This bill proposes several updates to current statutes regarding the duty to report child abuse and neglect. It modifies the existing language concerning health professionals' responsibilities when they determine that a newborn has been prenatally exposed to drugs, changing the reference from subsection E to F. Additionally, it clarifies that clergy members may withhold reporting confessions unless they suspect ongoing abuse, and it introduces a new requirement for clergy to report any knowledge or reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect, with specific exceptions for confidential communications.

Furthermore, the bill removes outdated language and adds new provisions that enhance the reporting obligations of clergy and other mandated reporters. It specifies that any member of the clergy, Christian Science practitioner, or priest must report if they suspect ongoing or future abuse, while also ensuring that their duty to report is not negated by confidentiality in confessions. The bill also updates the subsections related to psychiatric records and the conditions under which they may be excised or made available for investigations into child abuse or neglect.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 8-201, 12-2233, 13-3620, 13-1404, 13-1405, 13-1406, 13-1410, 13-3552, 13-3553, 13-3608, 13-3212, 13-3401, 8-327, 13-501, 13-3903, 13-4261, 13-3623, 13-3601, 13-1417, 8-455, 13-706, 32-3201, 15-803, 13-3551, 13-1401, 13-1411, 13-3507, 8-521.02, 8-456, 8-471