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Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | 5:07 p.m.
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CARSON CITY – The Senate on Tuesday narrowly passed a bill to provide neglected or abused children with lawyers during court proceedings despite complaints it would cost Clark County $10 million a year.
By a 12-9 vote, the Senate approved the Uniform Representation of Children in Abuse, Neglect and Custody Proceedings, including court hearings involving the termination of the rights of parents.
Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, said Senate Bill 292 is an unfunded mandate to the counties and state. It would cost Clark County $10 million; Washoe County $2 million and the state, in handling the cases in rural Nevada, $940,000.
The money would pay lawyers who represent the best interests of the child in the court proceeding.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said there was no substantiation for the figures quoted.
Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, said there were many “wonderful things” in the bill but the financial problems should be solved in the Senate and not rely on the Assembly. “Our job is to send out a good bill. This is an issue that is huge.”
The bill passed on a party line vote with Democrats supporting the measure and Republicans opposed.
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rejco100 -- got to side with you on this one.
The saddest part is attorneys representing children will do what they want and, in a termination case, side with the state because that's where their paychecks come from. I've seen cases where the children told their attorneys what they wanted but in court exactly the opposite was presented. All in the name of "best interests."
The bottom line is usually the same everywhere government is involved -- it's not about justice, it's about getting the money.
These Democrat/Socialists have no fiscal responsibility, these people got to go, Nevada is becoming a Ghetto.
The biggest problem with SB292 is that it allows the state to avoid appointing volunteer advocates for kids. It also creates an unfunded mandate that actually provides less service while costing taxpayers more money.
Current law (NRS 432b) requires that courts appoint trained volunteers to advocate for kids in state care. Volunteer advocates (CASA's/ GALs) have a lot of freedom to do a lot of good for kids caught in the system at very low cost. This proposed law allows the state to not appoint GALs and to always appoint attorneys. Providing attorneys for kids in care is not a problem, judges routinely appoint them now when they are either asked to or think they are needed. Kids in care should definitely get attorneys when they need them but they need volunteer advocates even more than they need attorneys. GALs do many things for kids that attorneys can't. Volunteer advocates spend more time on and with kids than attorneys do or will.
If passed this legislation will cost taxpayers more money, put more lawyers to work, create a more litigious environment, slow down a process which is already too slow, remove the only unbiased person from the courtroom and insure that even fewer kids in care get a strong advocate.
For more info - www.gals4nvfosterkids.cfsites.org