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HB 48

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Family Law - Children in Need of Assistance and Termination of Parental Rights (Right to Fight Act)

Sponsor: Karen Toles (District 25)Committee: JudiciarySubject: Family LawStatus: Hearing 1/29 at 2:00 p.m. (as of Sep 4, 2026)

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; and repealing the authorization for a juvenile court to waive a local department's obligation to provide certain services if a parent has involuntarily lost certain parental rights.

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Testimony (18)

MGA witness list
FAV 13FavorableFWA 3Favorable with amendmentsUNF 2Unfavorable
PositionWitnessOrganizationTestimony
FAVRichardson, AlexaCivil Rights CorpsOral + Written (PDF)
FAVBrown-Burnett, GloriaDepartment of Human ServicesWritten (PDF)
FAVDews, ChristopherlobbyistDews & AssociatesPosition only
FAVWardlaw, KennethMARYLAND OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDEROral
FAVMurphy, JDMD Chesapeake Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)Position only
FAVVillamar, Maria NenutzkaOffice of the Public DefenderOral + Written (PDF)
FAVBurton, D'wanOut For JusticeWritten (PDF)
FAVSpeaks, TrevericOut For JusticeOral
FAVVan Horn, ElizabethSelfOral
FAVSWASC, UMSocial Work Advocates for Social ChangeWritten (PDF)
FAVM Cook, AngelThedrink2shrinkqueenangelOral
FAVTrivedi, ShantaUniversity of Baltimore, Sayra & Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children & The CourtsOral + Written (PDF)
FAVDelegate Toles, Delegate ToleslegislatorIndividualOral
UNFPhilip, DianaCoalition to Protect Maryland's ChildrenWritten (PDF)
UNFSchagrin, judithIndividualOral
FWALeMon, EricaMaryland Legal AidOral + Written (PDF)
FWAJones, CatrinaIndividualOral
FWAPerry, RichardIndividualOral

Organizations on record

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVDews, ChristopherDews & AssociatesRegistered for: Advance Maryland Education Fund; Beyond Impact; Center for Urban Families; Dews & Associates; Out for Justice, Inc.; REFORM Alliance