HB157 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Paul W. LeeRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Juveniles, grounds for termination of parental rights, factors for juvenile courts to consider, permanency plans for children, Secs. 12-15-319, 26-10A-17 am'd.

Summary

HB 157 requires juvenile courts to weigh a child’s relationship with current foster parents and the child’s best interests when deciding termination of parental rights, tightens relative guardian eligibility, and changes adoption notice rules when parental rights are terminated.

What This Bill Does

It directs the court to prioritize the child’s bond with current foster parents and the child’s best interests in termination hearings. It narrows when a relative can be considered as a guardian in termination cases by requiring that the relative showed effort within four months of removal and that the permanency plan is adoption by current foster parents. It preserves existing grounds for termination and adds emphasis on the child’s emotional ties to current foster parents. It also changes adoption notice rules so that some people whose parental rights have been terminated may not have to receive notice, while expanding who must be served.

Who It Affects

• Children in foster care and their families, as the court will consider foster parent relationships and the child’s best interests in termination and permanency decisions.
• Relatives who might seek guardianship, who may be excluded if they did not pursue care within four months and the plan is adoption by current foster parents.
• People whose parental rights have been terminated, who may not be entitled to notice of adoption pendency for the child.
• Adoption petitioners, the Department of Human Resources, and adoption investigators, who are affected by expanded notice requirements.

Key Provisions

• The juvenile court must consider the child’s relationship with current foster parents and the child’s best interests when deciding whether to terminate parental rights.
• A relative may not be considered as a legal guardian in a termination case if the relative did not attempt to care for the child within four months of removal and the permanency plan is adoption by current foster parents.
• The court may consider grounds for termination, including significant emotional ties to current foster parents, stability in the foster environment, and whether severing ties is in the child’s best interests.
• There is a rebuttable presumption that parents are unable or unwilling to act as parents in abandonment cases if abandonment continues for four months before filing.
• If a parent is convicted of certain crimes (rape first degree, sodomy first degree, incest), the court must terminate parental rights.
• Notice of pendency of adoption must be served on specified persons and agencies; and individuals whose parental rights have been terminated are not entitled to notice for adoptions involving the child.
• The act takes effect immediately after the governor signs.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Juveniles