Establishes a joint legislative task force to determine visitation rights of grandparents and hanai individuals who raise grandchildren they have informally raised when biological parent is unable to do so.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. There are approximately fourteen thousand grandparents and hanai individuals who are raising grandchildren--grandparents and hanai individuals who are parenting a second generation because a child's biological parents are unable to raise the child because of circumstances such as incarceration, substance abuse, divorce, death, or deployment. Many grandparents and hanai individuals raise such children informally, without intervention by family court or the department of human service's child protective services. When the child is subsequently returned to a biological parent, the child's parent often prevents the grandparents and hanai individuals from visiting the child. Grandparents and hanai individuals have no legal mechanism that permits them to visit the minor child that they raised when the child's biological parents were unable or unwilling to do so.

The purpose of this Act is to establish a task force to determine the visitation rights, if any, for grandparents and hanai individuals who are informally raising minor children.

SECTION 2. There is established a joint legislative task force to determine what visitation rights exist or should exist for grandparents and hanai individuals who are informally raising minor children. The members of the task force shall include four members appointed by the president of the senate and four members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives. Appointees to the task force shall include the chairs of the appropriate standing committees in each chamber having subject matter jurisdiction over child visitation rights.

The task force shall submit a report of findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007. The joint legislative task force shall cease to exist on June 30, 2007.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.