Major Child Welfare Bills Pass in New York, Texas, Oregon [fosteringmediaconnections.org]

The early summer has seen a slew of high-impact state legislation on child welfare and youth justice. Last week, New York lawmakers moved several landmark bills while punting a few to next year’s legislative session. Among the biggest moves:

• The state will now give parents whose rights have been terminated a path to court-ordered contact with their children, even those who have been adopted from foster care.
• Children below the age of 12 can no longer be arrested and processed in New York’s juvenile justice system.
• A ban on the shackling of children in any appearance that takes place in family courts.

New York Legislature Passes Bill Allowing Parent-Child Contact After Termination of Rights. Read more.

New York Votes to Raise the Minimum Age of Arrest From Seven to 12, Reform Awaits Cuomo’s Signature. Read more.

New York May Soon Bar the Shackling of Children in Family Court. Read more.

Texas passed a sweeping bipartisan bill that makes it harder to remove kids from their parents, especially in cases where a positive marijuana test is the focal point of the investigation. Read more.

Connecticut might raise the floor of its juvenile justice system from age 7 to 10. Read more.

Oregon’s Legislature has passed a law that requires state judges to recognize tribal customary adoptions, ensuring that Native American children who are surrendered to the state or adopted can remain connected to their tribes even though parental rights may have been severed. Read more.

OPINION: Julie Ryan McGue on how a health complication helped her see the full ramifications of closed adoption. Read more.

California leaders are urgently trying to stem a plummeting enrollment problem in higher education, especially at community colleges. Read more.

Los Angeles County wants more oversight over the contracts and agreements that its 17 school districts reach with police departments. Read more.

OPINION: Sharon McDaniel of A Second Chance, Inc. and colleagues outline some policy solutions for the failures they see in how Ma’Khia Bryant experienced foster care. Read more.