This bill mandates that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) must verbally report any complaints of child abuse, neglect, or crime directly to an on-duty law enforcement officer in the relevant community immediately upon receiving such complaints. Additionally, if no local officer is available, the report must be made to the state police. The bill also stipulates that a written report must be submitted to law enforcement within 24 hours, including weekends and holidays, and a copy of this report must be sent to the county attorney's office. The bill modifies existing language to clarify the types of abuse that must be reported, replacing terms like "sexually molested" with more specific definitions of sexual contact and penetration, and adding provisions for injuries inflicted by parents or guardians.

Furthermore, the bill grants law enforcement personnel and trained caseworkers the right to enter public places, such as schools and childcare agencies, to interview children without needing parental consent if there is reasonable belief of abuse or neglect. The bill also emphasizes that law enforcement should not rely on DHHS to gather information for investigations unless required by established protocols. The implementation of this bill is expected to increase the workload for DHHS, necessitating additional staffing and resources, with estimated costs projected to rise significantly over the next few years.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 169-C:38
HB767 text: 169-C:38