MontanaChild advocate account would not pay attorneys serving as advocates
Montana's court-appointed child advocate account would fund trained volunteers who speak for children's best interests but could not pay attorneys serving as paid advocates.
What it does
Money in Montana's court-appointed child advocate account would support trained volunteer advocates. It could not pay attorneys appointed to serve as paid advocates.
When a volunteer child advocate is unavailable, a judge could appoint an attorney instead. The attorney could serve at public expense when necessary, but the advocate account could not pay.
Argument forKeeping attorney payments outside the account could preserve its money for trained volunteers who speak for children in the child welfare system.
Argument againstWhen volunteers are unavailable, courts might need another funding source to pay attorneys who serve as children's advocates.
More detail
Montana would bar payments from the court-appointed special advocate account to attorneys serving as paid special advocates. The definition covers trained volunteers appointed by a court to speak for the best interests of a child or sibling group in the child welfare system. The account's money would be used only to fund court-appointed special advocates covered by the volunteer definition.
A judge could appoint an attorney to serve as a child's special advocate when a volunteer advocate is unavailable. This option concerns court proceedings involving children alleged to have been abused or neglected. The attorney could serve at public expense when necessary. Payment could not come from the court-appointed special advocate account.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Died
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2025
- May 23(S) Died in ProcessDied
- Mar 12(S) Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal
- Mar 1(S) Tabled in Committee - (S) Public Health, Welfare and SafetyMinor
- Vote recorded to_table. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 27(S) Hearing - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
- Feb 26(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Public Health, Welfare and SafetyMinor
- Feb 25(S) 1st Reading
- Feb 25(S) Introduced
- Feb 25(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- Feb 24(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- Feb 24(LC) Draft in Assembly
- Feb 24(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- Feb 24(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- Feb 20(LC) Draft in Edit
- Feb 20(LC) Draft in Legal Review
- Feb 11(LC) Draft Taken Off Hold
- Jan 24(LC) Draft On Hold
- 2024
- Oct 4(LC) Drafter AssignedIntroduced
Public Safety