Indian children.

The federal Indian Child Welfare Act governs the proceedings for determining the placement of an Indian child when that child is removed from the custody of his or her parent or guardian. Existing provisions of state law govern child custody proceedings, adoption proceedings, dependency proceedings, including termination of parental rights, the voluntary relinquishment of a child by a parent, and guardianship proceedings. Existing law recognizes that the Indian Child Welfare Act applies if the subject of these proceedings is or may be an Indian child and specifies conforming procedures in these cases with regard to the right to notice and intervention accorded the child's tribe and the standard of proof applied in evaluating the evidence submitted, among other things. Existing law provides various definitions for these purposes. This bill would revise the definition of "Indian child" for purposes of Indian child custody proceedings to include an unmarried person who is 18 years of age or over but under 21 years of age, and who is either a member of an Indian tribe or eligible for membership in an Indian tribe, as specified.