CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTERS                                                                  S.B. 1021:

                                                                                            SUMMARY AS ENROLLED

Senate Bill 1021 (as enrolled)

Sponsor:  Senator Jim Stamas

Senate Committee:  Judiciary

House Committee:  Judiciary

Date Completed:  1-3-17

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Child Protection Law (CPL) to do the following:

-- Allow the disclosure of a confidential record to a children's advocacy center in the course of providing services to a victim of child abuse or child neglect or to the child's family.

-- Require procedures regarding investigations under the CPL to include involving children's advocacy centers, where appropriate.

The CPL requires certain professionals to report to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) if they have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or neglect, and imposes various investigative, reporting, record-keeping, and other responsibilities on the Department. These include a requirement that the DHHS maintain a statewide, electronic central registry to carry out the statute. Except as otherwise provided, a written report, document, or photograph filed with the Department under the Law is a confidential record available only to specified individual and entities. The bill would include among those entities a children's advocacy center in the course of providing services to a child alleged to have been the victim of child abuse or child neglect or to that child's family.

The bill would define "children's advocacy center" as an entity accredited as a child advocacy center by the National Children's Alliance or its successor agency or an entity granted associate or developing membership status by the National Children's Alliance or its successor agency.

Currently, in each county, the prosecuting attorney and the DHHS are required to develop and establish procedures for involving law enforcement officials in conducting investigations of reports made under the CPL. The bill would require those procedures to include involving law enforcement officials and children's advocacy centers, as appropriate.

The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.

MCL 722.622 et al.                                                   Legislative Analyst:  Patrick Affholter

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

                                                                                      Fiscal Analyst:  John Maxwell

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.