HB 22-1240

House Bill 22-1240, titled "Mandatory Reporters," establishes a task force aimed at improving the training and reporting procedures for individuals required by law to report child abuse or neglect. The task force will look into issues like the effectiveness of mandatory reporting, its impact on under-resourced communities, and how different professions handle reporting deadlines. It will also explore ways to better protect victims of domestic violence while they create safety plans and suggest improvements to current reporting processes. The bill has been signed into law and allocates funding for these efforts; however, since it was just introduced in the House and assigned to the Judiciary committee, its recommendations won't be finalized until January 1, 2025.

Official Summary

The act creates the mandatory reporter task force (task force). The purpose of the task force is to analyze best practices and recommend changes to training requirements and reporting procedures for people required by law to report child abuse or neglect. The task force shall analyze issues, including, but not limited to: The effectiveness of mandatory reporting and its relationship with systemic issues, including the disproportionate impact of mandatory reporting on under-resourced communities, communities of color, and persons with disabilities; The definition of "immediately" and how reporting time frames affect mandatory reporters from different professions; Reporting time frames for mandatory reporters who are creating a safety plan for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking to ensure the safety of the victim and the victim's family members while creating the safety plan; Medical child abuse and the process to report medical child abuse; Whether mandatory reporters should report incidents observed outside of a mandatory reporter's professional capacity; A reporting process for 2 or more mandatory reporters to report child abuse or neglect when they have joint knowledge or joint reasonable cause to make a report of child abuse or neglect; Whether institutions that employ mandatory reporters may develop procedures to assist mandatory reporters in meeting reporting requirements; and The benefits of an electronic reporting platform for the state. The task force is required to analyze national best practices and consult with additional stakeholders as necessary to finalize its findings and recommendations. The task force may propose clarifications to the law to help implement its recommendations. The task force operates for 2 years. The task force shall submit a final report on its findings and recommendations on January 1, 2025, to the house of representatives public and behavioral health and human services committee and the senate health and human services committee, or their successor committees; the governor; and the department of human services. The act appropriates $97,500 from the general fund to the judicial department for use by the office of the child protection ombudsman for program costs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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