This bill proposes significant updates to current statutes concerning the confidentiality and disclosure of records related to deceased minors and child abuse victims. It introduces new provisions that would restrict access to photographs, digital images, x-rays, and video recordings of deceased minors created during death investigations, allowing release only to specific parties such as parents, legal guardians, and certain agencies involved in investigations or court proceedings. Additionally, it classifies autopsy images as confidential and limits public access to law enforcement recordings depicting deceased minors. The bill also establishes that child abuse records are confidential, with exceptions for disclosure to law enforcement and child welfare agencies, and introduces penalties for unauthorized release of such records.

Moreover, the bill would remove call transcripts from the list of child abuse records and require prosecutors to disclose records related to deceased minors to the defendant's attorney, who may share them with individuals assisting in the defense under restrictions. It allows county medical examiners to disclose specified records to defense attorneys and permits the deceased minor's parent or legal guardian to disclose records. The bill also facilitates the dissemination of records for insurance claims or personal injury/wrongful death claims, specifies that restrictions on death scene images apply only if the location of the minor's death is known, and adds child fatality review teams to the list of entities that may receive child abuse records. Overall, these changes aim to enhance the privacy and protection of sensitive information while ensuring necessary legal access under controlled conditions.

Statutes affected:
Senate Engrossed Version: 11-594, 13-4434, 39-121.04, 11-593, 28-668, 13-1210, 36-670, 11-251.08, 11-597.02, 8-501, 13-4403, 13-3601, 13-3623, 8-384, 13-4401
Chaptered Version: 11-597.02, 13-4434, 39-121.04, 8-501, 13-4403, 13-3601, 13-3623, 8-384, 13-4401