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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 5, 2024 03:42 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Charity Grimm Krupa |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Adding an Additional Consideration During Parental Rights Termination Proceeding |
| Under Pennsylvania law, a parent can have their parental rights terminated by a court if they are incapable of caring for the child or have engaged in certain actions that are dangerous to the child. These grounds include abuse, neglect, abandonment or other failure to perform parental duties. News reports have described parents placing their children in the care of smugglers (known colloquially as “coyotes”), who transport unaccompanied children across the southern border without legal immigration documents. The trip—which often relies upon unsafe vehicles and uses dangerous desert passages—is dangerous enough, but sending a child without a parent, family member or legal guardian is an extremely reckless decision. Under my proposal, a judge in a parental rights termination case would be permitted to take into consideration whether the parent has sent a child across an international border unaccompanied and without lawful immigration status. Notably, this proposal would not change the grounds for bringing termination proceedings in the first place, but rather adds additional considerations that a judge can consider when hearing that case. I look forward to working with you on this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB2217