Maryland2026Active
HB0048
Family Law - Changes to Rules for Reuniting Families (Right to Fight Act)
Last scannedAug 22, 2026, 4:24 AM
In one sentence
This bill stops courts from skipping family reunification services just because a parent lost rights to another child.
What it does
- Removes the rule that lets social workers ask courts to skip trying to reunite families if a parent lost rights to a sibling of the current child.
- Stops juvenile courts from waiving required support services for parents based on losing parental rights to other children.
Who it affects
- Parents who have involuntarily lost legal rights to a sibling of their current child
- Local departments of social services that provide family support
- Juvenile courts handling cases involving children in need of assistance
Limits and unknowns
- The bill does not change rules for skipping reunification in cases involving severe abuse, neglect, violence, or abandonment.
- This law takes effect on October 1, 2026, so it will not apply to cases before that date.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Reunification efforts
- Services and steps taken to help a child return home to their parent or guardian.
- Termination of parental rights
- A legal process that permanently ends the relationship between a parent and their child.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
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.
Official activity
Bill history
- In the House - Hearing 1/29 at 2:00 p.m.