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'Sirita's Law' passes the
House unanimously
A bill that would take
steps to limit the rights of habitually abusive parents and expand
foster parents’ rights passed the House of Representatives today.
Rep.
Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, is the primary sponsor of House Bill
2156.
The bill is named for Sirita Sotelo, who died before her fifth birthday,
beaten to death at the home of her father and stepmother. Sirita has
spent most of her life in and out of foster care, and the state had
recently moved her in with her father. At a recent House Children and
Family Services Committee hearing on HB 2156, Sirita’s foster father
spoke in support of the measure, as did the foster mother of
two-year-old Raphael Gomez, an Ephrata toddler who died in 2003 from a
blunt force trauma after being returned four times to his parents.
“Children like Sirita and Raphael put a name and a face on the suffering
– and sometimes deadly abuse – some kids experience at the hands of
their parents,” Hinkle said. “I respect the rights of parents, but when
they are habitual abusers, those rights should absolutely be called into
question. Children born into abusive homes are the most vulnerable
members of our society. As state lawmakers, we must do everything we can
to protect them and keep them from being returned over and over again to
abusive homes. This is more than just something we can do – it’s
something we absolutely should do.”
House Bill 2156 would mandate a judicial hearing on termination of
parental rights when:
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The child has been
removed from the home three times for abuse or neglect;
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The problems that
caused the child’s removal remained uncorrected after 15 months; and
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The parent has had no
contact with the child for one year.
The bill would also allow
foster parents to visit children in the parent’s home with a judge’s
approval.
Rep. Janéa Holmquist, R-Moses Lake, also voted in support of the bill.
“My hope is that this bill will prevent tragedies such as the loss of
Raphael Gomez in my community,” she said. “We will still focus on
keeping families together, but ensure that when a child is not safe with
his or her parents that the child’s safety comes first.”
House Bill 2156 now moves to the Senate for consideration. Sirita’s
foster father has created a web site in memory of his foster daughter
and in support of the bill:
http://www.siritalaw.com.
# # #
For more information, contact:
John Handy, Assistant
Communications Director - (360) 786-5758
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