HB1153

House Bill 1153, titled 'Samantha’s Law,' amends the Arkansas Juvenile Code to allow courts to consider a juvenile's personal preferences regarding foster care placement and family visitation regardless of their chronological age, provided the juvenile possesses sufficient capacity to reason. The bill establishes that, for supervised visitation, a parent should receive a minimum of four hours per week, unless the court finds this contrary to the child's best interest or an extreme hardship for the parties. It further clarifies the role of the Department of Human Services regarding custody, stipulating that the department ceases to be the legal custodian once a juvenile is released to a parent or another person, even if the court maintains jurisdiction. The overarching goal is to amplify the youth voice within dependency-neglect proceedings and foster care transitions.