2017 -- H 5215

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO DOMESTIC RELATIONS - ADOPTION OF CHILDREN

     

     Introduced By: Representatives O'Brien, Solomon, McKiernan, Marshall, and Fogarty

     Date Introduced: January 26, 2017

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 15-7-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 15-7 entitled "Adoption of

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Children" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     15-7-7. Termination of parental rights.

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     (a) The court shall, upon a petition duly filed by a governmental child placement agency

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or licensed child placement agency, or by the birthmother or guardian of a child born under

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circumstances referenced in subsection (a)(2)(viii) of this section, after notice to the parent and a

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hearing on the petition, terminate any and all legal rights of the parent to the child, including the

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right to notice of any subsequent adoption proceedings involving the child, if the court finds as a

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fact by clear and convincing evidence that:

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     (1) The parent has willfully neglected to provide proper care and maintenance for the

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child for a period of at least one year where financially able to do so. In determining whether the

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parent has willfully neglected to provide proper care and maintenance for the child, the court may

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disregard contributions to support which are of an infrequent and insubstantial nature; or

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     (2) The parent is unfit by reason of conduct or conditions seriously detrimental to the

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child; such as, but not limited to, the following:

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     (i) Institutionalization of the parent, including imprisonment, for a duration as to render it

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improbable for the parent to care for the child for an extended period of time;

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     (ii) Conduct toward any child of a cruel or abusive nature;

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     (iii) The child has been placed in the legal custody or care of the department for children,

 

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youth, and families and the parent has a chronic substance abuse problem and the parent's

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prognosis indicates that the child will not be able to return to the custody of the parent within a

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reasonable period of time, considering the child's age and the need for a permanent home. The

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fact that a parent has been unable to provide care for a child for a period of twelve (12) months

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due to substance abuse shall constitute prima facie evidence of a chronic substance abuse

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problem;

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     (iv) The child has been placed with the department for children, youth, and families and

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the court has previously involuntarily terminated parental rights to another child of the parent and

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the parent continues to lack the ability or willingness to respond to services which would

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rehabilitate the parent and provided further that the court finds it is improbable that an additional

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period of services would result in reunification within a reasonable period of time considering the

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child's age and the need for a permanent home;

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     (v) The parent has subjected the child to aggravated circumstances, which circumstances

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shall be abandonment, torture, chronic abuse and sexual abuse;

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     (vi) The parent has committed murder or voluntary manslaughter on another of his or her

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children or has committed a felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury on that child or

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another of his or her children or has aided or abetted, attempted, conspired or solicited to commit

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such a murder or voluntary manslaughter; or

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     (vii) The parent has exhibited behavior or conduct that is seriously detrimental to the

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child, for a duration as to render it improbable for the parent to care for the child for an extended

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period of time; or

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     (viii) The parent has been convicted of sexual assault upon the birthmother and

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parenthood is a result of that sexual assault, which shall be established by proving that the child

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was conceived as a result of a conviction for any offense described in §§11-37-2, 11-37-6 or 11-

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37-8.1. Conception as a result of sexual assault may be proved by DNA tests and upon conviction

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of the putative father, and after a fact finding hearing establishing paternity, said father's parental

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rights shall be terminated by order of the court. Termination of the parental rights of the father

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shall include the loss of all parental rights without limitation, including the adoption of said child.

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The father shall also have no right to any visitation with the minor child and shall have no right to

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any inheritance from a child conceived as a result of sexual assault as specified.

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     (3) The child has been placed in the legal custody or care of the department for children,

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youth, and families for at least twelve (12) months, and the parents were offered or received

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services to correct the situation which led to the child being placed; provided, that there is not a

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substantial probability that the child will be able to return safely to the parents' care within a

 

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reasonable period of time considering the child's age and the need for a permanent home; or

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     (4) The parent has abandoned or deserted the child. A lack of communication or contact

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with the child for at least a six (6) month period shall constitute prima facie evidence of

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abandonment or desertion. In the event that parents of an infant have had no contact or

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communication with the infant for a period of six (6) months the department shall file a petition

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pursuant to this section and the family court shall conduct expedited hearings on the petition.

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     (b) (1) In the event that the petition is filed pursuant to subdivisions (a)(1), (a)(2)(i),

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(a)(2)(iii), or (a)(2)(vii) of this section, the court shall find as a fact that, prior to the granting of

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the petition, such parental conduct or conditions must have occurred or existed notwithstanding

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the reasonable efforts which shall be made by the agency prior to the filing of the petition to

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encourage and strengthen the parental relationship so that the child can safely return to the family.

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In the event that a petition is filed pursuant to subdivisions (a)(2)(ii), (a)(2)(iv), (a)(2)(v),

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(a)(2)(vi) or (a)(4) of this section, the department has no obligation to engage in reasonable

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efforts to preserve and reunify a family.

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     (2) Any duty or obligation on the part of a licensed or governmental child placing agency

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to make reasonable efforts to strengthen the parental relationship shall cease upon the filing of a

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petition under this section. This provision shall not be construed and is not intended to limit or

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affect in any way the parents' right to see or visit with the child during the pendency of a petition

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under this section.

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     (3) Upon the filing of a termination of parental rights petition, the agency has an

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affirmative duty to identify, recruit, process and approve a qualified family for adoption or other

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permanent living arrangement for the child.

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     (c) (1) In considering the termination of rights as pursuant to subsection (a), the court

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shall give primary consideration to the physical, psychological, mental, and intellectual needs of

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the child insofar as that consideration is not inconsistent with other provisions of this chapter.

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     (2) The consideration shall include the following: If a child has been placed in foster

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family care, voluntarily or involuntarily, the court shall determine whether the child has been

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integrated into the foster family to the extent that the child's familial identity is with the foster

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family and whether the foster family is able and willing to permanently integrate the child into the

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foster family; provided, that in considering integrating into a foster family, the court should

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consider:

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     (i) The length of time child has lived in a stable, satisfactory environment and the

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desirability of maintaining that environment and continuity for the child; and

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     (ii) The reasonable preference of the child, if the court determines that the child has

 

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sufficient capacity to express a reasonable preference.

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     (d) If the court finds that the parental rights of the parent should be terminated as

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specified in subsection (a), it shall by decree duly entered, appoint some suitable person to give or

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withhold consent in any subsequent adoption proceedings. In the case of petitions filed by

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licensed or governmental child placement agencies, the court shall appoint the agency to be the

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sole party to give or withhold consent to the adoption of the child and further vest the agency with

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all rights of guardianship over the child.

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     (e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the introduction of expert

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testimony with respect to any illness, medical or psychological condition, trauma, incompetency,

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addiction to drugs, or alcoholism of any parent who has exhibited behavior or conduct that is

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seriously detrimental to a child, to assist the court in evaluating the reason for the conduct or its

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probable duration.

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     (f) The record of the testimony of the parties adduced in any proceeding terminating

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parental rights to a child shall be entitled to the confidentiality provided for in § 8-10-21 and

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more specifically shall not be admissible in any civil, criminal, or other proceeding in any court

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against a person named a defendant or respondent for any purpose, except in subsequent

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proceedings involving the same child or proceedings involving the same respondent.

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     (g) In the event any child, the parental rights to whom have been finally terminated, has

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not been placed by the agency in the home of a person or persons with the intention of adopting

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the child within thirty (30) days from the date of the final termination decree, the family court

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shall review the status of the child and the agency shall file a report that documents the steps the

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agency is taking to find an adoptive family or other permanent living arrangement for the child, to

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place the child with an adoptive family, a fit and willing relative, a legal guardian, or in another

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planned permanent living arrangement, and to finalize the adoption or legal guardianship. At a

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minimum, this documentation shall include child specific recruitment efforts, such as the use of

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state, regional and national adoption exchanges, including electronic exchange system.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO DOMESTIC RELATIONS - ADOPTION OF CHILDREN

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     This act would terminate all parental rights of any person convicted of sexual assault

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which results in the birth of a child from said assault. Termination of parental rights would take

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effect after a fact finding hearing in the family court which established the conviction of the

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accused father and after establishing paternity through the use of DNA.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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