SPONSOR: Kelly (141)
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Crime Prevention by a vote of 8 to 0.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 1179.
This bill specifies that the coordinator for the statewide telehealth network must regularly consult with Missouri-based stakeholders and clinicians actively engaged in the collection of forensic evidence regarding the training programs offered by the network, as well as about the implementation and operation of the network. No provider will be required to utilize the training offered by the statewide telehealth network regarding the collection of forensic evidence as long as the training utilized is at least equivalent to the training offered by the statewide telehealth network.
The bill specifies that, starting January 1, 2023, or no later than six months after the establishment of the statewide telehealth network, whichever is later, hospitals will be required to perform a forensic examination by an appropriate medical provider using an evidentiary collection kit upon the request and consent of the victim of a sexual offense or his or her guardian when the victim is at least 14 years old. Victims between 14 and 17 years old may be referred to a SAFE CARE provider for medical or forensic evaluation and case review.
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, last year, this legislature passed legislation to protect victims of sexual of assault. This bill would make some changes to the program passed last year. This addresses the statewide telehealth network so if a hospital does not have a proper professional on staff, the hospital would then be directed to access the telehealth network to be able to bring in a proper professional.
Testifying for the bill were Representative Kelly; Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV); Arnie C. Dienoff; and BJC Healthcare; and Cox Health.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill submitted written testimony, which can be found online.
Testifying against the bill was Anita Guess.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: