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HB 944

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Family Law - Children in Need of Assistance and Termination of Parental Rights

Sponsor: Karen Toles (District 25)Committee: JudiciarySubject: Family LawStatus: Hearing 2/20 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Dec 1, 2025)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Repealing a provision that authorizes a local department of social services to ask the juvenile court to find that reasonable efforts to reunify a child with the child's parent or guardian are not required if the local department concludes that a parent or guardian has involuntarily lost parental rights to a sibling of the child; etc.

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Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (0)

MGA witness list
FAV 12FavorableUNF 2Unfavorable
PositionWitnessOrganizationTestimony
FAVVillamar, NenaChief of Parental DivisionOral
FAVGovernment Affairs, Rachel SledgeDepartment of Human ServicesWritten (PDF)
FAVWardlaw, KennethMARYLAND OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDEROral
FAVDonofrio, LucyMOPDOral
FAVTOLES, KARENMaryland General AssemblyOral
FAVPlante, CeciliaMaryland Legislative CoalitionPosition only
FAVLichterman, HayleyMaryland Office of the Public DefenderOral + Written (PDF)
FAVMaranto, JessicaSelfOral
FAVTrivedi, ShantaUniversity of Baltimore, Sayra & Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children & The CourtsOral + Written (PDF)
FAVMack, Linda-JeanneUniversity of MarylandWritten (PDF)
FAVDelegate Toles, Delegate ToleslegislatorIndividualOral
FAVGray, ChelseaIndividualPosition only
UNFPhilip, DianaCoalition to Protect Maryland's ChildrenWritten (PDF)
UNFWieland, TomRitchie Pharmacy , Brooklyn Park, Md.Position only

Organizations on record