Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, has filed a bill that would allow circuit and district judges in Alabama to issue protective orders for children in dangerous situations. Currently, state law only allows juvenile court judges to issue those orders. (Getty Images)
An Alabama lawmaker has filed a bill that would allow circuit and district courts to remove children from seemingly unsafe situations under certain circumstances.
Currently, juvenile courts can issue ex-parte orders to protect minors from harm or abuse. HB 54, sponsored by Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, would permit circuit and district court judges to issue them in cases of specific findings of abuse or neglect “pending all petitions for divorce or legal separation, or other actions seeking modification, interpretation, or enforcement of a final decree.”
“It would be removing them from an unsafe situation and putting them with other guardians, or finding the best home for just a certain period of time until their investigation can be done,” he said in a Thursday phone interview. “Basically, it’s preventative to make sure that nothing happens while they’re trying to find a place to put them.”