective date shall be set forth in writing. The child and a parent, guardian, and legal custodian,; the child expectant mother, her parent, guardian, and legal custodian, and the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem,; or the adult expectant mother and the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem, shall receive a copy, as shall any agency providing services under the agreement.

AB566,8 Section 8. 48.245 (8) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,8,10 48.245 (8) If the obligations imposed under the informal disposition are met, the intake worker shall so inform the child and a parent, guardian , and legal custodian,; the child expectant mother, her parent, guardian, and legal custodian, and the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem,; or the adult expectant mother and the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem, in writing, and no petition may be filed on the charges that brought about the informal disposition nor may the charges be the sole basis for a petition under ss. 48.13 to 48.14.

AB566,9 Section 9. 48.255 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,8,23 48.255 (4) A copy of a petition under sub. (1) shall be given to the child if the child is 12 years of age or over and to the parents a parent, guardian, legal custodian, and physical custodian. A copy of a petition under sub. (1m) shall be given to the child expectant mother, if 12 years of age or over, her parents parent, guardian, legal custodian, and physical custodian, and the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem or to the adult expectant mother, the unborn child through the unborn child's guardian ad litem, and the physical custodian of the expectant mother, if any. If the child is an Indian child who has been removed from the home of his or her parent or Indian custodian or the unborn child will be an Indian child when born, a copy of a petition under sub. (1) or (1m) shall also be given to the Indian child's Indian custodian and tribe or the Indian tribe with which the unborn child may be eligible for affiliation when born.

AB566,10 Section 10. 48.27 (3) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,9,15 48.27 (3) (a) 1. If the petition that was filed relates to facts concerning a situation under s. 48.13 or a situation under s. 48.133 involving an expectant mother who is a child, the court shall notify, under s. 48.273, the child, any parent, guardian, and legal custodian of the child, any foster parent or other physical custodian described in s. 48.62 (2) of the child, the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem, if applicable, and any person specified in par. (b), (d), or (e), if applicable, of all hearings involving the child except hearings on motions for which notice must be provided only to the child and his or her counsel and, if applicable, to the unborn child's guardian ad litem. If parents who are entitled to notice have the same place of residence, notice to one constitutes notice to the other. The first notice to any interested party, foster parent, or other physical custodian described in s. 48.62 (2) shall be in writing and may have a copy of the petition attached to it. Notices of subsequent hearings may be given by telephone at least 72 hours before the time of the hearing. The person giving telephone notice shall place in the case file a signed statement of the time notice was given and the person to whom he or she spoke.

AB566,11 Section 11. 48.27 (3) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,9,25 48.27 (3) (c) If the petition that was filed relates to facts concerning a situation under s. 48.133 involving an expectant mother who is an adult, the court shall notify, under s. 48.273, the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem, the expectant mother, the physical custodian of the expectant mother, if any, and any person specified in par. (d), if applicable, of all hearings involving the unborn child and expectant mother except hearings on motions for which notice need only be provided to the expectant mother and her counsel and the unborn child through the unborn child's guardian ad litem. The first notice to any interested party shall be written and may have a copy of the petition attached to it. Thereafter, notice of hearings may be given by telephone at least 72 hours before the time of the hearing. The person giving telephone notice shall place in the case file a signed statement of the time notice was given and the person to whom he or she spoke.

AB566,12 Section 12. 48.29 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,10,14 48.29 (1) The child, the child's parent, guardian or legal custodian, the expectant mother, or the unborn child by the unborn child's guardian ad litem, either before or during the plea hearing, may file a written request with the clerk of the court or other person acting as the clerk for a substitution of the judge assigned to the proceeding. Upon filing the written request, the filing party shall immediately mail or deliver a copy of the request to the judge named in the request. When any person has the right to request a substitution of judge, that person's counsel or guardian ad litem may file the request. Not more than one such written request may be filed in any one proceeding, nor may any single request name more than one judge. This section does not apply to proceedings under s. 48.21 or 48.213.

AB566,13 Section 13. 48.293 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB566,11,2 48.293 (2) All records relating to a child, or to an unborn child and the unborn child's expectant mother, which that are relevant to the subject matter of a proceeding under this chapter shall be open to inspection by a guardian ad litem or counsel for any party and to inspection by the court-appointed special advocate for the child, upon demand and upon presentation of releases when necessary, at least 48 hours before the proceeding. Persons and unborn children, by their guardians ad litem, entitled to inspect the records may obtain copies of the records with the permission of the custodian of the records or with permission of the court. The court may instruct counsel, a guardian ad litem, or a court-appointed special advocate not to disclose specified items in the materials to the child or the parent, or to the expectant mother, if the court reasonably believes that the disclosure would be harmful to the interests of the child or the unborn child.