CHILD ABUSE REPORTING                                                                    H.B. 4493 (S-2):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                      REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 4493 (Substitute S-2 as reported)

Sponsor:  Representative Klint Kesto

House Committee:  Families, Children, and Seniors

Senate Committee:  Families, Seniors and Human Services

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Child Protection Law to require mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect to make an immediate report to centralized intake by telephone or, if available, through the Department of Human Services online reporting system. (Currently, mandated reporters must immediately make an oral report to the Department by telephone or otherwise.) "Centralized intake" would mean the Department's statewide centralized telephone hotline and report processing center.

The Law requires the reporting person, within 72 hours after making an oral report, to file a written report. Under the bill, if the immediate report had been made through the online reporting system, and the report contained the information required by the Law, no additional written report would be required.

The bill would require the written report to be mailed or otherwise transmitted to centralized intake, rather than the county department of human services in which the child suspected of being abused or neglected is found.

The bill would require the online reporting system to be implemented by January 1, 2016.

The bill also would eliminate a requirement that members of the Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse serve without compensation, or reimbursement of expenses.

MCL 722.622 et al.                                                           Legislative Analyst:  Jeff Mann

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill could increase costs for State and local government, as well as allow the expenditure of appropriated funds.

To the extent that the reporting mechanisms described in the bill resulted in an increased number of child protective services and foster care cases, some additional costs to the Department of Human Services or counties could be realized. Some of the costs of the foster care cases are shared 50-50 by the State and the counties through the Child Care Fund and State Ward Board and Care Fund. In order for the Department or counties to realize additional costs, however, the marginal costs of any additional cases would have to exceed the level of funding that is currently available. The Department would support the costs of the online reporting system described in the bill within its existing appropriation for information technology projects, although there could be additional costs.

The bill also would enable the Department to use $30,000 Gross and GF/GP that was appropriated in Article X of Public Act 59 of 2013 for the Task Force on the Prevention of

Sexual Abuse of Children for member compensation and reimbursement of expenditures. Section 590 of Article X places some restrictions on the nature of the reimbursements, but states, "Use of funds shall be limited to providing reimbursements to task force members for travel costs related to task force operations."

Date Completed:  12-9-14                                                 Fiscal Analyst:  Frances Carley

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.