HB737

HB737: Currently, children in Missouri have the right to an attorney guardian ad litem in abuse matters under Section 210.160. The bill would amend the provision to add a right to client-directed counsel (subject to necessary appropriations) for children of a certain age and in specified proceedings, beginning January 1, 2028. (For these children, the court would not be required to concurrently appoint an attorney ad litem.) Specifically, the right to client-directed counsel would apply to children who are at least 14 years of age but less than 18 years of age who are “the subject of proceedings under sections 210.110 to 210.165 [child abuse] except proceedings under Section 6 of section 210.152 [administrative review of child abuse or neglect registry], sections 210.700 to 210.760 [court review of child placed with agency or foster care], or sections 211.442 to 211.487 [termination of parental rights].”

However, a judge may implement the appointment provision prior to 2028, “pursuant to a pilot project implemented under [proposed] section 477.715.

The bill would also create a “Child and Family Legal Representation Coordinating Commission” within the judicial branch, composed of nine appointed members, some of whom must have at least five years experience representing children as either counsel or GALs, and “[a]t least one member of the Committee shall be a former foster youth with direct experience…” The Committee would have a variety of responsibilities, including making recommendations to the Missouri Supreme Court about minimum training requirements and practice standards for attorneys, as well as to develop, coordinate, and evaluate any pilot project established by the Court related to child or parent counsel.