HB 93: Requiring DCFS to Obtain a Warrant
This bill requires child welfare workers to obtain a permit before searching a family's home in hopes of removing a child.
SB 65: Protect “Free-Range” Parenting
This bill passed the House and the Senate with unanimous votes. Two years ago, Senator Mike Lee successfully passed an amendment ensuring that the federal government may not “expose parents to civil or criminal charges for...
SB82: Monitoring the Use of Psychotropic Medication by Children in Foster Care
This bill passed both the Senate and House unanimously. Libertas Institute supports this bill. In a 2008 study of children in Utah’s foster care system, 31% of children (833 out of 2,651) had been prescribed one or more...
Utah DCFS Caseworker Fired for Supporting Marijuana Reform
Editor’s note: The following is a lightly edited interview with Michael Martinez, a former caseworker with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) who was recently terminated for his personal beliefs and...
HB356: Protecting Innocent Parents from DCFS Taking their Children
This bill passed the House 71-1 and passed the Senate unanimously. It was subsequently signed into law by Governor Herbert. Libertas Institute supports this bill. See below for an update. Utah law allows the Division of Child and...
HB318: Jury Trial for Parents Facing Termination of Parental Rights
This bill passed the House 46-27 but was not considered in the Senate. Visit our Legislative Index to see the final vote rankings for the 2014 general session. Libertas Institute supports this bill. Last fall we published an...