HF 1614 Minnesota House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Child welfare; neglect definition modified to clarify when a child is considered to be without the special care made necessary by a physical, mental, or emotional condition.

HF 1614 amends Minnesota's definition of a "child in need of protection or services" (specifically Minnesota Statutes §260C.007, subd. 6(4)) to clarify when a child is considered without necessary special care due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition. The bill explicitly states that a parent, guardian, or custodian cannot be deemed unable or unwilling to provide such care if a child remains in an emergency department or hospital because residential treatment is unavailable or safe discharge to the family isn't possible due to service gaps. This change directly affects children with special healthcare needs who are stuck in hospital settings due to lack of community-based support services. The provision aims to prevent unnecessary child welfare involvement when the barrier is systemic unavailability of care, not parental neglect.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 26, 2025 Last action Apr 3, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduction → 1st Engrossment · 4 edits · Mar 27, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended from its introduction to its first engrossment, shifting its focus from 'child in need of protection or services' to 'neglect' and changing the relevant statute from 260C.007 to 260E.03. The most significant policy change is the addition of a new exemption stating that a child is not considered neglected just because they remain in a hospital or emergency room due to a lack of available residential treatment services. The bill also reorganized the list of neglect definitions, moving the specific clause about withholding medically indicated treatment from the 'child in need of protection' section to the 'neglect' section.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from defining a broader category of children needing protection to specifically defining 'neglect,' while adding a critical exemption for children stuck in hospitals due to service unavailability.

DEFINITION

The bill's title and subject matter were changed from relating to 'child in need of protection or services' to relating to 'neglect,' and the amended statute section was updated from 260C.007 to 260E.03.

A new clause was added to the neglect definition stating that a child is not considered neglected solely because they remain in a hospital or emergency department because necessary residential treatment services are unavailable or the child cannot be safely discharged.

The specific definition regarding the withholding of medically indicated treatment (previously under 'child in need of protection') was moved to become a distinct clause within the 'neglect' definition.

Several specific clauses previously listed under 'child in need of protection or services' (such as being a runaway, habitual truant, or having a parent with terminated rights) were removed from this bill's scope.

Floor votes

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No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt

lower

Mar 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

lower

Feb 26, 2025

Introduced

Introduction and first reading, referred to Children and Families Finance and Policy

lower

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors