SPONSOR: Schmidt
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Health and Mental Health by a vote of 14 to 0.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 2745.
This bill establishes time frames for the Children's Division's assessment and treatment services for children who enter into custody as follows:
(1) Within 72 hours of entry into custody, the child must receive a physical examination to be performed by a physician or nurse practitioner familiar with the effects of abuse or neglect on young children. The physician or nurse practitioner is required to request access to the child's past medical records, and the foster family will have access to those records. That request for medical records must be fulfilled within 30 days. Additionally, during this examination, no vaccine will be administered during the physical without the consent of the biological parent.
(2) Within 30 days of the physical, a referral for a developmental, behavioral, and emotional screening, in addition to early periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services will be conducted, either by a licensed mental health professional or a primary care physician using a standardized assessment tool.
This bill is similar to HB 1227 (2025).
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that when a child enters foster care, their immediate physical safety is assessed, but there is a delay in understanding their emotional needs. They’ve experienced trauma, instability, neglect, and abuse. Without universal behavioral health assessments, too many children fall through the cracks, showing up as aggressive, withdrawn, having school difficulty, or placement disruptions. This changes the trajectory, allowing for the addressing of developmental and behavioral health needs early before they escalate. This bill creates a pathway to timely services, stabilizing placement and improving long-term outcomes.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Schmidt; Kids Win Missouri; Jordan Valley Health; Megan Steen, Burrell Behavioral Health; and Arnie C. Dienoff.
OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: