VirginiaRemoval hearings; foster care, termination of parental rights, status as an Indian child, etc.
What it does
Removal hearings; foster care; termination of parental rights; status as an Indian child; reasonable efforts; definition; services to families. Adds a definition of reasonable efforts for the purposes of hearings relating to the foster care of and petitions for the termination of parental rights over those children who are not determined to be a member of a Virginia-recognized or federally recognized tribe. The bill further requires that, at a preliminary removal hearing, or as soon as possible thereafter, and prior to any adjudicatory hearing, the court shall make a finding as to whether diligent efforts have been made to determine whether the child is an Indian child as defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act or a member of, or eligible for membership in, a tribe recognized by the Commonwealth.
More detail
Under the bill, any such children would receive the protections of the Indian Child Welfare Act, including the federal standard of active efforts. The bill further directs the Department of Social Services to promulgate new regulations defining types of abuse and neglect, specifying that in situations where neglect is the result of family poverty and there are no outside resources available to the family, the parent or caretaker shall not be determined to have neglected the child, but the local department of social services shall provide appropriate and timely services to the family.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Feb 18Left in Committee AppropriationsLatest
- Feb 13Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (7-Y 0-N)
- Vote recorded Subcommittee recommends laying on the table. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 13Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB775)
- Feb 5Assigned HAPP sub: Health & Human ResourcesMinor
- Feb 4Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and referred to Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)Minor
- Vote recorded Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 4Committee substitute printed 26106743D-H1Major
- Feb 2Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 1-N)Major
- Vote recorded Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute. Result: pass.Lower
- Jan 26Assigned HCJ sub: CivilMinor
- Jan 13Referred to Committee for Courts of JusticeMinor
- Jan 13Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104981DIntroduced