GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1989

S	1 

SENATE BILL 890

Short Title:  Term. of Parental Rights Change.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Allran; Bryan, Carpenter, Conder, Hardin, Harris, Hunt of Moore, Johnson of Wake, Marvin, Shaw, Simpson, and Smith.
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Referred to:  Children and Youth.
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April 17, 1989

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ALLOW TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AFTER A PARENT HAS LEFT A CHILD IN FOSTER CARE FOR TWELVE MONTHS WITHOUT MAKING REASONABLE PROGRESS TOWARDS CORRECTING THE CONDITIONS THAT LED TO FOSTER CARE.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 7A-289.32(3) reads as rewritten:
"(3)	The parent has willfully left the child in foster care for more than 12 months without showing to the satisfaction of the court that reasonable progress under the circumstances has been made within 12 months in correcting those conditions which led to the removal of the child or without showing positive response within 12 months to the diligent efforts of a county Department of Social Services, a child-caring institution or licensed child-placing agency to encourage the parent to strengthen the parental relationship to the child or to make and follow through with constructive planning for the future of the child. Provided, however, that no parental  rights shall be terminated for the sole reason that the parents are unable to care for the child on account of their poverty."
Sec. 2.  This act shall become effective October 1, 1989, and applies to cases filed on and after that date.