Juvenile courts: temporary probate guardianship.

The bill no longer amends Sections 319 and 331 of the Welfare and Institutions Code; it now only amends Section 728, narrowing the bill's reach to juvenile court authority over guardianships.

A provision allowing the juvenile court to terminate or suspend a temporary guardianship upon a motion when the child was previously appointed a temporary guardian by a probate court and referred to a child welfare agency is removed from the digest, indicating that portion of the bill was dropped.

The standard for terminating or modifying a temporary probate guardianship without full Section 294 notice was tightened. Previously, no further notice was needed if in the best interests of the minor. Now three conditions must be met: (1) notice of the hearing was given as required, (2) that notice informed parties that termination or modification may occur at the hearing, and (3) the court determines based on a court report or other evidence presented that termination or modification is in the best interests of the minor.

Minor wording corrections: 'under the age of 18 years of age' simplified to 'under 18 years of age,' and a duplicated word 'relatives relatives' corrected to 'relatives.'

The entire proposed amendment to Probate Code Section 1513 is removed from the bill. This section would have required court investigators to file reports on proposed guardianships, authorized referrals to child welfare agencies, set timelines for investigations (three weeks), and established procedures for coordination between probate and juvenile courts.

The automatic expiration of temporary guardianships upon the juvenile court conducting its initial petition hearing is replaced with a discretionary mechanism. The juvenile court may now terminate or suspend a temporary guardianship only upon written or oral motion (or on its own motion), and only if it finds: the order is in the child's best interest, it is necessary to avoid conflicting court orders or to order a temporary placement, AND the temporary guardian consents to the order.

Section 728(g), which provided that a temporary guardianship established under Probate Code Section 2250 automatically expires upon the juvenile court conducting the initial petition hearing, is entirely removed from the bill.

A new exception is added to Section 728 allowing the juvenile court to terminate or modify a temporary guardianship at any hearing without further notice in the best interests of the minor. This carves out an exception from the normal Section 294 notice requirements that would otherwise apply.

A savings clause is added to the new Section 319(m)(2) stating that the provision does not create a new entitlement to any benefit, service, or payment and does not change eligibility standards under existing law.

Section 728 of the Welfare and Institutions Code was removed from the bill's scope. The introduced version amended Sections 319, 331, and 728; the amended version only amends Sections 319 and 331.

The legislative counsel's digest was expanded with new paragraphs describing existing law on juvenile court jurisdiction, grounds for removal of dependent children, and initial petition hearing procedures, providing more context for the bill's purpose.

A new provision authorizes the juvenile court to issue an order terminating or suspending a temporary guardianship previously appointed by a probate court. The order requires three conditions: (1) it is in the best interest of the child, (2) it is necessary to avoid conflicting court orders or necessary to order a temporary placement of the child, and (3) the temporary guardian consents to the order.