CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATIONS - S.B. 515 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 515 (Substitute S-2 as reported)

Sponsor: Senator Joanne G. Emmons

Committee: Families, Mental Health and Human Services

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Child Protection Law to:

-- Provide that the central registry of child abuse and neglect cases maintained by the Family Independence Agency (FIA) would have to be a "statewide, electronic" registry.

-- Require the FIA to review a research or evaluation project requesting information from the central registry, to ensure that the research would not harm someone who was the subject of the information.

-- Provide that the person making a report of suspected child abuse or neglect would have to be informed of its disposition.

-- Require prosecutors to review investigations in substantiated cases involving a child's death, serious physical injury to a child, or the suspicion of sexual abuse or exploitation of a child.

-- Provide that an abused or neglected child could not be interviewed in the presence of the suspected perpetrator.

The bill is tie-barred to Senate Bill 503, which would require the FIA, county child protection officials, prosecuting attorneys, and local law enforcement officials to adopt and implement standard child abuse and neglect investigation and interview protocol, using as a model the protocol developed by the Governor's Task Force on Children's Justice.

MCL 722.627 et al. - Legislative Analyst: S. Margules

FISCAL IMPACT

State Government. The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on State government. The expansion of the central registry to a Statewide, electronic system could involve some additional cost for the FIA.

Local Government. The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on local government. The requirement for county prosecuting attorneys to determine whether procedures under the Child Protection Law were complied with in certain cases could result in additional administrative costs.

Date Completed: 5-28-97 - Fiscal Analyst: C. Cole

- B. Bowerman

floor\sb515

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.