Relating to: elimination of a jury trial in a child in need of protection or services (CHIPS) proceeding and substitution of judge in a proceeding for the termination of parental rights.

SB 886 eliminates jury trials in child protection cases (CHIPS proceedings) for all children, requiring these hearings to be decided solely by a judge. It also changes rules for termination of parental rights cases by limiting requests for a new judge to only the parent and the state petitioner, with strict limits on how many times this request can be made. The bill directly affects parents and children involved in child welfare or parental rights cases, removing a legal option for jury trials in CHIPS cases and restricting judge substitution requests. Key provisions include amending statutes to require judge-only hearings in CHIPS matters and creating new limits on judge substitution requests in termination proceedings. These changes apply to all new petitions filed after the bill's effective date.