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Senate panel hears survivors urge tougher penalties for knowingly concealing child abuse
Summary
Senate Bill 15 88, which would raise criminal penalties for some mandated reporters who knowingly conceal child abuse, drew emotional testimony Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.
Senate Bill 15 88, which would raise criminal penalties for some mandated reporters who knowingly conceal child abuse, drew emotional testimony Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.
The bill would change certain instances of failure to report from a misdemeanor to a felony when a mandated reporter is aware of abuse and seeks to conceal it, sponsor Senator Lois Hancock said during opening remarks. The bill "specifically segment[s] out those that would be, under a felony versus a misdemeanor," Hancock told the committee.
The bill's nut graf: supporters said the measure is intended to shift responsibility onto adults who, when aware of abuse, take steps to hide it instead of reporting to authorities, arguing that stronger penalties could prevent future harm and help prosecutors hold accountable people in positions of authority.
Joseph Cleveland, who testified as an invited witness, described being groomed and abused beginning in February 2004 and said institutional leaders failed to warn students or investigate allegations. "My request is that we pass Senate Bill 15 88 so that people can be held accountable for knowingly allowing such horrific crimes," Cleveland told the committee.
Curtis Garrison, who identified himself as a child sexual-abuse survivor and a claimant in the Boy Scouts bankruptcy, and Luke McCown, a crimes‑against‑children prosecutor in McLennan County, also offered public testimony in support. McCown recommended a statutory change to increase the applicable felony degree in some cases to make enhancement tools available in prosecution.
Committee members acknowledged the emotional testimony and said they would discuss details with the bill author as it moves forward. The chair held the bill pending at the end of the hearing.
Ending: The committee took no final action on SB 15 88 and left the bill pending for further consideration; advocates urged swift movement to give prosecutors more tools to pursue adults who knowingly conceal child abuse.
