Oregon 2013 Senate Bill 123: Requires the Department of Human Services to adopt rules to establish Oregon Foster Children’s Bill of Rights. (Use this link if that one doesn’t work: text of the bill.)
This law will be codified in the 2013 Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) (to be published early 2014). The law’s effective date is January 1, 2014.
You can find the official text of the session law in Chapter 515 of the 2013 Oregon Laws.
It’s time to update my 2008 post on Researching Oregon Paternity Law
Depending on your specific question (and they do run the gamut!), here are some updated resources and links.
1) Oregon DOJ Child Support Program: Determining Paternity and more
Can Someone Use My Picture Without My Permission?
Public law librarians hear this question quite frequently and while we don’t really want to make our responses more complicated than is necessary, sometimes questions like these can be about as difficult to answer as you can imagine, especially in the abstract (such as on a blog rather than with a live person in the law library or on the telephone).
In part this is because, as with most questions in life and law, answers depend on context and specific facts unique to the person asking the question.
Some of the most difficult cases for lawyers, and social workers and judges, to resolve involve juvenile sex offenders, i.e. sex offenders who are under the age of 18 and very often under the age of 16. Work with juvenile offenders (and juvenile witnesses) is difficult under any circumstances, but sex offense criminal charges add another dimension to the complex equation.
I’ve been working on a juvenile sex-offender bibliography and thought I’d post here what I’ve found so far. I’m sure there are many other resources. These are, of course, in addition to case law and legal treatise resources.
ARTICLES and WEBSITES
· Bibliographies, Young offenders, Updated February 2010: This bibliography of recent research has been compiled from the library collection of the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
The OJD December 10, 2009, Media Release gives a summary of this case (other Media Releases).
Read the full case:
State of Oregon v. Roy Lee McCullough, Jr. (SC S056910) (decided December 10, 2009)
Another type of law library question that we, and public libraries, start hearing as the weather gets colder:
Where do I find the law that that says power companies cannot turn power off if you are very poor, have children, or are elderly?
Quick answer, if the utility has been or soon will be turned off:
May an 18 year old (or 19 or 20) drink in a public place with a parent’s permission?
State of Oregon Liquor Control Commission, Fact Sheets, and Minors and Alcohol, which says in part:
“Oregon law prohibits anyone, except a parent or legal guardian, to provide alcohol to a minor or juvenile. A minor is any person under the age of 21 and a juvenile is any person under the age of 18. Parents or guardians may legally provide alcohol only to their minor child in a private residence when accompanying their child. A parent cannot transfer this responsibility to another adult or to a public place. If you allow your property and/or home to be used for a party where minors consume alcohol, other than your children in your presence, you may have to forfeit property and may be issued a citation to circuit court…. “ (read full pamphlet)
Juvenile-law attorneys, teens, and parents may not know about the wealth of information at the Juvenile Rights Project web page. Prepare to spend some time digging deeply into and through it. Parents and teens might want to look at the Helpline page and links. Attorneys will want to look at the many newsletters and reports. The guides for teens in foster care, for incarcerated parents, and many others provide a wealth of valuable information.
1) My 15 year old has debts. Can his creditors get money from me?
2) How do I seal my juvenile crime record?
3) My 18 year old is dating a 15 year old. Help!
4) What do I have to tell the cops when they stop me at school or while I’m driving?
Public librarians get lots of legal questions from teens and their parents. As is true for many legal questions, some of the answers should come only from attorneys and all should come from trusted legal resources so be prepared to do some reading and maybe some research.
In past posts I’ve blogged about babysitting (including the frequently asked “when can I leave my kids alone?” question) and related legal issues. Today I’ll post about some resources available specifically for teens and their parents. (See recent updates (e.g. 6/15/09), but also click on the Home Alone label in the sidebar.)
As is also true for most legal questions, the specific question and answer at hand is only part of the picture so the research process itself is part of the solution and a learning occasion or teachable moment, whichever side of the reference desk you are on. Parents may think they just want to know what their 15-year old should know before dating that 19-year old, but in the course of finding the legal answer, they can learn an awful lot about parenting, teens, and life in general.
Oregon Legal Research Blog