48.98 Interstate placement of children.

(1) No person may bring a child into this state or send a child out of this state for the purpose of placing the child in foster care or for the purpose of adoption without a certificate from the department that the home is suitable for the child.

(2)

(a) Any person, except a county department or licensed child welfare agency, who brings a child into this state for the purpose of placing the child in a foster home shall, before the child's arrival in this state, file with the department a $1,000 noncancelable bond in favor of this state, furnished by a surety company licensed to do business in this state. The condition of the bond shall be that the child will not become dependent on public funds for his or her primary support before the child reaches age 18 or is adopted.

(b) By filing the bond required under par. (a), the person filing the bond and the surety submit to the jurisdiction of the court in the county in which the person resides for purposes of liability on the bond, and appoint the clerk of the court as their agent upon whom any papers affecting their bond liability may be served.

(c) If upon affidavit of the department it appears to the court that the condition of the bond has been violated, the court shall order the person who filed the bond and the surety to show cause why judgment on the bond should not be entered for the department. If neither the person nor the surety appears for the hearing on the order to show cause, or if the court concludes after the hearing that the condition of the bond has been violated, the court shall enter judgment on the bond for the department against the person who filed the bond and the surety.

(d) The department shall periodically bill the person who filed the bond and the surety under s. 49.32 (1) (b) or 49.345 for the cost of care and maintenance of the child until the child is adopted or becomes age 18, whichever is earlier. The guardian and surety shall also be liable under the bond for costs incurred by the department in enforcing the bond.

(e) The department may waive the bond requirement under par. (a).

(3) The person bringing or sending the child into or out of this state shall report to the department, at least once each year and at any other time required by the department, concerning the location and well-being of the child, until the child is 18 years of age or is adopted.

(4)

(a) This section applies only to interstate placements of children that are not governed by s. 48.988 or 48.99.

(b) Section 48.839 governs the placement of children who are not U.S. citizens and not under agency guardianship who are brought into this state from a foreign jurisdiction for the purpose of adoption.

(5) The department may promulgate all rules necessary for the enforcement of this section.

History: 1977 c. 354; 1979 c. 32 s. 92 (1); 1981 c. 81; 1985 a. 176; 1985 a. 332 s. 251 (5); 1993 a. 446; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 28, 339.