Governor signs new Kansas grandparents rights bill into law

Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a new Kansas grandparents rights bill into law, in an effort to give grandparents more rights in child-in-need-of-care cases.

The House Substitute for Senate Bill 23, which expands grandparents rights to take over parenting when their children are deemed unfit parents, was signed by Brownback earlier this month. The bill gives grandparents automatic standing in court in child-in-need-of-care cases.

Without automatic standing as interested parties, grandparents are not necessarily sent notice of proceedings involving their grandchildren, resulting in the children being placed in institutions or foster care. Many grandparents testified in the legislative proceedings that the lack of automatic standing had led to their children being placed in bad situations or where reasonable grandparents visitation was not allowed.

Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita sponsored the bill and testified that the bill “is pretty simple, allowing grandparents to be notified without a lot of additional hassle. We as a state want to keep families together and keep kids out of foster care.”

“I’m just happy for the grandparents,” Faust-Goudeau said at the bill signing. “Now (they) will have the right to be in court and speak up.”

The bill was the top priority of the Kansas “Silver Haired Legislature,” a group elected by seniors across the state to recommend bills and help guide state policies on the elderly including grandparents rights.

For more detailed information about grandparents rights see my book No Greater Loss.