Wyo. Stat. Ann. tit. 14, ch. 5 — Interstate Compact on Placement of Children | Wyoming Statutes Annotated — Wyoming

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-101 Compact provisions generally.

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children is enacted into law and entered into with all other jurisdictions legally joining therein in form substantially as follows: ARTICLE I Definitions As used in this compact: (a) "Child" means a person who, by reason of minority, is legally subject to parental, guardianship or similar control. (b) "Sending agency" means a party state, or officer or employee thereof; a subdivision of a party state, or officer or employee thereof; a court of a party state; a person, corporation, association, charitable agency or other entity which sends, brings, or causes to be sent or brought any child to another party state. (c) "Receiving state" means the state to which a child is sent, brought, or caused to be sent or brought, whether by public authorities or private persons or agencies, and whether for placement with state or local public authorities or for placement with private agencies or persons. (d) "Placement" means the arrangement for the care of a child in a family free or boarding home or in a child-caring agency or institution but does not include any institution caring for the mentally ill, mentally defective or epileptic or any institution primarily educational in character, or a hospital or other medical facility. ARTICLE II Conditions for Placement (a) No sending state shall send, bring, or cause to be sent or brought into any other party state any child for placement in foster care or as a preliminary to a possible adoption unless the sending agency shall comply with each and every requirement set forth in this article and with the applicable laws of the receiving state governing the placement of children therein. (b) Prior to sending, bringing or causing any child to be sent or brought into a receiving state for placement in foster care or as a preliminary to a possible adoption, the sending agency shall furnish the appropriate public authorities in the receiving state written notice of the intention to send, bring or place the child in the receiving state. The notice shall contain: (1) The name, date and place of birth of the child. (2) The identity and address or addresses of the parents or legal guardian. (3) The name and address of the person, agency or institutions to or with which the sending agency proposes to send, bring, or place the child. (4) A full statement of the reasons for such proposed action and evidence of the authority pursuant to which the placement is proposed to be made. (c) Any public officer or agency in a receiving state which is in receipt of a notice pursuant to paragraph (b) of this article may request of the sending agency, or any other appropriate officer or agency of or in the sending agency's state, and shall be entitled to receive therefrom, such supporting or additional information as it may deem necessary under the circumstances to carry out the purpose and policy of this compact. (d) The child shall not be sent, brought or caused to be sent or brought into the receiving state until the appropriate public authorities in the receiving state shall notify the sending agency, in writing, to the effect that the proposed placement does not appear to be contrary to the interests of the child, or in violation of the law of the receiving state. ARTICLE III Penalty for Illegal Placement The sending, bringing, or causing to be sent or brought into any receiving state of a child in violation of the terms of this compact shall constitute a violation of the laws respecting the placement of children of both the state in which the sending agency is located or from which it sends or brings the child and of the receiving state. Such violation may be punished or subjected to penalty in either jurisdiction in accordance with its laws. In addition to liability for any such punishment or penalty, any such violation shall constitute full and sufficient grounds for the suspension or revocation of any license, permit, or other legal authorization held by the sending agency which empowers or allows it to place, or care for children. ARTICLE IV Retention of Jurisdiction (a) The sending agency shall retain jurisdiction over the child sufficient to determine all matters in relation to the custody, supervision, care, treatment and disposition of the child which it would have had if the child had remained in the sending agency's state, until the child is adopted, reaches majority, becomes self-supporting or is discharged with the concurrence of the appropriate authority in the receiving state. Such jurisdiction shall also include the power to effect or cause the return of the child or its transfer to another location and custody pursuant to law. The sending agency shall continue to have financial responsibility for support and maintenance of the child during the period of the placement. Nothing contained herein shall defeat a claim of jurisdiction by a receiving state sufficient to deal with an act of delinquency or crime committed therein. (b) When the sending agency is a public agency, it may enter into an agreement with an authorized public or private agency in the receiving state providing for the performance of one or more services in respect of such case by the latter as agent for the sending agency. (c) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to prevent a private charitable agency authorized to place children in the receiving state from performing services or acting as agent in that state for a private charitable agency of the sending state; nor to prevent the agency in the receiving state from discharging financial responsibility for the support and maintenance of a child who has been placed on behalf of the sending agency without relieving the responsibility set forth in paragraph (a) hereof. ARTICLE V Institutional Care of Delinquent Children A child adjudicated delinquent may be placed in an institution in another party jurisdiction pursuant to this compact but no such placement shall be made unless the child is given a court hearing on notice to the parent or guardian with opportunity to be heard, prior to his being sent to such other party jurisdiction for institutional care and the court finds that: 1. Equivalent facilities for the child are not available in the sending agency's jurisdiction; and 2. Institutional care in the other jurisdiction is in the best interest of the child and will not produce undue hardship. ARTICLE VI Compact Administrator The executive head of each jurisdiction party to this compact shall designate an officer who shall be general coordinator of activities under this compact in his jurisdiction and who, acting jointly with like officers or other party jurisdictions, shall have power to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out more effectively the terms and provisions of this compact. ARTICLE VII Limitations This compact shall not apply to: (a) The sending or bringing of a child into a receiving state by his parents, step-parent, grandparent, adult brother or sister, adult uncle or aunt, or his guardian or the leaving of the child with any such relative or nonagency guardian in the receiving state. (b) Any placement, sending or bringing of a child into a receiving state pursuant to any other interstate compact to which both the state from which the child is sent or brought and the receiving state are party, or to any other agreement between said states which has the force of law. ARTICLE VIII Enactment and Withdrawal This compact shall be open to joinder by any state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and with the consent of congress, the government of Canada or any province thereof. It shall become effective with respect to any such jurisdiction when such jurisdiction has enacted the same into law. Withdrawal from this compact shall be by the enactment of a statute repealing the same, but shall not take effect until two (2) years after the effective date of such statute and until written notice of the withdrawal has been given by the withdrawing state to the governor of each other party jurisdiction. Withdrawal of a party state shall not affect the rights, duties and obligations under this compact of any sending agency therein with respect to a placement made prior to the effective date of withdrawal. ARTICLE IX Construction and Severability The provisions of this compact shall be liberally construed to effectuate the purposes thereof. The provisions of this compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any party state or of the United States or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this compact and the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby. If this compact shall be held contrary to the constitution of any state party thereto, the compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the remaining states and in full force and effect as to the state affected as to all severable matters.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-102 Financial responsibility.

Financial responsibility for any child placed pursuant to the provisions within W.S. 14-5-101 shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of article IV thereof.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-103 Duties of department of family services.

(a) "Appropriate public authorities" as used in article II of W.S. 14-5-101 and "appropriate authority in the receiving state" as used in article IV(a) of W.S. 14-5-101 mean the Wyoming department of family services. The department shall: (i) Receive and act with reference to notices required by article II of W.S. 14-5-101; and (ii) Act as compact administrator in accordance with article VI of W.S. 14-5-101.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-104 Agreements with other party states authorized; when approval required.

Officers and agencies of the state of Wyoming and its subdivisions having authority to place children may enter into agreements with appropriate officers or agencies of other party states pursuant to article IV(b) of W.S. 14-5-101. Any agreement which contains a financial commitment or imposes a financial obligation on the state of Wyoming, a subdivision or agency thereof is not binding unless it has the written approval of the director of the state budget department or the county treasurer in the case of a county.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-105 Inspection and supervision of children and facilities in other states.

Any requirements for inspection or supervision of children, homes, institutions or other agencies in another party state which apply under W.S. 14-4-101 through 14-4-111 are deemed met if performed pursuant to an agreement entered into by appropriate officers or agencies of this state or a subdivision thereof as specified in article IV (b) of W.S. 14-5-101 and performed by agents of an administrative or governmental agency of another state.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-106 Placement of child in out-of-state institution.

Any district or juvenile court in any district in Wyoming which finds a child to be delinquent or guilty of committing a felony may place the child in an institution in another state pursuant to article V of W.S. 14-5-101 and shall retain jurisdiction as provided in article IV thereof.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-107 Prerequisites for placement of children from other states.

Any person, firm, partnership, corporation, state or political subdivision or agency thereof shall not send, bring or cause to be sent or brought to the state of Wyoming any child for placement in foster care or as a preliminary to a possible adoption unless the sending person, firm, corporation, state, political subdivision or agency thereof complies with the prerequisites required in article II of W.S. 14-5-101.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-5-108 Penalties for violations.

Any person, firm or corporation which places a child in the state of Wyoming or receives a child in this state without meeting the requirements of W.S. 14-5-101 through 14-5-107 is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100.00) or imprisoned in the county jail for a maximum of thirty (30) days, or both. Each day of violation is a separate offense.