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Senate committee examines bill to narrow neglect, add poverty exception and define duties
Summary
Senate Bill 912 would redefine parental duties, clarify types of neglect (chronic or extreme), add a financial‑resource exception and set more concrete standards for when neglect rises to abuse; witnesses urged the changes to avoid criminalizing poverty.
The Senate Committee on Human Services held a March 6 hearing on Senate Bill 912, a measure that would recast parts of Oregon’s neglect and abuse definitions by (1) specifying a parent's or guardian's duty to protect a child and provide for basic needs, (2) creating a financial‑resource exception when services are not available, and (3) defining chronic and extreme neglect with an emphasis on actual harm or imminent risk rather than theoretical possibilities.
Matt, committee staff, summarized the bill: SB 912 “prescribes the duties of a child's parent or guardian to protect a child from abuse by…
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