Per Shirley Faust: The Montana Association of Clerks of District Court plans to oppose it. Under current law, child abuse and neglect matters are sealed matters and must be withheld from public access, including court proceedings. HB468 seeks to make court proceedings in these cases open to the public and prohibits disclosure of certain information by those in attendance. The clerks are concerned with 1) ensuring the privacy of the child 2) the logistics of maintaining sealed records in which the courtroom proceedings are public and 3) the logistics of keeping track of members of the public present in the courtroom and then determining if those present may request and receive copies of minutes from court proceedings.
Per Shirley Faust: The Montana Association of Clerks of District Court plans to oppose it. Under current law, child abuse and neglect matters are sealed matters and must be withheld from public access, including court proceedings. HB468 seeks to make court proceedings in these cases open to the public and prohibits disclosure of certain information by those in attendance. The clerks are concerned with 1) ensuring the privacy of the child 2) the logistics of maintaining sealed records in which the courtroom proceedings are public and 3) the logistics of keeping track of members of the public present in the courtroom and then determining if those present may request and receive copies of minutes from court proceedings.
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